History

Back in the mid nineteen eighties Hervey Bay had the reputation of being a sleepy little fishing village where your everyday working family came to spend their holidays. With a population of just over ten thousand and a foreshore some fifteen kilometres long the town had a very casual and relaxed atmosphere.

Come holiday time the thirty or so caravan parks that had given the Bay the title of the "Caravan Park Capital of Australia" would swell to overflowing as hundreds of holiday makers would make their annual pilgrimage to Queensland's best kept secret.

The 1st Season Till Now
Around 3500 people saw the whales in the first season. The original vessel ran in 1987 and 1988. It soon became very clear that slow vessels such as the original were just not the way to go. The Half Day Whale Watch was introduced in 1988. It was an instant success. The brand new Quick Cat II now takes over the half-day trips.

Hervey Bay Marine Park
The waters known as Platypus Bay on the western side of Fraser Island was declared a marine park in 1990 and all vessels work under a permit system. Brian helped setup the guidelines and had enormous input into establishing the marine park. National Parks and Wildlife used the spotter aircraft to do whale counts over three years. What were to be guidelines are now rules for navigating in and around whales. These rules now are used around Australia and in many other countries where whale watching is undertaken.

Hervey Bay Whales and Economy
Hervey Bay is now a thriving city and its permanent population has soared to over 50,000. Whale watching brought the many thousand of people both from Australia and overseas. Most of these people didn't know Hervey Bay existed. This easy going nature and the spirit of place has made Hervey Bay what it is today