Whitsundays Whale Heritage Area

Cetaceans are a group of animals including whales, dolphins, and porpoises. They are an important part of the marine ecosystem in the Whitsundays, with six species of whale and four species of dolphin officially recorded as calling the Whitsundays home. Some species, like the short-finned pilot whale, can be seen year-round, while others are migratory.  
From around June to October eastern Australian humpback whales relax and calve in the protected warm Whitsunday waters. The Whitsundays is recognised as a significant calving ground for humpback whales due to the islands creating safe and sheltered locations for mothers to give birth and start teaching their young. 

The largest threat to cetaceans (whales and dolphins) in the Whitsundays is climate change. While this is a global issue, it will have direct impacts on whales, both due to changes in ocean temperature and ocean acidification and food source disruption, as krill abundance and distribution is also highly dependent on sea conditions such as temperatures, water quality, and the presence of sea ice.

• As of 2023, it was estimated that over 40,000 humpback whales travel up the east coast of Australia each year to enjoy the warm waters over winter before heading back to Antarctica in summer. 
• The Whitsunday is known as the heart of the reef because over 40% of visitors access the Great Barrier Reef from the Whitsundays.
• Female humpbacks reach sexual maturity between the ages of 4 and 10 years. They produce a single calf every 2 to 3 years. Once the mother is pregnant, she will travel to the warmer waters of north Queensland to have her calf. A humpback whale calf is between 10-15 feet (3-4.5 m) long at birth and weighs up to 1 ton (907 kg). It nurses frequently on the mother's rich milk, which has a 45% to 60% fat content. The calf is weaned to solid food when it is about a year old.