THIS MONTH’S WINNING ENTRY IS BY JANIS GALE

chasing tales in hervey bay

I was amazed on opening my Jetmail – Jetstar was offering special holiday deals for the month of October, and one package was tailored specifically for me. I read the details of the five-day, fully accommodated trip to Hervey Bay, the whale watching centre of Queensland, remembering an event which occurred many years ago on my first journey to Australia.

The pilot’s voice was animated as we neared Perth airport in 1975. “Look to your left, passengers. You’ll see a pod of humpback whales on their way south to Antarctica for the summer.” He explained that their numbers were only just starting to increase after commercial hunting had decimated their population. How fortunate we were to see this pod of nine. Their shapes were clearly defined against the sapphire water, even from our great height. I marvelled at their size and majesty.

The Jetstar package was well priced and we booked for the end of October, the tail end of the migration season. I hoped the whales would still be around.

My husband, a recreational fisherman, sometimes boasts about the time a whale surfaced next to his small boat. He and his mates reached for their life jackets, then sat terrified that they would be capsized, but the gentle giant entertained them with rolls and tail slapping for 20 minutes, hardly rocking the boat. Of course, I was home at the time. Whale sightings have always proved elusive for me.

Friends have rung me occasionally over the years saying, “Quickly, get down to the beach, there’s a whale just off shore.” But by the time I got there the giant would be gone, or too far away to see clearly through my binoculars. Disappointed at not seeing a humpback again last year, I insisted on a whale watching cruise at beautiful Huskisson, on the south coast of New South Wales. But although it was a wonderful day, it turned out to be dolphin watching only. Would Hervey Bay prove to be any different?

Our Hervey Bay hotel room overlooked the spectacular marina and we booked our cruise for the next day. We figured that if we didn’t see any whales the first day, we’d have time for a second trip.

On this occasion, a rare dugong floated on his back, next to our boat, on the way out of the harbour. He was a good omen. The ocean was clear and calm and although the whales’ resting period in the bay was coming to an end, we saw three female humpbacks with calves. The passengers ran from one side of the boat to the other, so as not to miss any action, as the calves breached and sprayed, mimicking their mothers. Hervey Bay provides the perfect resting place for the giant mammals, before the pods continue their long journey south.

The Jetstar package was wonderful – the opportunity of a lifetime. After years of searching, finally I have met the magnificent humpback whale.

How to Win:
If you’ve travelled Jetstar to/from or within Australia in the past year, we’d love to hear from you! Send in your 500-word holiday story from any Jetstar destination and six of your best holiday snaps. The winning entry will be published in JETSTAR Magazine and win 2 JetSaver return tickets flying Jetstar between your closest port and a direct Jetstar operated port. It’s that easy! Send your travel story to: writerscomp@jetstar.com

Terms & Conditions:
Contest will run every month. Entry submissions must be received by the 8th of the month. Maximum prize value is AU$756 based on 2 return flights from Adelaide to Cairns. Entrants must be Australian residents. Ink Publishing reserves the right to edit the winning submission and the judges decision is final. Employees of Jetstar Airways and Ink Publishing are not eligible to enter. For full terms and conditions, please visit www.jetstar.com/writerscomp