Springbrook National Park and Whale Watching

Whilst I knew that I was unlikely to beat my hot air balloon ride I was determined to make the most of my time at Surfers and so yesterday took an Eco trip out to the Springbrook National Park. First stop was the Natural Arch, a magnificent natural arch (funny that!) and waterfall cascades which were really impressive. We then headed on into the heart of Springbrook for a walk to Rainbow Falls and Twin Falls. The track to Rainbow Falls was shut as the track was unsafe however our guide assured us it was fine as long as we were careful. Trust me to slip just as we are crossing the actual waterfall and land on my bum!

After a picnic lunch we headed up to a spot called ‘the best of all lookouts’ quite a claim, yet the view was incredible. You can see as far as Byron Bay with clear views of Mt Warning and the surrounding terrain.

Before heading home we stopped off at a glow worm grotto. Not as impressive as the Waitamo caves in New Zealand as the grotto was tiny in comparison, yet still worth a short visit. The day trip was really informative and it was nice to see a bit of the surrounding area rather than spending all my time on the beach.

Today I was once again up early (I am in need of a lie-in!) to go whale watching. We headed out into the sea via the Gold Coast Canal and were shown the homes of the rich and famous and the areas best architecture.

It took about an hour before we were far enough out to spot a whale and the ride was very rough, with quite a few people suffering from sea sickness. Humpback whales are the 5th largest of all great whales and the most surface active. Unlike dolphins they are found in much smaller pods typically between two and fifteen. Today there were three of them (Sadly not Migaloo the albino whale) that we watched play in the water.

I couldn’t get over just how massive they are, shaking the boat as they swam past. Whilst they kept surfacing about every three minutes they only jumped once (I missed it) and flipped their tails twice. However it was still a great morning seeing these amazing animals in their natural environment. I think it is incredible the crew can spot them amongst the waves within such a vast area.

Am off to Brisbane tomorrow but don’t plan on staying long as have been warned there is very little to see and instead I should just stay a night and continue up the East Coast. I will keep you posted.