'Spirit of Migloo' is just one of the boats that set out from Queensland's Gold Coast to take…read morepeople out to see the whales. She's a modern, luxurious catamaran fitted with the latest instrumentation. 'But we don't use radar or sonar' they said 'It would disturb the whales too much' So, they rely on experience and know-how and, probably, messages from a friendly helicopter pilot to find them, and so confident are they that they offer a refund in the event of not seeing any. However, they do use audio equipment, so that passengers can hear the whale song. We were here to see the Southern Humpback Whale. Every Southern winter, that is, from June to November, they migrate along the eastern coast of Australia from their feeding grounds in Antarctica to their breeding grounds further north, off the coast of tropical Queensland. They say they'll give you a refund if you don't spot any whales, but, on this occasion, only 20 minutes out, we saw plenty. I was expecting a series of splashes and spouts some distance away, but some of them even got close enough to the boat to enable some really good photos or video to be taken ... IF you were quick enough.

Front desk customer service was rude and clearly condescending and racist! The woman allowed some…read moreother bleep to jump the queue and push in in front of me, serving this person first, then ignored me for awhile before finally registering me for the whale watch. Then I queued up only to find out the customer service *bleep* deliberately didn't give me a pass when everyone else got one, and I had to go back to the front desk to collect it, hence being almost the last person to board the boat and not get a good seat. To the stupid woman at the front desk, you shouldn't be in tourism if you can't tolerate diversity and foreign tourists. Should I come across you again, I will report you to the racism commission and get you fired! Ignorant bleeps like you should not be in customer service let alone tourism! Get a life and an education whilst you're at it! I was told I was going to boganville, yet this was the first ignorant bogette I met... To Sea World, please check the professionalism of your staff please! It ruined the rest of the trip even though your crew were fantastic.

Tallship Island Adventures provide great tours. I recently embarked on their Paradise tour and…read morecannot recommend it highly enough. It ran from 9am to 4.15pm and involved: - a coach pick up from my hotel - morning and afternoon tea - a tall ship cruise to the exclusive McLarens Landing - parasailing off the boat (cost $60) - full licensed bar on boat and on island (drinks cost extra) - island BBQ and buffet lunch - live entertainment (singer) - free use of paddle boats, kayaks, beach volleyball equipment, pool table, cricket and darts equipment - sea plane flight (cost $90per person) - choice of speedboat or tall ship cruise back home - coach drop off at my hotel Best of all, the tour was only $129!!! It was extraordinary value for a day packed with fun. There are plenty of opportunities to relax with glorious beaches on South Stradbroke Island (where McLarens Landing is) and even a hammock available for a snooze. The staff are incredible and make the atmosphere very fun. They are sociable and entertaining too. If you have a day free I would definitely go on this tour. The sea plane ride I took was incredible and the owner of the plane is happy to bargain with you for a cheaper fare. From memory I think I whittled him down to $55 for my flight. He likes to have fun and rolled the plane right over at one point - definitely got an adrenaline rush from that!