Among the larger species of baleen whale, southern right whales and humpback whales can be seen at east coast vantage points such as Frederick Henry Bay and Great Oyster Bay. While most species migrate some distance off the continental shelf, the humpback and southern right whale come sufficiently close to the coast to allow regular sightings from land. Humpbacks travel northward to breeding areas off the coast of Queensland and Western Australia between May and July and return southward to their sub-antarctic feeding grounds between September and November. Southern right whales travel north from June to September to the waters of southern mainland Australia and return southward between September and late October. A proportion of the population gives birth in Tasmanian waters.
Most sightings occur on the east coast.
Although this may be simply a consequence of the higher population of human observers in the east, it is likely that the humpback and southern right whales prefer the calmer waters of the east coast. The Parks and Wildlife Service is currently assisting in research into the recovery of the southern right whale. Today, only some 500-700 southern right whales migrate to the southern waters of Australia, but numbers are increasing. The stranding record provides an indication of the species that occur in Tasmanian waters. Some species have been recorded only once and have never actually been observed live in Tasmanian waters.