page_title: Whale watching in Australia
hierarchical_section_title: Whale watching in Australia
caption_attribution_description: There are only about 7,000 S. Right Whales in the world, and of course, only found in the Southern Hemisphere. This calf and its mother were lounging and playing just offshore...
context_page_description: Whale watching in Australia is a popular recreational pursuit and a tourist activity along various coasts. In 2008, whale and dolphin watching was worth an estimated A$31 million in direct expenditure to the Australian economy with an estimated 1.6 million tourists participating in the activity. Whaling in Australia took place from 1788 to 1978 and was once commercially successful. The Australian Whale Sanctuary was established in 1999 to protect dolphins and whales from hunting. Humpback whales are the most common species seen in the waters surrounding Australia while southern right whales, minke whales and blue whales are also seen.
  Whale watchers are restricted to approaches as close as 300 metres in order to protect the animals.
context_section_description: Whale watching in Australia is a popular recreational pursuit and a tourist activity along various coasts. In 2008, whale and dolphin watching was worth an estimated A$31 million in direct expenditure to the Australian economy with an estimated 1.6 million tourists participating in the activity. Whaling in Australia took place from 1788 to 1978 and was once commercially successful. The Australian Whale Sanctuary was established in 1999 to protect dolphins and whales from hunting. Humpback whales are the most common species seen in the waters surrounding Australia while southern right whales, minke whales and blue whales are also seen.
  Whale watchers are restricted to approaches as close as 300 metres (984 ft) in order to protect the animals.
caption: Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis), offshore from Cheynes, Western Australia
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