Guide to Seal, Dolphin and Whale Watching in Melbourne and Victoria
Watching seals, dolphins and whales in the wild is a memorable experience. This guide includes boat tours and swimming experiences, as well as some of Victoria’s best shore-based whale-watching spots.
Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed. Whales migrate along Victoria’s coast mainly from May to October, while blue whales may be seen off Portland during the warmer months. Bring binoculars, check local sighting updates and dress for cold, windy weather.
Dolphin & Seal Watching
Dolphin and Seal Sightseeing Cruise from Sorrento
Take a 90-minute wildlife cruise from Sorrento and look for bottlenose dolphins, Australian fur seals and seabirds, including Australasian gannets. Humpback whales may occasionally be seen in the area.
Book Dolphin and Seal Sightseeing Cruise from Sorrento
Swim with Dolphins & Seals
Swimming tours operate from Sorrento and Queenscliff. Tours are run by licensed operators, and wildlife encounters depend on the animals and conditions on the day. Swimming with dolphins is only permitted as part of a licensed tour, and only when the dolphins choose to approach. Never touch or feed marine wildlife.
3-hour Dolphin and Seal Swim Mornington Peninsula (November-April)
Depart from Sorrento and visit Chinaman’s Hat, a haul-out site for Australian fur seals. The tour also searches Port Phillip Bay for dolphins, with opportunities to swim or snorkel when conditions and wildlife allow.
Book 3-hour Dolphin and Seal Swim Mornington Peninsula
Seal & Dolphin Swim Tour Queenscliff
Join a snorkelling tour from Queenscliff to look for Australian fur seals and dolphins in southern Port Phillip Bay. The crew provides snorkelling guidance, and any swim with dolphins depends on the animals choosing to approach.
Book Seal & Dolphin Swim Tour Queenscliff
Best Places to Watch Whales in Victoria
The best time to look for migrating whales along much of Victoria’s southern coast is from May to October. Southern right whales and humpbacks are among the species seen during this period. Portland is also known for blue whale sightings during the warmer months, when whales feed offshore. Sightings are never guaranteed, so check local updates before travelling.
Phillip Island
Look for whales from Cape Woolamai, Grossard Point, Pyramid Rock, The Nobbies and the Summerlands area. Late May to September is the main viewing period, with June and July often considered the peak. Southern right whales may also be spotted from Cowes or San Remo jetties. Wildlife Coast Cruises runs seasonal whale-watching trips around the island.
Wilsons Promontory
Try Glennie Lookout or Pillar Point for coastal views, or look out to sea while walking to Sealers Cove or Refuge Cove. Wildlife Coast Cruises and Wanderer Adventures offer boat trips in the area, with opportunities to look for migrating whales alongside other marine wildlife.
Warrnambool
Logans Beach is a well-known nursery for southern right whales, which return to the area to calve, usually between June and September. Watch from the free viewing platform above the beach. The platform has ramp access; bring binoculars and check local sighting updates before visiting.
Port Fairy
East Beach, including the area near the Surf Life Saving Club, is a good place to scan the coast. You can also look for whales while walking around Griffiths Island.
Portland and Cape Bridgewater
Portland has a free whale-viewing platform on Wade Street with public binoculars. Other viewing spots include Nuns Beach, the Lee Breakwater, Whalers Bluff and the clifftop above Nuns Beach known as the Ploughed Field. Keep an eye out for the whale flag at the Portland Visitor Information Centre, which signals recent southern right whale activity.
Southern right whales are usually seen in the area from May to October. Blue whales may be spotted offshore from November to May, particularly from Cape Nelson Lighthouse and Cape Bridgewater.
Apollo Bay and the Otway Coast
Cape Otway Lightstation offers a broad view of the coast and is a good place to scan for migrating whales. Lookouts along the Otway coast and Great Ocean Road also provide chances to spot whales offshore.
Tours include:
Bayplay offers guided water and land adventures from Portsea on the Mornington Peninsula, about 1.5 hours’ drive from Melbourne. Activities include kayaking through the Dolphin S ..
Join a guided wildlife cruise or snorkelling tour from Sorrento Pier to explore Port Phillip Bay. Experiences include swimming with wild bottlenose dolphins and Australian fur seal ..
Polperro runs small-group cruises from Sorrento to view or swim with wild bottlenose dolphins and Australian fur seals in Port Phillip Bay. Choose a 3-hour dolphin and seal swim to ..
Sea All Dolphin Swims runs marine wildlife tours from Queenscliff Boat Harbour, about 90 minutes from Melbourne. Tour options include a half-day seal and dolphin snorkelling tour, ..
Wildlife Coast Cruises runs scenic and wildlife cruises around Phillip Island and Western Port Bay. Choose from a seal-watching trip to Seal Rocks, a cruise beneath the Phillip Isl ..
Wildlife Coast Cruises operates boat tours along the remote coastline of Wilsons Promontory. Choose an 8.5-hour full-day cruise with a stop at Refuge Cove, or a six-hour seasonal w ..
