Photo: South Australia’s Kangaroo Island Marine Adventures, Photo Greg Snell.
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Dolphins, Porpoises and Whales

Map of Australia

Popular Places to See Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises

Australia, being an island nation has many places to see whales, dolphins and porpoises. Here are some of the more popular ones that offer watching cruises or where they can be spotted from the coast:

New South Wales

Cape Byron (New South Wales)
Coffs Harbour (NSW)
Jervis Bay (NSW)
Port Stephens (NSW)
Twofold Bay (NSW)

Queensland

Hervey Bay (Queensland)
Moreton Bay (QLD)
Great Barrier Reef (QLD)

South Australia

Kangaroo Island (South Australia)
Great Australian Bight Marine Park areas
Encounter Coast

Victoria

Logan’s Beach
Phillip Island

Map showing the location of Kangaroo Island off the coast of South Australia: South Australia National Parks.

There are many places around Australia to take a dolphin spotting cruise. Great for families, kids of all ages enjoy spotting them moving through the waters at high speed, often frolicking, diving and jumping in the wake of the power boat.

Many of these dolphins are threatened due to the loss of their habitat and reckless fishing activity.

Dolphin Species in Australia

A previously unidentified species of humpback dolphin has recently been found in northern Australian waters, at the moment called the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin.

Species known to be in Australian waters:

Australian snubfin dolphin
Common bottlenose dolphin
Fraser’s dolphin
Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin
Irrawaddy dolphin
Pacific humpback dolphin
Pantropical spotted dolphin
Risso’s dolphin
Rough-toothed dolphin
Short-beaked common dolphin
Spinner dolphin
Striped dolphin

Kangaroo Island

The dolphin in the photo is at Kangaroo Island, just off the coast of South Australia: Kangaroo Island SA.

About SA National Parks

Nearby parks include Coffin Bay National Park, the Gawler Ranges National Park, the Nullarbor National Park and the Great Australian Bight Marine Park. More about the National Parks in SA: South Australia National Parks, South Australia National Parks.

Parks in the SA Outback: Flinders Ranges & The Outback and the The Arkaba Walk - Flinders Ranges and the beautiful wilderness of Witjira National Park, South Australia.