Nosing around for dolphins

PLAYFUL dolphins frolick and ride the waves with Alison Cotes as she discovers the delights of beautiful Hervey Bay, in Queensland, aboard an eco cruise.

Accommodation ... visitors can stay at the Kingfisher Bay Resort on world-renowned Fraser Island

IS there life after Sea World?

For Peter Lynch, who worked there with dolphins and whales for 14 years, and who has taken his expertise to Hervey Bay, there certainly is. "I just couldn't be happier," he says, pointing at the expanse of wrinkled turquoise and sapphire waters that surround his 10.5m catamaran.

"I get to spend all day on the water, watching the animals I love best in the world, and have the satisfaction of showing them off to people who are just longing to see them."

His stable Tasman C35 catamaran is a joy to sail on, because he never takes Blue Dolphin II outside the safe confines of the bay.

I managed four hours without a qualm, even when we were sailing through the area that's know locally as the washing machine, where the currents meet in the passage between Big Woody and Little Woody islands.

The folds of the crushed-taffeta sea acquired frilly lace edgings as the breeze came up, but undaunted I moved around the spacious deck, determined to be the first to spot the dolphins that had been so elusive the day before.

"Don't expect too much," Peter had warned us as we set off, "because we didn't see any at all yesterday, although there was a dugong close to the jetty as we came back. These are wild creatures, not zoo animals, so there's no predicting where they'll be."

We were lucky, for after only 20 minutes we found ourselves in the middle of two separate pods - one of cheeky bottle-nosed specimens and another of humpback dolphins.

It was a magic morning, and we soon got expert at dolphin-spotting, so that we got some half-way decent photographs – although Peter's are much better, I have to admit.

But the delight of seeing these human-sized creatures frolicking in the water and seeming to ride the waves for sheer joy was better than any photograph could suggest.

Canadians on this trip professed to be wildlife experts, but when the first mother and baby appeared they descended into clucks and coos of delight, and within no time the dolphins were dubbed Little Rags and Big Rags due to irregular dorsal fins. We had a good two hours slowly following the dolphins around, never hunting them or trying to round them up, because this is an eco-cruise.

Often the quiet motor was switched off so that the dolphins would feel more comfortable satisfying their curiosity about us.

I thought they'd have lost interest in boats after all these years, but Peter's is the only one of its kind sailing the bay, so dolphins are not being constantly followed by yachts and cruisers as whales are when they're around. When the weather's warm Peter stops at sandy beaches on the neighbouring islands and if there's a decent wind, he'll put up the sails for the ride back.

Peter doesn't actually offer whale-watching cruises in Hervey Bay because he works in conjunction with Kingfisher Bay Resort which has its own whale-watching cruises.

The other cruise he offers is a 90-minute sunset experience, with bubbles and nibbles - a good way to spend an evening if you're staying at the Kingfisher resort on the western side of Fraser Island, which has a great range of accommodation.

The Blue Dolphin cruise isn't part of any Kingfisher Bay package, but it leaves from the jetty there, and you can make bookings from the resort.

A night or two in one of the Hervey Bay villages is another option. The township has at least four suburb/villages with apartments, motels and resorts on the shore. Supposedly the only five-star accommodation available is the brand-new Bay Apartments in Scarness, a beautifully-appointed four-level resort.

We really liked our digs here, close to shops and cafes. You can either self-cater or get a decent cheap meal at The Black Dog pub or the many takeaways.

Sunday Mail (QLD)