White whale Migaloo set to reach Queensland

HE’S a celebrity who gets a police escort and keeps his distance, but fans can expect to glimpse a sighting of Migaloo, the famed white whale, who’s expected to make his long-awaited return to Queensland this week as part of the annual northern migration

White Whale Migaloo make will return to Queensland this week during the annual northern migration. Picture: PORT JET CRUISE ADVENTURES

HE’S a celebrity who gets a police escort and keeps his distance, but fans can expect to glimpse a sighting of Migaloo, the famed white whale, who’s expected to make his long-awaited return to Queensland this week as part of the annual northern migration.

The humpback was spotted off the coast of Port Macquarie on Saturday. Sea World Gold Coast Marine Sciences director Trevor Long says whales typically move at three to four knots per hour, but it was anyone’s guess when Migaloo will enter Queensland waters because they can “stop and mill around”.

Mr Long says Migaloo and other humpbacks are making their way to waters off the state’s northern coastline.

“They’re up here to calve and to mate because obviously, they can’t have the calves in the cold water because they are born with no fat on them,” he said on Monday.

Mr Long says he has been fortunate to see the rare white whale many times.

“To be able to see any animal such as Migaloo, it’s like a neon light underwater,” he said.

“It’s just amazing.” Migaloo was believed to be between three and five years old when he was first spotted off Byron Bay in 1991.

Since then he has made regular appearances along the east coast. Migaloo received a police escort on his way to the Great Barrier Reef in July 2016 after a boat on the Gold Coast came too close to the celebrity mammal.