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Ideal locations - Whale watchers flock from all over the world for a chance to see humpbacks, southern rights, minke and rare blue whales. Check out these ideal whale watching locations around Australia.

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Warmer waters - May to November is the time whales migrate from the cold waters of Antarctica to the warmer waters of Australia during the winter to breed.

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East and west coastlines - They can be spotted along both east and west coastlines during this time, especially a population of about 15,000 humpback whales.

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Tours - For a closer look, enthusiasts can book boat cruise tours from Bruny Island, Augusta, Merimbula, Circular Quay, Granite Island, Ceduna, Hervey Bay, and Warrnambool in an attempt to see the gentle giants of the ocean.

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NSW - All along the NSW coastline, from Green Cape to Tweed Heads, there are many locations to spot whales migrating north to breed and nurse in the warmer water.

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Cape Byron Lighthouse, Byron Bay - North of the NSW coastline, Cape Byron Lighthouse is a perfect location for spotting pods of whales frolicking out at sea.

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Merimbula, Sapphire Coast - During the northern migration, humpbacks can be spotted heading up towards QLD along the coast, but their Southern Migration is when the fun really begins - with significantly more pods of whales popping up to say hello.

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TAS - Great Oyster Bay on the Freycinet Peninsula is a popular destination to watch from the shore, as well as Mercury Passage on Maria Island.

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Flinders Bay, Augusta - Flinders Bay in Augusta is a very popular location in WA due to the variation of whales that travel by, including humpbacks, southern rights, minkes, orcas, and on occasion the rare blue whale.

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Whale World - Albany is another WA hot spot for whale watching enthusiasts. It is also home to Whale World, an interactive museum that was a former whaling station.

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Head of the Bight, SA - The Head of the Bight is where endangered southern right whales take up residence during the colder months to nurse their calves.

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'Humpback highway' - The Gold Coast in QLD is known as the 'humpback highway' because whale traffic heads in both directions from the middle of August.

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Hervey Bay Ocean Festival - Hervey Bay in QLD holds an annual festival celebrating the ocean, which includes an event called Paddle out for the Whales, where people paddle out on their surfboards and sit in wait for to whales frolic by.

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Warrnambool, VIC - Along the Great Ocean Road, Warrnambool's Lady Bay and Logans Beach are prime locations to watch mother whales nurse their newborns.

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Cape Nelson, VIC - Humpbacks and southern right whales often frequent this area, however, rare blue whales have also been spotted in the last month near Portland at Cape Nelson.

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Southern right whale - The southern right whale is an endangered baleen whale known for callosities on its head, no dorsal fin, and a long mouth beginning above the eye.

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Minke whale - The minke whale is also a baleen whale. It's possible to swim close (but not too close!) to these giants on the Great Barrier Reef. They are known for their curiosity of humans and friendliness.

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Bremer Bay Orca - Bremer Bay is home to the largest congregation of orcas, the apex predators of the ocean, in the Southern Hemisphere. They are mostly present in pods from January to March.

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Important - In Australia, it's important to note that conservation is paramount and there is a 300m restriction on how close people can get to marine mammals, with heavy fines to those who breach these laws.

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Pods of humpbacks - Pods of humpback and southern right whales were spotted in WA, with up to 98 being spied in the daylight hours of one weekend at Cheynes Beach, according to the ABC.

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Breaching - In the same weekend, whale watchers witnessed five humpbacks breaching an incredible six times within 60 seconds near Augusta.

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Close encounter - In the same article, Marine biologist Bianca Uyen also witnessed a close encounter when the giant mammals came within metres of a spectators' vessel at Flinders Bay.

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Tiny little hairs - "They were so close that you could see the tiny little hairs the mammals have on their rostrum and their chins," Uyen said.

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Migaloo - The rare albino humpback whale, Migaloo, was seen earlier this month, according to Migaloo the White Whale's Facebook page.

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'Special status' - According to the Guardian, "Migaloo has 'special status' in New South Wales and Queensland. Watchers must stay at least 500m away – 600m for aircraft and jetskis".

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'White fella' - Oskar Peterson from the White Whale Research Centre said, "He glows, you can’t really miss him when you do see him out there from a distance, and it’s like fluorescent blue when you see him up close." He was named after an Aboriginal word for 'white fella'.

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Educating the world - "He’s been a bit of an ambassador," he said. "It’s about educating the world population of the dangers and lack of understanding of the marine environment, the Great Barrier Reef in particular".

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Beached - With the onset of whale migration, it also leads to higher risk of whales becoming beached. It remains unclear why whales and other marine mammals get stranded.

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Rescued -

A combination of factors contribute to beachings, but with help from whale watchers, locals, and marine experts these giant creatures can be rescued by contacting ORRCA (Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia).

See also: 50 amazing pictures of Australia's national parks

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