Moruya Heads Whale Watching Guide: Toragy Point And Spring Whales
From September to November the humpbacks head south past the NSW South Coast, and Moruya Heads has one of the easiest places in Eurobodalla to watch them: the Toragy Point lookout on South Head, a few minutes from Shelly Beach. This guide covers when to look, how to spot a blow, the rules that apply on the water, the graves and pilot station on the headland, the granite quarry that built the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons, and how to shape an unhurried spring stay around all of it.
Key Takeaway
Eurobodalla's tourism body and the NSW Government both put the peak spring whale window at September to November, when the southbound humpbacks travel more slowly and closer to the coast with their calves. Toragy Point at Moruya Heads has interpretive signage, seating and a clear view north along the coast, and it is less than a 10-minute drive from Moruya town. Pair it with Shelly Beach, the Saturday Moruya Country Market and the headland's history for a spring stay that does not need much driving.
Before You Head To The Lookout
Whales are wild animals and the coast is exposed, so a few quick checks make the morning much better.
1Check the sea state: Calm mornings with low swell make blows and backs far easier to see. Check the Bureau of Meteorology forecast for Moruya Heads first.
2Bring binoculars: Most sightings from land are a few hundred metres to a few kilometres out. Binoculars turn a distant splash into a whale.
3Check park alerts: The lookout sits in Eurobodalla National Park. Check current NSW National Parks alerts for closures before you go.
Build The Day Around Three Easy Choices
A good spring day at Moruya Heads has one whale window, one beach window and one easy indoor or history stop.
1Whale time: Toragy Point early or late in the day, when the light is low and the whales are most active.
2Beach time: Shelly Beach inside the river mouth for calm water, the surf beach when patrols are on.
3Story time: The headland graves, the pilot station, Quarry Park and the Moruya Museum when the wind or rain arrives.
Why Spring Is The Season To Watch Whales From Moruya Heads
Roughly 30,000 whales pass the NSW South Coast each year, according to Eurobodalla's tourism body. They head north through winter to breed in warmer water, with a June and July peak, then return south from September through November. The two halves of the migration feel very different from a headland.
The northbound run is fast and often well offshore. The southbound journey is markedly slower. Newborn calves have not yet built the fat they need for Antarctic water, so they suckle from their mothers on the way and spend more time close to the safety of the shore. That is why spring sightings from land are more reliable, and why you sometimes see a mother and calf idling in a bay rather than a distant fin racing past.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, which manages Batemans Marine Park, says the same thing plainly: the best time to whale watch here is September to November when whales migrate south. Humpbacks are the main species. Southern right whales and occasionally orcas are also seen off Moruya Heads, according to Destination NSW's page on the lookout.
Winter whales are travelling. Spring whales are parenting, and parenting happens closer to the beach.
Toragy Point And The Moruya Heads Lookout: What Is Actually There
Toragy Point is the southern headland at the mouth of the Moruya River, reached by Loop Road at Moruya Heads. NSW National Parks lists it as Moruya Heads lookout within Eurobodalla National Park and describes superb coastal views taking in the river mouth. Eurobodalla's whale-watching guide adds the practical detail that matters for a morning visit: views north along the coast, interpretive signage about whales and marine life, seating, and a small historic graveyard beside the lookout.
The headland also looks straight down onto the river entrance and its breakwaters. Destination NSW describes the point as a surfing spot for locals, with dolphins regularly seen in pods surfing the waves in line and darting in and out of the best breaks. On a calm spring morning you can have whales offshore, dolphins in the surf and a couple of boats working the bar, all from one bench.
From Bertie's 3 Beaches the lookout is a short drive around the headland roads, or a longer walk before breakfast. Moruya town is under 10 minutes away by car.
The lookout shows as open subject to current alerts. Check the NSW National Parks page before you drive out, particularly after heavy rain or strong winds.
How To Spot A Whale From The Headland
Most people who say they saw nothing were looking for a whale-shaped whale. From land you are looking for a blow first, then a back, then, if you are lucky, a tail or a breach. Slow your eyes down and scan the horizon in bands rather than staring at one spot.
Look for the blow
A humpback's exhale hangs in the air for a moment as a bushy white puff. A southern right whale's blow is V-shaped because it comes from two blowholes. Either one is far easier to see than the animal beneath it.
Go early or late
Eurobodalla's guide recommends the morning and afternoon as the times whales are most active, with sunrise often bringing calmer sea and feeding behaviour. Low light also makes splashes stand out.
Pick a calm day
Whitecaps hide whales. A morning with light offshore wind and modest swell gives you a flat, dark sea where every splash means something.
Watch the other watchers
Gathering seabirds, a boat that has stopped and turned, or a bench full of people all pointing the same way will find whales faster than you will.
Give it time. Twenty minutes with binoculars beats five minutes with a phone. Children do well with a simple job: count blows, or be first to spot the next one.
Sightings are a bonus, never a promise. Even in peak season some mornings are empty, so let the view, the dolphins and the surfers be the guarantee.
Rules On The Water: Distances That Apply To Kayaks, Boards And Drones
Watching from Toragy Point puts you well outside every rule, which is one reason the headland is the sensible place for families. The rules matter once anyone in your group takes a kayak, board, boat or drone out from the river mouth, because Moruya Heads is a launching point for all four.
The NSW Government's approach distances for whales are clear. Vessels, including kayaks and surfboards, must keep at least 100 metres from a whale, with a caution zone starting at 300 metres. Prohibited vessels such as jet skis must stay at least 300 metres away. Swimmers and divers must enter the water at least 100 metres from a whale and keep a minimum of 30 metres. Drones must stay 100 metres away.
The rule that matters most in spring is the calf rule. When a calf is present, you are not permitted to enter the 300-metre caution zone for a closer look. Vessels also must not approach a whale from behind or wait in front of it. If a whale approaches you, stop, keep still and let it decide.
Batemans Marine Park also has zoning for fishing and boating around the river mouth. Check the marine park maps before launching, and check the NSW Environment approach-distances page for the current figures, stated here as found in September 2026.
The Graves On The Headland: Toragy Point Cemetery
Beside the lookout is one of the most affecting small places on the South Coast. Toragy Point cemetery holds 20 recorded burials between 1858 and 1909, according to the Moruya and District Historical Society, and only about a quarter of those buried lived past 65. The rest were young children or people lost to drowning and accidents on a dangerous river bar.
The first burial was Mary Jane Wyatt, who died at three months old in 1858. In 1862 five harbour workers, George Harrington, James Heritage, William Edwards, William McGleish and Robert Sharpe, drowned when their boat capsized in rough seas crossing the river mouth. John Ross, the first marine pilot at Moruya Heads, was buried here in 1871 aged 65. Joseph and John Louttit, the Scottish-born founders of the granite quarry whose stone went into the pillars of Sydney's GPO and the base of the Captain Cook statue, followed in 1895 and 1901. The last known burial was Peter Gabriel Gausted, a Norwegian, in 1909.
The headstones were destroyed by vandals in the late 1970s, so what you see today is a quiet, signed reserve managed by NSW National Parks as part of Eurobodalla National Park. Read the names on the interpretive material, look down at the bar that took several of them, and it changes how you see the breakwaters.
It is a place for a respectful few minutes rather than a picnic. Keep to the paths and keep children close near the edges.
A whale lookout with a pilot's grave beside it tells you exactly what this river mouth was like before the training walls.
Pilot Station, Breakwaters And The River Mouth
South Head at Moruya has, in NSW National Parks' words, many reminders of the important role shipping played, including several breakwaters and training walls that guided shipping through the river mouth, as well as the pilot's cottage and several smaller buildings on the headland. Before the road and the railway, the river was Moruya's front door, and the pilot's job was to get vessels across a bar that killed people.
Today the training walls are where the fishers stand. Destination NSW describes the breakwall as a favourite spot for anglers, and the river gives kayakers several launch points. The south side of the entrance is also the sheltered side, which is why Shelly Beach, inside the river mouth, is the calm water beach at Moruya Heads.
On the ocean side, the surf beach has a long history of its own. The Moruya Heads surf club was established in 1933 at the northern end of the beach, according to the South Coast Travel Guide, which also warns of a permanent rip running out past the rocks just north of the surf club. That is useful to know when you look down from the lookout and see how the water moves through the gap.
Lookout, graves, pilot station buildings, breakwall and back to Shelly Beach fits into an hour. Here a whale-watching morning and a history walk are the same walk.
The Granite That Built The Sydney Harbour Bridge Pylons
Moruya's other big story sits across the river on the north bank. The first sod at the Moruya granite quarry was turned on 18 September 1924, according to the Moruya and District Historical Society, and the quarry worked until 1931 to supply Dorman, Long and Company with stone for the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons. About Regional's account puts the total at 173,000 blocks, cut and dressed on site by around 250 Australian, Scottish and Italian stonemasons, with not one stone rejected.
A whole settlement grew up beside the quarry. Granite Town had family houses, bachelor quarters, separate quarters for the Italian masons with their own cook, workshops, a school, a post office and a recreation hall, and a wharf and railway carried the dressed stone to ships bound for Sydney. Moruya stone also became the altar stone of the Cenotaph in Martin Place, a single block weighing almost 17 tonnes.
The quarry site itself is fenced and overgrown, with one original cottage still standing, but Quarry Park directly opposite on North Head Drive has an interpretive display that tells the story well. It is a short drive from Moruya Heads via the town, or part of a cycle along the river.
For the full picture, the Moruya Museum at 85 Campbell Street holds the State Heritage listed Abernethy and Co stonemason's lathe. The historical society lists opening hours of 10am to 12 noon on Wednesday, Friday and the first Saturday of the month, with other Saturdays by prior arrangement, so plan it for a mid-morning and confirm before you go.
Shelly Beach And The Beaches After The Lookout
Once the whale window closes, the beaches are all within a few minutes of the house. Shelly Beach sits inside the river mouth and, in the South Coast Travel Guide's description, offers a calmer body of water to families wanting the beach but cautious of the surf, with picnic and toilet facilities. It is the one to use with younger children and on days when the ocean beach is working hard.
Moruya South Head Beach on Coronation Drive is the surf beach. Eurobodalla Shire Council lists it as patrolled on weekends and public holidays from October to April, and daily from mid-December to the end of January; the Moruya Surf Life Saving Club says it patrols from November to April, extending to Shelly Beach when resources allow. Spring weekdays are mostly unpatrolled. Check Beachsafe for the roster and swim between the flags whenever they are up.
Further south along the gravel road behind the dunes is Pedro Beach, which the same guide describes as rip-dominated and hazardous. Treat it as a walking beach and a fishing beach, not a swimming one.
Dogs are covered in detail in WTP's pet-friendly Moruya Heads guide. In short: Eurobodalla's timeshare beaches allow dogs around the clock from 1 May until 1 November, then daytime restrictions return, and dogs are not allowed in national parks, which includes the lookout. Check the council's dog exercise map before letting a dog off the lead.
Two More Whale Lookouts Within Half An Hour
If the group wants a second headland, both of these are on the way north and both are on Eurobodalla's list of recommended whale spots.
Broulee Island Nature Reserve walk
About 20 minutes' drive. The NSW Government lists it as four kilometres return, moderate, about one hour or two including the beach walk, starting north from Broulee Surf Club or south along North Broulee Beach. Known for superb fairy wrens, white-bellied sea eagles and rock pools, and the island is a whale vantage point in its own right.
Burrewarra Point Banksia Walk
About 25 to 30 minutes' drive to Guerilla Bay. Listed as 1.5 kilometres return, easy, about 50 minutes, from the carpark at the end of Burri Point Road off George Bass Drive. Whale spotting is possible September to November. The cliff edges are not fenced, so the NSW Government says it is unsuitable for toddlers and small children.
Narooma, roughly an hour south, is the day trip if someone wants a boat. Several operators run whale tours around Barunguba Montague Island, where the marine park page says twenty or more whales can be seen daily during the humpback migration. It is a full day, so save it for a longer stay and book ahead in school holidays.
Both walks are in reserves where dogs are not permitted, and neither caters for people with access needs.
Moruya Town: The Saturday Market, The Cycleway And Easy Food
Moruya is the service town for this stay, under 10 minutes away by car, and it earns one dedicated morning. The Moruya Country Market runs on the riverbank every Saturday from 8am to 12.30pm with 130 or more stallholders, according to the market's own site. It is the place to load the house with fruit, vegetables, bread and something for the barbecue before the crowds thin.
A near-complete cycleway links Moruya South Head with the town along the river, though the South Coast Travel Guide notes a 2-kilometre section on a wide tarred road shoulder. For a mixed group it works well as a there-and-back ride for the fit members while the rest drive in and meet at the market.
The town has bakeries, cafes, pubs and a supermarket, and the historic town walk takes in buildings like the old Post and Telegraph Office. Trading hours change with the season, so confirm directly if a particular cafe or restaurant matters to your plans.
Market produce, a fish from the breakwall if the fishing goes well, and one dinner out in town is a good rhythm for a three-night stay.
Spring Weather, School Holidays And What To Expect
The Bureau of Meteorology's long-term averages for Moruya Airport give a clear picture of the season. September averages a maximum of 20.4 degrees and a minimum of 7.1, October 21.6 and 9.7, and November 22.6 and 12.4. Rainfall climbs through the season, from about 39 millimetres in September to 76 in October and 86 in November. In practice that means cool, often still mornings on the headland, warm afternoons on the beach and the occasional wet day that a fireplace handles nicely.
The NSW public school spring holidays run from Monday 28 September to Friday 9 October 2026, with the Labour Day long weekend at the start of October inside that window. Expect the beaches, the market and the lookout benches to be busier then, and quieter again from mid-October into November while the whales are still passing.
Wind is the main variable. A strong southerly or a big east swell makes the sea white and the sightings scarce, so on those days swap the order: history stops and market first, headland late in the afternoon once things settle. The water is still cool in spring, so children will get more out of Shelly Beach and the sunroom than a long ocean swim.
Why Bertie's 3 Beaches Suits A Spring Whale Watching Stay
Whale watching rewards people who can get to the headland early and go back again without it feeling like an expedition. Bertie's 3 Beaches sits in Moruya Heads a five-minute walk from the beaches, with Eurobodalla National Park between the house and the shoreline, which puts Shelly Beach, the river mouth and the Toragy Point lookout all within a short walk or a few minutes' drive.
The house sleeps up to 10 across five bedrooms and three bathrooms, with an upstairs living level built for shared time. The lounge faces an open fireplace, the timber dining table seats 10 beside large sliding doors and the large kitchen has bench space, pantry storage and full-size appliances, with a view across the treetops. On a cold dawn back from the lookout, that fireplace and kitchen are exactly what a whale-watching group wants.
Outside there is a firepit beside the outdoor table in a private garden, and a BBQ balcony on the upper level, both made for spring evenings spent comparing the day's sightings. A sunroom with garden-facing windows and a play space near the front access gives cooler mornings an indoor option, and previous guests have called it a comfort on cold days.
The listing states the house is pet friendly, so a dog can come along for the beach walks, subject to the property's conditions and the council's beach rules. Check the live listing for the current bedding configuration, house rules and any pet fees before booking.
About this stay
Where Bertie's 3 Beaches fits a spring whale watching stay
Bertie's 3 Beaches is a five-minute walk from the beaches at Moruya Heads, with Eurobodalla National Park between the house and the shore, so Shelly Beach, the river mouth and the Toragy Point lookout are all close enough for a dawn whale watch and a late-afternoon return.
Back at the house, the open fireplace, the large upstairs kitchen, the dining table for 10, the firepit and the sunroom handle cool spring mornings and evenings, while five bedrooms, three bathrooms and the downstairs bunk and rumpus room give a group of up to 10 room to spread out. Pets are welcome subject to the listing's conditions.
The two-level layout does most of the work. Upstairs are three queen bedrooms, the main bathroom with its corner spa bath, a second bathroom with a shower, and the kitchen, dining, lounge and balcony. Downstairs is a fourth queen bedroom, a bunk room that doubles as a rumpus space, a full bathroom and the laundry. Guests who have stayed with two families note the boys had their own separate sleeping and hangout space downstairs while the adults had the quieter level above.
For whale season, that separation is useful in a specific way. The early risers can be up, dressed and out to the headland before six without waking the household, then home to cook breakfast while the late sleepers surface. A teenager's rumpus room means the whale spotters get the fireplace and the coffee machine to themselves.
A multi-generational group can give the downstairs bedroom to grandparents who prefer to skip the stairs at night, though the main living areas are upstairs, so check the listing if stairs are a concern.
Reviews mention there is no television in the main living area, which guests found encouraged conversation. Bring cards and a whale identification chart.
A Flexible Three-Day Spring Whale Weekend At Moruya Heads
Day One: Arrive, Orient, Watch The Sunset From The Headland
Settle in, walk to Shelly Beach to get your bearings, then head up to Toragy Point in the last hour of light, read the signs and spend twenty minutes scanning. Cook at the house and get the firepit going if the evening is still.
Day Two: Dawn Whales, Market Morning, Beach Afternoon
Early risers go back to the headland at sunrise with binoculars and a thermos. If it is a Saturday, everyone meets at the Moruya Country Market by mid-morning for produce and breakfast, then home to unpack it.
Spend the afternoon at Shelly Beach or the surf beach depending on conditions and patrols. Late in the day, walk the breakwall and visit the cemetery and pilot station buildings while the light is soft.
Day Three: History Loop Or Second Headland
Choose one. The history loop is Quarry Park and, on the right day, the Moruya Museum, followed by lunch in town. The second headland is Broulee Island or Burrewarra Point for a different angle on the migration.
If the wind has come up, do the history loop and leave the headlands for the next visit. If it is glassy, the whales win.
Getting To Moruya Heads And Getting Around
Moruya Heads is under 10 minutes east of Moruya town, between Batemans Bay and Narooma off the Princes Highway. Allow extra time on holiday weekends. Pack binoculars, a thermos, a windproof jacket for mornings that average around 7 degrees in September, beach gear for the afternoons and sturdy shoes for the breakwall and headland paths.
Once you are at the house, a car is only needed for the market, the quarry, the museum and the northern headlands. Shelly Beach, the surf beach and the river mouth are walkable, and the lookout is a short drive or a longer walk. The lookout and beach car parks fill on school-holiday weekends, so go early.
To plan the whole stay, start with the Bertie's 3 Beaches listing for dates and house details, then book your stay directly. For more ideas on Moruya Heads and the wider South Coast, including the Bingi Dreaming Track, the River of Art trail and the pet-friendly beach guide, browse the WTP Holiday Home Guides.
Before Leaving Home: Your Moruya Heads Whale Check
1Forecast: Check the Bureau of Meteorology forecast for Moruya Heads, especially wind and swell for the mornings you plan to watch.
2Park alerts: Check NSW National Parks alerts for Eurobodalla National Park and the Moruya Heads lookout.
3Patrols: Confirm current patrol days for Moruya South Head Beach on Beachsafe or the council beaches page.
4Market and museum: Saturday 8am to 12.30pm for the market; Wednesday, Friday and first Saturday mornings for the museum. Confirm before relying on either.
5Water rules: Re-read the NSW approach distances if anyone is taking a kayak, board, boat or drone out.
6Dogs: Check the council's dog exercise map and the timeshare dates, and confirm the property's pet conditions on the listing.
FAQs About Whale Watching At Moruya Heads
When is the best time to see whales at Moruya Heads?
September to November. Both Eurobodalla's tourism body and the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development name this as the peak spring window, when humpbacks migrate south more slowly and closer to shore with their calves. Mornings and late afternoons on calm days are best.
Where is the whale lookout at Moruya Heads?
Toragy Point, at the end of Loop Road on South Head, listed by NSW National Parks as Moruya Heads lookout in Eurobodalla National Park. It has interpretive signage, seating, views north along the coast and the historic cemetery beside it.
What whales pass Moruya Heads in spring?
Mainly humpbacks, often mothers with calves. Southern right whales and occasionally orcas are also recorded off Moruya Heads, and dolphins are seen in the surf at the river mouth most days.
How close can a kayak or surfboard get to a whale in NSW?
No closer than 100 metres, with a caution zone from 300 metres. Jet skis must stay 300 metres away, and nobody may enter the caution zone when a calf is present. Swimmers keep 30 metres, drones 100. NSW Government figures as found in September 2026; check the current page first.
Are dogs allowed at the Moruya Heads lookout?
No. The lookout and Toragy Point are in Eurobodalla National Park, where dogs are not permitted. Nearby council beaches have their own rules, including seasonal timeshare beaches, so check the council's dog exercise map before your visit.
Who is buried at Toragy Point?
Twenty recorded burials from 1858 to 1909, including five harbour workers drowned crossing the bar in 1862, the first marine pilot John Ross in 1871, and the quarry founders Joseph and John Louttit. The headstones were destroyed in the late 1970s.
Is the Moruya granite quarry open to visitors?
The quarry itself is fenced and closed, but Quarry Park directly opposite on North Head Drive has an interpretive display about the Sydney Harbour Bridge pylons, and the Moruya Museum at 85 Campbell Street holds the heritage-listed stonemason's lathe. The museum lists Wednesday, Friday and first-Saturday mornings; confirm before visiting.
Is Moruya Heads beach patrolled in spring?
Eurobodalla Shire Council lists Moruya South Head Beach as patrolled on weekends and public holidays from October to April, and the surf club says it patrols from November to April. Expect unpatrolled weekdays in spring and check Beachsafe for the current roster.
How many people can stay at Bertie's 3 Beaches?
The listing shows up to 10 guests across five bedrooms and three bathrooms, with three queen bedrooms upstairs, a queen bedroom and bunk room downstairs, an open fireplace, a firepit and a BBQ balcony. It is listed as pet friendly. Check the live listing for current configuration and house rules.
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