Eden and Twofold Bay

Eden sits on Twofold Bay, one of the deepest natural harbours on the Australian coast, and it built its early economy on shore-based whaling from the 1820s. The strangest chapter of that history is preserved in the Eden Killer Whale Museum: a pod of orcas cooperated with the whalers over decades, herding baleen whales into the bay and alerting crews, in return taking the tongues and lips of the catch. The skeleton of Old Tom, the best-known of them, is the museum's centrepiece. Whaling ended in 1930, and humpbacks now pass in numbers on their southern migration, with the town holding a whale festival and running cruises from the wharf.

What you actually see

• The Killer Whale Museum - Old Tom's skeleton and the story of the orca pod.
• The whale cruises - humpback watching from the wharf in season.
• Twofold Bay - the deep natural harbour and working port.
• The lookouts - clifftop points around the town for shore-based watching.

When to go

September to November for the southern migration, when humpbacks rest in the bay with calves and the whale festival is held. The northern migration passes further offshore around June and July. Winter is cold and the sea often rough.

Honest expectations

Whale sightings are seasonal and never guaranteed, and cruises are cancelled in poor weather. Eden is a working port town rather than a resort, plain in appearance, and a long drive from anywhere. The whaling history is confronting for some visitors.

Nearby

Beowa National Park lies just south; Merimbula and Pambula are north along the coast.