National Parks & Marine Parks

NSW has over 780 National Parks and Reserves. Many of these parks are on the coast and provide excellent viewing opportunities for whale watching. Whether it’s from a sand dune, cliff top, or specially built whale platform, such as the one at Cape Solander in Kamay Botany Bay National Park, the opportunities abound.

To help you find the perfect whale watching spot close to you, we have created the map above with the NSW coastline split into 6 regions – so take the plunge and explore our parks, go whale watching and discover what else is there to see and do.

Take a discovery tour

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service run the Discovery Program, a series of exciting walks, talks and tours catering for all ages and providing a great opportunity to learn from our knowledgeable park rangers. Find the discovery tours near you.

Go snorkelling in a marine park

In addition to the hundreds of terrestrial national parks and reserves, there are 6 marine parks in NSW. These parks provide many opportunities for snorkelling, diving, and other aquatic activities.

NSW Marine Parks conserve the diversity of marine life and ensure that marine resources are carefully managed for the use and enjoyment of people today and in the future. Visit a marine park to gain an insight into the exciting underworld of whales and the marine creatures that live alongside them. Find out more about the Marine Parks in NSW.

Lord Howe snorkelling