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WHAT'S ON /
Two migrations, six months apart in character
Humpbacks pass Jervis Bay twice a year, and the two halves of the season feel entirely different. From the middle of May they travel north in numbers, fast and often close to the cliffs. From September they come back the other way, slower, with calves, and they rest inside the bay for days at a time.
The season runs roughly from the middle of May to the middle of November. It also happens to cover the months when Huskisson is emptiest.
The northern run
Whales heading to the breeding grounds, travelling with purpose. Breaching, tail slapping, and the occasional heat run of males chasing a single female past the headlands.
The Nursery
Mothers and calves come into the bay to rest in the protected water. Slower, closer, and the half of the season most people remember.
Dolphins, every month
Bottlenose pods live in the bay year round, which means a cruise rarely comes back empty regardless of what the whales are doing.
Confirm sailing times with the operator when you book — they change with the season and the weather.
Winter is the reason, not the compromise
The cruise takes two hours. What you do with the rest of the day is the actual holiday, and in winter that is a different proposition entirely: a beach with nobody on it, a town you can get a table in, and somewhere warm to come back to.
At the Studio that means the private courtyard infrared sauna and both a full indoor and full alfresco kitchen, for the kind of dinner nobody wants to leave. At the Beach House it means four bedrooms and enough room for two families to share the trip without living on top of each other.
Both sit 400 metres from the beach and from the Huskisson strip, which is where the boats leave from.
Malia Beach House
For the athlete travelling with family, or two couples racing together. Four bedrooms, a kitchen you can actually cook a pre-race dinner in, and a pool for the afternoon after.
— 4 bedrooms · 2.5 bathrooms · sleeps up to 8
— Pool and full outdoor BBQ kitchen
— Kids retreat — slide, sandpit, playhouse
— Off-street parking and only 400m to the beach and Husky strip
Malia Studio
One bedroom, a full kitchen and a private courtyard infrared sauna. Quiet enough for an early night before a race, and the infrared sauna is a reasonable way to spend the evening after one.
— 1 bedroom · 1 bathroom · sleeps up to 4
— Private courtyard infrared sauna
— Full kitchen and alfresco BBQ kitchen
— Off-street parking and only 400m to the beach and Husky strip
What we tell
guests who ask
Written from the same road you will be on. Confirm sailing times with the operator when you book, since they change with the season and the weather.
The boats leave from the wharf
Jervis Bay Wild sails daily from Fishermens Wharf at 10am and 1pm through the season, with check-in half an hour before. It is roughly 6 minutes on foot from either residence.
Book the morning sail
The bay is usually flatter before lunch, and the light is better for photographs. It is also the first to sell out in the school holidays.
You can see them from land
The headlands at the mouth of the bay give you height and a long view. Take binoculars and give it an hour rather than ten minutes.
Dress for open water
It is markedly colder past the heads than it is in town. A windproof layer matters more than a warm one.
Sailings cancel for weather
A three-night stay gives you a second chance at it. Operators will usually move you to another day rather than refund, but that only helps if you are still here.
Come back and warm up
The infrared sauna at the Studio takes about 20 minutes to come up to temperature. Turn it on before changing into your bathing suit.
Booked here, never
through a platform
Every stay booked at malia.com.au comes with the things we can offer when there is nobody in between. Tell us what you have planned and we will work around it.
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Our lowest rate. Booking here is the best price you will find on Malia, and if you find it cheaper elsewhere, we will match it.
The pool, heated on request at no charge. Any month of the year.
Coffee worth getting up for. A Breville machine, Northern Beaches Organic wood-fired coffee and Love Tea for the ones who don't drink coffee.
The infrared sauna in the courtyard – for Studio guests. Staying at the Beach House? Add the Studio to your booking.
Arrive early, leave late. Early check-in and late check-out where the day allows.
What people ask us
When exactly does whale season start in Jervis Bay?
Sightings usually begin in the middle of May and run to the middle of November. June and July are the strongest months for the northern migration; late September and October are best for mothers and calves inside the bay.
How far is Malia from the Huskisson wharf?
Both residences are 400 metres from the Huskisson main strip, and the wharf sits at the end of it — roughly 6 minutes on foot.
Can you see whales in Jervis Bay without going out on a boat?
Often, yes, from the headlands at the mouth of the bay. A cruise gets you far closer, and the operators know where the animals were that morning.
What is the minimum stay at Malia in winter?
Two nights outside school holidays and event weekends. Three is worth considering regardless, in case a sailing is cancelled for weather.