Beloved white whale Migaloo has swum into Queensland waters as he makes his annual migration towards the Great Barrier Reef.
The humpback was sighted by television crews and whale watchers frolicking off the Gold Coast on Tuesday morning.
![The world-famous Migaloo has been spotted off the Gold Coast on Tuesday.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170714233025im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/d/d/u/f/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gx8yfy.png/1499814943683.jpg)
Sea World Gold Coast marine sciences director Trevor Long said the best way to see the famous whale was by jumping on a commercial whale watching boat.
"You've got a greater opportunity, they know how to manoeuvre in and out and around the whales, so if you hear that Migaloo's in the area, go and book yourself on a boat," he said.
— 7 News Brisbane (@7NewsBrisbane) July 11, 2017
Migaloo the famous white whale is making his annual trip north along the Queensland coast. https://t.co/mIvFT4Uilo #7News pic.twitter.com/073BKWH7Jz
If going out on your own boat, Mr Long said it was important to familiarise yourself with the regulations surrounding whales and Migaloo in particular.
"In Queensland, Migaloo has been awarded greater protection," he said.
"In regards to humpback whales you've got to keep more than 100 metres away, with Migaloo it's 300 metres."
Migaloo, which received a Parks and Wildlife escort in 2016 as a result of intense media interest, and hundreds of other humpbacks are making their way north to calve and mate in warmer Queensland waters.
Mr Long said it was important for people to understand why the white whale had been afforded extra protection as he made his way north.
"What people have got to understand is Migaloo is a great attraction, so when he hits the southern Australian coastline ... he creates the same amount of sensation both off Sydney, off Wollongong, off Coffs Harbour, off all of these places," he said.
"So you can imagine he really cops the brunt of recreational and commercial whale watching."
The whale was dubbed Migaloo, an Indigenous word for white person, after being first seen off Byron Bay in 1991, when he was believed to be between three and five years old.
AAP