Hervey Bay: whale watching and accommodation recommendations

We're going to Hervey Bay in early August for two nights, to go whale watching.

We are thinking the Tasman Venture as the boat we want to go on. Shel has been on the Quick Cat II and said its not bad but wouldn't mind going on a different one.

No idea about accommodation. I'd like something that isn't too far from the marina so we can walk there and back. I know a lot of place have a pick-up service but I also like the idea of being near the water :) We want a self-contained apartment, because we can't get take-away so we need to cook our meals. Would be a bonus if Jazz had her own bed but its not really necessary. Laundry would be good so we can use cloth but again, not necessary.

TIA :)

Hmmm, no one. I find that hard to believe ;)

We went on the Whale Song. They gave DS1 a free whale poster. We also got to see Dolphins and Whales. They had to go out what seemed like a long way to get a sighting. It was spectacular though when we did see them and the dolphins were an added bonus. The only thing is that DS1 got a bit sea sick when they ventured out too far as did a couple of other passengers.
The people that ran it were very nice and the crew were good too.
You can actually walk around the Marina and view the boats before deciding which one as well..that's what we did and also had some insight from DH's parents as they had done it a few times.
I can't help with Accommodation as we stay with DH's parents who go up to Hervey Bay for Melbourne's winter. They have a permanent rental every year.

Cool, thanks Heather. Thats two for the Whale Song lol