| Hervey Bay Info |
Hervey Bay lies on the coast of a natural bay between the Queensland mainland and nearby Fraser Island in South East Queensland, Australia and is approximately 290 kilometres north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city is serviced by the Bruce Highway, and has a population of approximately 48,000. It shares a unique bond with its neighbour city Maryborough which is approximately 30 kilometres south-west. Together they form part of the area known as the Fraser Coast, one of the country's fastest-growing regions.
HistoryThe first recorded sighting of Hervey Bay was made by James Cook while carrying out his running survey of the east coast of Australia, on the 22 May 1770. “By noon Cook’s ship was in a position a little over half-way across the opening of Hervey Bay heading for Bundaberg. Cook named the bay “Hervey’s Bay” after Augustus John Hervey (1724–1779), later Third Earl of Bristol, a naval officer who became a Lord of the Admiralty the year Endeavour returned”. Until recent years, Hervey Bay was a string of small townships stretching along the coast, consisting of Point Vernon, Pialba, Torquay, Scarness and Urangan. Until 1998, the towns were serviced by a rail link from the Main North Coast line that diverted from Aldershot and went to Takura, Walligan, Nikenbah then on to Pialba and Urangan. The line was a major freight point for the Port of Maryborough and for the sugar cane industry until road transport assumed the role. AttractionsWhale WatchingHervey Bay is internationally known as the whale watching capital of the world! Come and see the Humpback Whales as they drop into the bay on their seasonal migration. The area is an important part of the whales breeding and it is common to see mating activities and new born calves. Humpbacks are the most acrobatic of all whales and are also renowned for their 'singing'. There are more than a dozen whale watching tour companies operating from Hervey Bay. Whale watching season is from late November to early October. Hervey Bay Historical Village & MuseumThe multi-award winning tourist attraction, Hervey Bay Historical Museum opened in 1974 with one building which was the first Public Hall at Dundowran and donated by the residents there. There are now 18 buildings, 8000 exhibits and a group of dedicated volunteers, busily repairing the old buildings that were falling into disrepair and restoring buildings acquired in recent years.The Museum is situated at 13 Zephyr Street, Scarness and is open every Friday and Saturday from 1.00pm - 4.30pm , Sundays from 10.30am 'til 4.30pm and every afternoon over holiday periods. Admission is $5.00 for Adults, $2.00 for Students and $1.00 for Primary students, making it an inexpensive place to bring family or visitors. Fraser IslandVisit world heritage listed Fraser Island. The island is the world's largest sand island and has over 100 freshwater dune lakes. The 120 km beach runs along most of the east coast of Fraser Island. It is noted for its beauty and has a number of highlights such as Champagne Pools, Indian Head, the Maheno Wreck and Eli Creek. Some of the long list of abundant wildlife found on Fraser Island includes swamp wallabies, echidnas, ringtail and brushtail possums, sugar gliders, squirrel gliders, phascogales, bandicoots, flying foxes, dingoes, humpback whales, dolphins, dugongs, goannas, snakes, dragons, geckos, skinks, frogs, sea eagles, peregrine falcon, osprey, kites, pelicans, terns, honeyeaters, gulls, kingfishers, kookaburra, cockatoos and ground parrots. The island can be reached by ferry from Hervey Bay. View more Hervey Bay Attractions EventsHervey Bay is host to several major events, expos and festivals each year. Visit our What's On in Hervey Bay section for the latest event info. ShoppingCentro Hervey Bay is one of Hervey Bay's largest shopping Centres located off Boat Harbour Drive in Central Avenue, Pialba. Centro Hervey Bay is home to Supa IGA, Target, Sam's Warehouse plus 43 specialty stores and is open 7 days for your convenience. Centro Hervey Bay is your one stop shop where you'll find a variety of discount stores, men's, women's and kids fashion, fashion accessories, footwear, fresh food, takeaway food, liquor, gifts, jewellery, homewares, beauty, pharmaceutical, optical, newsagency, leisure, books and communication retailers, travel agents, financial services and 6 ATM's just to name a few. Centro Hervey Bay also boasts the towns' major transit centre, Hervey Bay Transit Centre where you'll also have the opportunity to discuss with experienced travel consultants the best 4WD tours and holiday packages to Fraser Island. Find more Shopping in Hervey Bay StatisticsPopulation: 48,000 (Approx). Occupations: Technicians and Trades Workers 16.8%, Professionals 14.4%, Labourers 13.5%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 13.2% and Sales Workers 12.2%. Income: The median weekly individual income for persons aged 15 years and over who were usual residents was $346, compared with $466 in Australia. The median weekly household income was $655, compared with $1,027 in Australia. The median weekly family income was $796, compared with $1,171 in Australia. Families: 33.6% were couple families with children, 49.9% were couple families without children, 15.7% were one parent families and 0.9% were other families. Dwellings: 20,575 occupied private dwellings counted in Hervey Bay (QLD) (Statistical District): 79.9% were separate houses, 4.5% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc, 7.2% were flats, units or apartments and 8.3% were other dwellings. Dwelling Occupancy: Median weekly rent was $190, compared to $190 in Australia. The median monthly housing loan repayment was $1,083, compared to $1,300 in Australia. The average household size was 2.4 and the average number of persons per bedroom was 1.1. Dwelling - Tenure: 41.8% of occupied private dwellings were fully owned, 23.5% were being purchased and 27.3% were rented. Dwelling - Rentals: 54.8% were rented from a real estate agent, 8.3% were rented from a State or Territory housing authority and 34.3% were rented from other landlord type. In comparison, in Australia 50.5% were rented from a real estate agent and 14.9% from a state or territory housing authority. Household Composition: 66.3% of occupied private dwellings were family households, 20.6% were lone person households and 3.0% were group households. Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data. More InformationHervey Bay Visitors GuideClick here to view our Hervey Bay Visitors Guide Hervey Bay Weather |