Hervey Bay

Experience the Charms of Hervey Bay

Australia is a land of natural wonders. Blessed with many spectacular sights and an amazing complex of ecosystems, this continent also takes pride in providing calm and serenity to visitors when visiting its spectacular beaches and islands. Hervey Bay showcases one of such pristine beaches.

A city in Queensland, Australia, Hervey Bay was one of the places mentioned in the survey of James Cook in 1770. This place was named after the Third Earl of Bristol, Augustus John Harvey, who was also a naval officer and who would later became a Lord of the Admiralty. The city lies about 290 kilometers north of the State capital, Brisbane. Geographically, it is strategically situated between the popular Fraser Island and Queensland mainland. The main economy depends heavily on tourism due to its proximity to some of the greatest tourist destinations of Australia like the Lady Elliot Island and the largest sand island in the world, the Fraser Island. Whale watching is also common in this area of Australia. Today, Hervey Bay is among the most dynamic and fastest growing city and economy in the continent.

Before becoming a full-blown tourist hotspot, Hervey Bay was just a series of towns along the coast that includes Urangan, Scarness, Torquay, Pialba, and Point Vernon. These towns were linked to the mainland by a rail service from Main North Coast until 1990. Today, there is an already an excellent all weather road that connects the city to major points in Australia. The city has also its own airport accommodating flights directly from Brisbane (by QantasLink) and Sydney (by Virgin Blue). The city came up with its Airport Master Plan to upgrade existing facilities and a plan to build a taxiway parallel to the existing main runway. The terminal will also be improved to handle larger number of passengers.

Hervey Bay has a mild, sub-tropical climate throughout the year.  Summer is relatively cool compared to other parts of Australia due to south east trade winds. From time to time, cyclones hit the area. Ironically, Fraser Island, one of the city’s premier tourist spots, is also its main protector from threatening cyclones.

Among the regular visitors of Hervey Bay are the humpback whales. The frigid winter waters of Antarctica send these gentle giants to the warmer tropical waters of southern Queensland for calving. Many of the humpbacks arrive in Hervey Bay area around July and can last until November when they will once again return home in Antarctica. Observing these enormous sea mammals has become an important activity for both tourists and naturalists alike. At present, the humpbacks are already used to tourist boats circling the waters above them. Guaranteed sightings happen all the time. Humpbacks are known for their active and highly acrobatic activities, especially the younger ones.  Many tourist boats in Hervey Bay are also equipped with sound systems to allow passengers hear the songs of the whales.

Hervey Bay is simply irresistible in all aspects. The beach area of the city has been preserved to handle an ever increasing number of tourists every year. It is definitely not a place to be missed in Australia.