For too long, I’ve treated Hervey Bay with a scant hello/goodbye.
“Hello … we’re just passing through while we head to Fraser Island” or “sorry we can’t stay but we’re heading home from up north” and “we’re only here for the day to go whale watching …goodbye.”
But recently we had the chance to dally a little longer and realised Hervey Bay has thrown off its shackles as just a nice stopover on the way to somewhere better.
That was certainly the case, too, for Captain James Cook – the first “tourist” to the area.
Because of the shallow waters of the Great Sandy Strait, he sailed on by, thinking K’gari/Fraser Island actually joined Hervey Bay (later named after Cook’s boss Lord Augustus Hervey, the Admiral of The Blue Earl of Bristol).
Mild weather, golden sandy beaches, good fishing, peace and quiet always made the area the seaside holiday of choice for Maryborough families and other surrounding townsfolk who travelled by train in the early days.
But after continuous years of growth in population, business, tourism and industry in the 20th century, Hervey Bay became a city in 1984.
- SEE MORE PICS IN THE GALLERY BELOW
The region is made up of many settlements but is best known for the string of sparkling beachside gems from Urangan in the south through Torquay, Scarness and Pialba to Point Vernon in the north, with Pialba as the commercial and administration hub.
Many people also are acquainted with River Heads to the southeast, with its Great Sandy Strait panoramas, as the ferry access point to Kingfisher Bay Resort.
Today, Hervey Bay is rightly known as the whale-watching capital of the world and was given the first Whale Heritage Site status by the World Cetacean Alliance, for its commitment to and practices of sustainable whale and dolphin watching.
It is, in fact, regarded as the best destination to see humpback whales in the Southern Hemisphere because they stay here longer than anywhere else on the “whale highway”.
Love nostalgia? So do we. Help keep more great Coast memories alive by subscribing to our free daily news feed. Go to Subscribe at the top of this story and add your name and email. It’s that simple.
The huge mammals use the calm and sheltered turquoise waters of Platypus Bay between Hervey Bay and K’gari/Fraser Island as their own private nursery and playground on their annual annual migration along the east coast of Australia from July/August to November before continuing their annual 16,000km migration to Antarctica with their new calves.
All-year round, visitors can take advantage of dolphin and dugong-spotting cruises to be much closer to the marine environment, while glass-bottomed boats open up nearly 25ha of coral just offshore.
So, sure, tourists are always keen to move on to the world’s biggest sand island and neighbour – the World Heritage-Listed K’gari/Fraser Island, take in the underwater charms of the southern Great Barrier Reef including biodiverse Lady Elliot, not to mention being seen in chic Noosa and more than 100km of beautiful beaches in the greater Sunshine Coast to the south.
And yes, I know there was a time when harsh critics reckoned you had to be “newly wed or nearly dead” to choose to holiday in the pretty bayside town which was big on scenery and relaxation but light on things to do.
But the high percentage of lovebirds and grey nomads filling Hervey Bay cafes, restaurants, coffee shops and parks these days creates a relaxed air that rubs off on residents and tourists alike.
They make time for long chats over coffee and cake. They stop and gaze out over the Coral Sea for hours. And they enjoy walking on sunshine on the coastal pathways hugging the foreshores.
And “the Bay” – with 60km of total water frontage including just over 10km from headland to headland – has come into its own during this crazy pandemic.
This coastal enclave has been discovered/rediscovered by Aussie (make that mostly Queensland) caravanners, campers, intergenerational families and couples on romantic getaways for the simple reason that is IS so scenic and it IS just a hop, skip and jump to everywhere else. But it HAS changed.
There’s plenty of room to stretch out, especially without pre-Covid numbers of backpackers and international daytrippers heading to K’gari/Fraser.
More young professionals and families have moved to the area, forcing pubs and clubs to lift their game in entertainment, food and decor, cafes to improve their coffee offerings and restaurants to emphasise the array of quality local produce and those internationally renowned Hervey Bay scallops.
Many a tourist has come, liked the place and decided to return – or move there permanently.
Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/scnews2020/
Joined by other new residents (the population was 54,674 as at June 2018, having grown by an annual average of 1.31% year-on-year over the preceding five years), Hervey Bay in recent years has drawn investment in hotels such as the waterfront Oaks Hervey Bay Resort and Spa (rebranded from Oceans Resort & Spa Hervey Bay on August 1, 2018), construction of new apartment complexes, shopping centres and businesses such as the massive Bunnings Warehouse at Pialba, not to mention health, roads and other infrastructure.
Hervey Bay is definitely going places, which is all the more reason you should stay longer.
Instead of hello/goodbye, the idea of an extended holiday in the new-look Hervey Bay is definitely worth a bigger conversation.
So here’s five reasons to stay longer in “the Bay”.
Urangan foreshore and pier:
Urangan Pier has been entrenched in the Hervey Bay lifestyle for residents and visitors for more than 100 years. Singles, friends, lovers and families enjoy strolling all or part of its timber boardwalk, while anglers of all ages try their luck as they cast out or drop a line along its length and end. The 1124m pier’s history dates to 1917 when it was officially opened as the Port of Maryborough – Urangan Pier. It soon became one of the state’s busiest with full-size steam engines towing cargo wagons of sugar (from Maryborough and Bundaberg), coal (from the Burrum coalfields to the north) and timber (from K’gari/Fraser Island). As coal and sugar exports stopped in the 1960s and the pier ceased being used for importing fuel in 1985, it was almost demolished by the State Government in the mid-1980s. A total of 256m was taken off the head of the pier before a massive public outcry stopped the dismantling. This is the start of 14km of paved pathways winding through parkland bordering the Bay’s calm, clear waters, with beach access points and facilities along the foreshore right up to Point Vernon.
Point Vernon:
This seaside cove lies at the northern end of the bay but could just possibly be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The “large and handsome villas” it was known for in the late 1800s have transformed into enviable mansions here – still with those commanding views of the water. Point Vernon is the largest rocky promontory on the coast between Noosa and Bundaberg, a distance of 170km. Esa Park is a top spot for a body surf in windier conditions, or comfortable waves for a stand up paddleboarder. The lush green park itself has big shady trees, undercover picnic tables and barbecues, unisex toilets and plenty of parking. Or just sit under the she-oaks (casuarinas) and read a book. Around the point lies Parraweena Park Bushland Reserve – a magic spot to spend hours kayaking, floating on air mattresses or simply lolling in the cool, protected waters. Point Vernon is also a shorebird roosting and feeding area, and coral reef communities line the coast from here to Torquay to the south and the edges of Woody, Little Woody and Round islands.
The seafood:
As you’d expect, the sweet, rich, firm-textured Hervey Bay scallops are a menu favourite in clubs, pubs, restaurants and cafes throughout the region. The world-renowned shellfish can be bought virtually straight off the trawlers in a wide variety of seafood markets and fish shops off the shell and in the half shell, roe-on or “roe-off’. Any trawlerman worth his salt will tell you not to over-embellish quality seafood. But scallops do like to be steamed with an Asian influence of flavours or grill them in the shell with a little butter or a lemon and herb crumb. Otherwise, I can highly recommend the Creamy Seafood Risotto (scallops, prawns, cuttlefish and Barramundi tossed through Arborio rice and garlic cream, topped with freshly shaved parmesan cheese and garnished with two Hervey Bay half shell scallops in garlic butter) and Hervey Bay Scallops Mornay (Hervey Bay scallops served on a bed of steamed rice topped with mornay sauce, cheddar cheese and grilled, served with your choice of potato or chips, salad or vegetables) at the popular Hervey Bay Boat Club. When in Rome …
Hervey Bay Botanic Gardens:
Just breathe in the fresh air and appreciate the natural beauty as you take your time strolling the walking tracks of the gardens that cover 26 hectares. This peaceful oasis was established by retired locals in 1974 on 6000-year-old foreshore dunes. Trees, plants, shrubs and flowers of Wide Bay and Fraser Coast are found in a horticultural mix that takes in natural bushland, formal gardens, rainforest and wetlands. Don’t miss the Japanese Bridge, the Warun Bush Tucker Garden (as a nod to the Butchulla people, the Traditional Owners of the land) across from the Bush Chapel, and the Chinese-themed garden that honours Hervey Bay’s sister city relationship with Leshan in China – complete with a moon gate, pavillion, waterfall, vine arbour, pond and contemplation court. The Orchid House boasts 15,000 colourful and delicate varieties – some of which you can buy to add to your home collection.
WetSide water play:
The young and the young at heart love Fraser Coast Regional Council’s WetSide Water Park, right on the foreshore at the junction of Main Street and the Esplanade, Pialba. The park is open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm during Queensland State school holidays (excluding June/July). As well as the water play area with cool sculptures, WetSide has TotSide for under-5s as well as an on-site cafe, fish and chip shop and restaurant.
ASK A LOCAL
Here’s some places to try, next time you’re in Hervey Bay, courtesy of a (somewhat-biased Urangan) local.
Best fish and chips: Migaloo’s Café, Pier Street (land end of Urangan Pier).
Best coffee: The Hervey Bay Dayman General Store, Dayman Street, Urangan.
Breakfast: Waterfront Restaurant (next to Reef World), Dayman Street, Urangan.
Pancakes: Salt Cafe, The Esplanade, Urangan
Best pie: Kelz Bakery, The Esplanade, Urangan.
Value-for-money meal: The Beach House Hotel, The Esplanade, Scarness.
Best pizzas: Bayswater Hotel, The Esplanade, Urangan.
Drinks: Bayswater Hotel and the Hervey Bay Boat Club (Buccaneer Drive, Urangan) tie for a dead heat for view and atmosphere.
Best touristy thing: walking and fishing from Urangan Pier.
Best non-beach thing to do: visit the Hervey Bay Botanic Gardens, Elizabeth Street, Urangan.
Best free thing: walking, jogging or riding the coastal pathway that hugs the bay and looking at that view.
Stay: Oaks Hervey Bay Resort and Spa, Charlton Esplanade Urangan, or Ramada by Wyndham, Charlton Esplanade, Urangan.
MORE TO SEE THAN MEETS THE EYE
