Hervey Bay

As mentioned in a previous post, my son and I made a last minute decision to head up to Hervey Bay during the not too distant school holidays.

I booked our accommodation on the Sunday night and departed Brisbane for Hervey Bay on Monday morning.

By car, the journey is a comfortable 4 - 4.5 hours or 290 kms.  Lucky for us we started our drive after the morning rush hour traffic and made good time in getting out of the big smoke (if you've ever been to Brisbane, you know that's a furfy).

On the way up to Hervey Bay you by-pass small towns such as Gympie, Tiaro and Maryborough before finally reaching your destination.

Gympie is a regional town in the Wide Bay-Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. It is about 160 kilometres north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River which has periodically caused flooding in the town.

Tiaro is a small town on the Mary River in Queensland, Australia. The town is situated on the Bruce Highway 27 kilometres south of Maryborough and 227 kilometres north of the state capital, Brisbane.

Maryborough is a city located on the Mary River in South East Queensland, Australia, approximately 255 kilometres north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city is served by the Bruce Highway, and has a population of approximately 22,000.

Once you've arrived there is a myriad of different activities to choose.  Here are some suggestions:

Between the months of July to November is the very popular whale watching season.  Hervey Bay is a mecca of activity during this season and whale watching cruises are available to cater for all budgets.

Visit the 'Discover Hervey Bay' website for more information.

Another excellent reason to visit Hervey Bay is to gain access to the very popular World Heritage listed Fraser Island.  Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the Southern Hemisphere and is accessible by 4WD vehicles only.  The Island has 2 eco friendly resorts, however is available for day trippers as well.  For more information visit this website.  Day tours are available for tourist short on time; however a longer stay is well worth it and can be arranged either in a group or individually.

For those tourists who just want to explore Hervey Bay there is plenty to see.  There are a myriad of shops, cafes and boutiques to explore along the esplanade.  Accommodation ranges from budget backpacker style to 5 star hotels.  If you have a little energy it is highly recommended that you hire a bike and ride the 18km bike path along the esplanade to take in the ocean views.

There are plenty of beaches for swimming, snorkelling, diving, fishing, kayaking, skiing or just boating.  The 'Reefworld Aquarium' showcases the finest selection of marine life Hervey Bay has to offer.

Hervey Bay also offers an abundance of golf courses, tours and cruises, scenic drives, nite-clubs, botanic gardens and don't forget the markets at the Whale Watch terminal located at the Urangan Marina held every Friday night 4-8 pm.

For something a little different experience Safari Camel Tours or Oz Trikes.

The Westside Water Education Park is a free activity the whole family can enjoy.  For a complete list of fun things to do in Hervey Bay visit the Discover Hervey Bay website here.

I highly recommend spending at least a week in Hervey and surrounding area.  We only stayed for 2.5 days and it definitely was not enough!  The only thing we got to experience was the beautiful Fraser Island.  We vowed to go back again but possibly during the whate watching season next time.

If anyone has experienced Hervey Bay or Fraser Island, please leave a comment or your own experiences.  Would love to hear them!




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