Fraser Coast Holiday Planner - 2024

CREATE YOUR PERFECT GETAWAY

HERVEY BAY • MARYBOROUGH

K’GARI (FRASER ISLAND) LADY ELLIOT ISLAND • BURRUM COAST GREAT SANDY STRAIT

Step into our paradise

The Fraser Coast stands out in a tourist-rich State where sunshine, the beach and surf are synonymous with the relaxed lifestyle of one of the best addresses on earth.

Great icons of Queensland are on our doorstep – World Heritage Listed K’gari (formerly named Fraser Island) and the exclusive coral cay of Lady Elliot Island at the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. Hervey Bay, at the heart of the region and centrally located within the UNESCO recognised Great Sandy Biosphere, rightly claims the title as whale watching capital of Australia – accredited in 2019 as the first Whale Heritage Site in the world.

This is the home of big nature experiences – where you can stand dwarfed by centuries-old trees with three-metre girths in the rainforests or paddle in cool perched lakes on K’gari and swim with giant humpbacks as they play along the Hervey Bay coast, or in the company of hundreds of manta rays off Lady Elliot Island.

If diving is your passion, the wreck of ex-HMAS Tobruk, scuttled in 2018 midway between Burrum Heads and K’gari’s Rooney Point, provides sea life and technical challenges at all levels of skill and nearby Roy Rufas Artificial Reef continues to deliver on the promise of its man-made construction going back to 1968.

The Fraser Coast is also a place of simple pleasures, offering families a wide choice of relaxing activities, without the stress of crowds often present at larger tourist centres.

Soak up the serenity

The protected waterways of the Great Sandy Strait are a haven for all kinds of aquatic adventures including bareboat sailing, reef snorkelling, pelagic fishing and types of marine exploration. The quaint coastal townships of the lower strait frame a wetland of profound international significance.

Inland, the heritage city of Maryborough, one of Queensland’s oldest provincial cities and for a time its industrial powerhouse, augments the natural attraction of the coast with its authentic Australian country charm.

With wide stretches of coastline, islands and a hinterland covering more than 7,000 square kilometres, there is time and space to drink in the beauty here without feeling crowded or rushed.

The region offers affordable island, bay, beach and heritage experiences in an unrivalled natural environment. Going to the beach, swimming in the safe waters of the bay in the lee of K’gari and eating out have stood the test of time and remain the most popular activities for visitors to the region.

The Great Sandy Biosphere, which circles the coast, K’gari and the wetlands of the Sandy Strait, is one of the best fishing nurseries on the nation’s east coast and a mecca for anglers who visit year round.

Cruise control

The Fraser Coast is an intrinsic part of a Queensland motoring holiday for road trippers. We are RV friendly and a comfortable three-hour drive from the state capital of Brisbane.

This proximity to the major population centres of the south-east corner of Queensland, including the Gold and Sunshine coasts, makes the Fraser Coast an essential element of a southern Queensland holiday experience. All the eastern state capitals are also within easy reach via regular non-stop jet services from Australia’s largest city, Sydney, which is only 100 minutes away by air.

This is a boon for returning international travellers from the United Kingdom, Germany, Europe, the United States and New Zealand, who come here to experience the reef, the world’s largest sand island and share close-up encounters with humpback whales.

K’gari and the mainland coast has long been a special place. Indigenous tribes of the Butchulla lived in the area for more than 10,000 years – possibly 50,000 – before the arrival of Europeans. They named the island K’gari, meaning “paradise”.

A Butchulla welcome to all visitors to the Fraser Coast

Galangoor djali, Yanidjin nyinam gumari galangoor gawun ngaa marigurim dugoo. Good day, Intend to walk, stay safe, shielded in good health, care with good heart.

Getting Here

Maheno Wreck Bundaberg Bagara Woodgate

Great Sandy Marine Park

Getting Here

Use trains, planes, buses or automobiles

Self-drive: The Fraser Coast is a comfortable three-hour drive, 260km north of Queensland’s capital city Brisbane, along the Bruce Highway (A1), with a dual carriageway as far as Gympie. Construction is nearing completion on the Gympie bypass to be opened in 2024, with Tiaro the next in line. When completed, there will only be 46km of highway between Brisbane and Maryborough that is not four-lanes.

Maryborough is just off the main highway, with Hervey Bay a further 30km north-east on the coast. The region is the gateway to K’gari (Fraser Island) and the main air access point for Lady Elliot Island on the Southern Great Barrier Reef.

Air: Qantas operates multiple 40-minute daily flights between Brisbane and Hervey Bay Airport, while Jetstar has regular direct jet services to the region from Sydney and Melbourne. Both airlines offer convenient connections from most Australian capital cities. Seair Pacific has daily 40-minute flights between Hervey Bay and Lady Elliot Island.

Rail: Queensland Rail operates regular daily services from Brisbane, Rockhampton and Cairns stopping at Maryborough West and Howard stations on the Fraser Coast. Hervey Bay tickets include coach transfers to and from the Bay.

Bus: Greyhound and Premier coach lines operate several north and southbound services each day to Maryborough and Hervey Bay. Greyhound also offers daily services to the Sunshine Coast via Rainbow Beach. Along with Greyhound, private shuttle transfers operate between the Fraser Coast, Brisbane Airport (domestic and international), Brisbane CBD and the Sunshine Coast Airport. For more information, phone the Hervey Bay Visitor Information Centre on 1800 811 728.

Aus alia Queensland

RV friendly: Free 48-hour RV camping sites are available at the Alan and June Brown Car Park near Maryborough’s CBD and behind the Hervey Bay Visitor Information Centre. Low-cost longer stay options with dump points are provided at the Doon Villa Soccer Ground (at the entrance to the Maryborough Airport) and at Maryborough Showground, just off the Bruce Highway. The region also boasts quality caravan parks, many with direct beach access.

Climate: The Fraser Coast is blessed with a sub-tropical climate providing spectacular sunshine all year round. We recommend travellers apply sunscreen and wear hats, sunglasses and suitable clothing when spending time outdoors. The average maximum summer temperature is 30°C, with winter a mild 22°C.

Cairns Hervey Bay 40min Brisbane Sydney Melbourne

Perth 5hrs 4hrs 3hrs

Hervey Bay, Maryborough and K’gari (Fraser Island)

140min 90min

Fraser Coasting... Find

K’gari (Fraser Island)

This World Heritage-wonder and largest sand island on the planet is the region’s number 1 tourist attraction and will surprise and delight you. With everything from resorts to bush camping, this is one of the most awe-inspiring wilderness islands on earth with beautiful, bluehued freshwater lakes, rainforest thousands of years old growing out of the sand and 75 miles of beach doubling as a 4WD “highway” and light aircraft landing strip.

Whale watching

Hervey Bay is the only place in Australia where humpback whales stop to rest and play for up to 14 days on their return migration journey from the Antarctic to the northern tropics to breed and give birth. The calm waters are used as a nursery during September and October where mothers teach their calves life skills and glide in for a closer look at the passengers aboard whale watching vessels.

Lady Elliot Island

The Southern Great Barrier Reef coral cay of Lady Elliot Island is just next door to Hervey Bay via a 40-minute scenic flight over K’gari and the Great Sandy Strait. It’s one of the few places in Queensland coast where it is possible to step off the beach directly onto the reef, where you can swim with manta rays and turtles in an unrivalled, nature experience.

Hervey Bay

Experience eco-adventures and amazing aquatic action at Hervey Bay – a relaxed, beachside location with one of the most protected and stunning coastlines on the eastern seaboard. Walk the 868m Urangan Pier and throw in a line, build sandcastles and paddle at safe beaches, listen to youngsters squeal with delight at water and adventure parks, ride horses or get close to sea creatures at the aquarium.

Maryborough

Here you can stroll through heritage-rich streets brimming with fine colonial architecture and uncover some of the fascinating stories which shaped one of Queensland’s oldest cities; see the building where P.L. Travers, author of the Mary Poppins books, was born and be moved by the interactive Gallipoli to Armistice Memorial.

Hinterland

Fish or paddle along the Mary River, walk the bush tracks to Utopia Rock Pools west of Maryborough, grab a bite to eat at historic country pubs, catch a glimpse of the past at museums in Howard, Brooweena and Bauple and discover more about the ancient Queensland lungfish and bottom-breathing Mary River turtle.

Great Sandy Strait

Get away from it all and unwind in the coastal hamlets of Maaroom, Boonooroo, Tuan, Poona and Tinnanbar on the Great Sandy Strait. Enjoy the unspoilt environment, boating in the protected, turquoise waters and indulge in a spot of birdwatching – the Great Sandy Biosphere, recognised by UNESCO in 2009 as a significant wetland, is home to almost half of Australia’s bird species.

Burrum Coast

Fish off the beach or rock walls, motor offshore, explore the river systems and make seasonal catches of crabs and prawns at Burrum Heads, where you can also spot turtles from the beach. Visit the annual picnic races at Torbanlea or learn about the region’s coal mining history in Howard and take a ride in old coal wagons once a month on market day.

K’gari reinstated as the name of the world’s largest sand island

The celebration on 7 June 2023 to commemorate the reinstating of the Butchulla name of K’gari for the Fraser Coast’s number 1 tourism asset has set Fraser Island on a new path, with Indigenous recognition a key component of future marketing campaigns and island experiences.

It was an emotional celebration made more special by the contribution of Butchulla children telling those at the ceremony what the renaming meant to them and why K’gari is such a treasured location. A welcome smoking ceremony, performances by Butchulla dancers and songmen and a sand art display brought Central Station alive for the day.

The name change came into immediate effect, following publication of the decision in the Queensland Government Gazette the same day.

The name K’gari comes from Butchulla creation stories, passed down orally for generations. Pronounced “GAH-ree” with the “K” silent [https:// youtu.be/krYiJEwvVcw], the new name will take time to be widely adopted. It took four years for Australia’s most significant Indigenous tourism drawcard of Uluru, renamed in 1993, to match the name of Ayres Rock in domestic use and 20 years for it to become the dominant term internationally.

Anthropologists believe K’gari has been the traditional homeland of the Butchulla people for at least 5,000 years, and likely much longer. The name was not recorded in written text until the latter half of the 20th Century and was not noted by the early European explorers, who interacted with Indigenous people after arriving in the region by boats in the 1840s.

The first written record of the island is from explorer James Cook’s discovery voyage of Australia’s east coast in 1770, when he named the land mass the Great Sandy Peninsula, believing it to be connected to the mainland. It wasn’t until Matthew Flinders circumnavigated the continent between 1801 and 1803 that it was confirmed the “Great Sandy Peninsular” was an island.

After that time, the land mass became known by Europeans as Great Sandy Island before being renamed Fraser Island after Captain James Fraser, who beached his lifeboat on the island with his wife Eliza and the remnants of his crew in 1836 following the loss of his ship, Stirling Castle, which had foundered on Swain Reefs more than 200 nautical miles north.

Captain Fraser died on the island in mysterious circumstances and Eliza was eventually rescued after spending time with several tribes. The first record of the name Fraser Island being used was by the British Press in the 1840s, when Eliza was back in the UK telling fanciful stories for money about her ordeal.

The disrespect shown by Eliza Fraser in the stories about her treatment by Butchulla was part of the motivation of the Queensland Government in endorsing K’gari as the island’s official name.

The then Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Minister for Treaty and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Leeanne Enoch, Minister for Environment, Leanne Linard and Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour celebrate with Butchulla dancers at the K’gari naming celebration on 7 June 2023.

You’ll never forget the wonder you feel on your first trip to K’gari when you let your eyes drink in the beauty of the blue hues of Lake McKenzie, watch the waves break over rocks at Champagne Pools or gaze for the first time at the tops of the towering ancient trees in the Valley of the Giants.

Another thrill for visitors to the World Heritage-listed paradise is zooming along 75 Mile Beach – which doubles as a four-wheeldrive highway and a landing strip for light aircraft. It’s one of the rare places in the world where commercial planes take-off and land on the beach.

This ancient place, the largest sand island in the world, offers incredible experiences. Sitting alongside modern resorts and attractions, carefully managed to preserve the island’s pristine beauty, K’gari (formerly named Fraser Island) is home to relics from 200 million years ago, including the magnificent giant King Fern which reputedly has the largest fronds of any fern on earth.

DROP BEAR’S K’GARI ADVENTURES

Dive into the ultimate K’gari adventure with us! Experience guided tours, beachfront stays, and 4WD hire on the stunning shores of this paradise island.

Spot wild dingoes, swim in freshwater lakes, and marvel at towering rainforests.

Choose the island’s most environmentally sustainable and highly rated adventure experts for an unforgettable journey.

Book now and make your trip truly remarkable!

Adventures depart from Noosa & Rainbow Beach 0487 333 606 | hello@kgarifraserisland.com.au www.kgarifraserisland.com.au

Crystal-clear, freshwater streams fed by the water table and rainforest trees literally growing out of the sand are matched with an, at times, alien landscape created by huge sand blows from winds belting across the Pacific.

The clean air and smell of the ocean belie its strength, with the corroding wreck of the New Zealand World War I hospital ship, SS Maheno, lying near Eli Creek on the island’s eastern shoreline a silent and constant reminder.

Be inspired

Even the most experienced traveller will be inspired by this place, lying just south of the Great Barrier Reef and off the coast of Hervey Bay, stretching 123km from north to south and up to 22km wide. The island has been built up over 800,000 years of tidal action – the world’s largest and oldest dune building sequence.

The traditional owners, the Butchulla people, lived on this island for thousands of years and named it K’gari, which translates in English to “paradise”. The reinstatement of the Indigenous name on 7 June 2023, replacing Fraser Island, and the elevation of Butchulla tourism experiences and connection with culture is adding deeper meaning for all who visit her.

Birds are the most abundant form of animal life seen on K’gari with more than 350 migratory and coastal species recorded. Visitors may also spot the native dingoes, the purest breed of wongari in Australia, humpback whales playing off its coast, wallabies, possums, flying foxes, soldier crabs, turtles, dolphins, manta rays and dugongs.

There are many ways to experience the exceptional landscapes – take a self-drive getaway by 4WD, join a guided tour, go on a camping safari, book a room at a resort or explore the island on foot, through part or all of the island’s 90km Great Walk.

Daily barge services run to the island from River Heads with a trip to the main resort taking about 50 minutes while the journey for 4WD drive enthusiasts to Wanggoolba Creek is about 30 minutes.

Getting Around

Southern

Vehicle & Camping Permits: All vehicles require an access permit and those camping in the National Park need a pre-purchased camping permit attached to their tent. Camping and vehicle permits can be obtained:

n Online – nprsr.qld.gov.au/fraser

n Phone – 13 74 68

n From Visitor Information Centres – at Hervey Bay (227 Maryborough-Hervey Bay Road, Urraween) and Maryborough (City Hall, 388 Kent Street). For full list, visit: parks.des.qld.gov.au/licencespermits/products-and-services-offices

Dingo Safety: Particular caution should be taken with the island’s dingoes (wongari). It is an offence to feed, provoke or encourage dingo interactions and very heavy fines apply. Keep small children within arm’s reach and if approached, face the dingo and retreat calmly.

Great Walk: Explore K’gari’s exceptional landscapes on foot along the 90km of walking tracks between Happy Valley and Dilli Village. Follow the pathways of the island’s original inhabitants and see some of the hidden treasures like the Valley of the Giants. There are many shorter walks along the way. Visit nprsr.qld.gov.au/fraser to plan your trip and check for any track closures.

Accommodation: National Park campgrounds are located at Waddy Point, Dundubara, Wathumba, Central Station, Lake Boomanjin and Lake Allom. Beach camping is allowed where signed. K’gari also offers excellent private accommodation, from holiday houses and units at Orchid Beach and Happy Valley, to resorts at Eurong and Kingfisher Bay.

Pacific ocean access

Self-drive: A four-wheel-drive vehicle is essential on K’gari as all roads are sand tracks. Reasonable undervehicle clearance is necessary. 4WD hire vehicles are available from Hervey Bay, Eurong and Kingfisher Bay Resort. Off-road camper trailers are allowed on K’gari, however caravans are discouraged. Carry a snatch strap and recovery equipment.

Air: Air charters and transfers to K’gari depart from Hervey Bay Airport with fly-drive packages available. All air charters and transfers should be pre-booked.

Barges: Barges take vehicles and passengers each day from River Heads to Kingfisher Bay and Wanggoolba Creek; and Inskip Point (Rainbow Beach) to Hook Point. Private boats can moor off the island with jetty.

K’gari-Fraser

Natural Tourist Magnet

K’gari (formerly Fraser Island) is the region’s most iconic tourist drawcard, enticing nature lovers and adventurers from around the country and across the world. With rainforests growing out of sand, abundant wildlife, stunning rain-fed freshwater lakes, ancient ferns and striking sand blows, this sculptured natural masterpiece has amazing sights for all lovers of nature.

To get amongst it, visitors can go fourwheel driving above the waterline on 75 Mile Beach, take a guided tour of the beauty spots by bus or tag-along on a 4WD excursion. The remote beauty of the western coast and nearby islands can be accessed by boat and 4WD. Picking up a rod and heading to the beach for a spot of sport fishing, stepping out onto more than 90km of hiking trails or jumping aboard a scenic flight to get a bird’s eye view of the fascinating environment are also high on the list of “must do” island activities.

Accommodation options range from the basic – camping in National Park campgrounds and beach campsites – to enjoying all the trappings of resorts on both the eastern and western side of the island. Visitors can also rent holiday houses surrounded by trees and the plentiful bird and animal life.

It’s still evolving

The universal value of the largest sand island on the planet was formally recognised in 1992 when UNESCO inscribed it on the World Heritage List. The sand-mass has been evolving for thousands of years, well before Europeans arrived in the mid-1800s. Anthropologists believe it was the traditional homeland of the Butchulla people for at least 5,000 years, and likely much longer. The first written record of the region is from explorer James Cook’s discovery voyage of Australia’s east coast in 1770.

K’gari (pronounced “gah-ree”) was Great Sandy Island for a short time and then renamed Fraser Island after Captain James Fraser, who beached his lifeboat on the island with his wife Eliza and the remnants of his crew in 1836, after his ship, Stirling Castle, foundered on Swains Reef more than 200km north. Captain Fraser died on the island in mysterious circumstances and Eliza was eventually rescued after spending time with several tribes.

There first record of the name Fraser Island being used was by the British Press in the 1840s, when Eliza was back in the UK telling fanciful stories for money about her ordeal.

Butchulla people lived by three lores:

1

2

3

What is good for the land comes first

Do not touch or take anything that doesn’t belong to you

If you have plenty, you must share

The name K’gari was officially reinstated on 7 June 2023 in a ceremony attended by the Butchulla Elders, the Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and several of her Ministers. The name is derived from an Aboriginal Dreamtime story about a goddess named K’gari who fell in love with the earth and never wanted to leave.

Walk on ancient dunes

Like K’gari’s awe-inspiring beauty today, the history of the formation of the island is just as fascinating. It is believed to have built up gradually from old sand masses formed over the past two million years as ocean currents and waves swept sand north from

K’gari (Fraser Island)

the Continental Shelf of New South Wales and southern Queensland. Major dune building continued as sea levels fluctuated forming the world’s oldest recorded sequence of overlapping dune systems of different ages – some more than 700,000 years old.

The phenomenon of mycorrhizal fungi, which liberate nutrients in the sand from vegetation deposits built up over the years, has made it possible for plants to grow on the island. Today, K’gari’s diverse natural environment boasts tall eucalypt forests, mangroves and what is believed to be the only reticulated (leopard) patterned fens, or peat swamps, in the world near Moon Point. The island has half of the world’s freshwater perched lakes, formed when sand is “cemented” together with decomposed organic matter and mixed with aluminium and iron to create an impermeable layer well above sea level. The largest perched lake on K’gari (and the largest in the world) is Lake Boomanjin, covering 200 hectares. Lake McKenzie, dwarfed in size at 80 hectares, outranks for beauty as one of the most photographed wilderness spots in Australia.

Renewed efforts are being made to find, recognise and develop the cultural sites of the island’s traditional Butchulla owners so future generations can learn, understand and respect their way of life. The Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation has developed a tourism product at Central Station and the island’s Indigenous heritage is still evident in archaeological sites, shell middens, ceremonial bora rings and stone implements. The Butchulla’s nonexclusive rights over 164,958 hectares of land and waters on K’gari were recognised by the Federal Court of Australia in 2014 and Butchulla land and sea rangers work closely with the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service to manage land use and the waterways on the island.

K’gari also has the world’s oldest overlapping sand dune system, with some dunes believed to be more than 700,000 years old.

K’gari-Fraser Island

Remember the Trading Days

In the early days of European settlement, K’gari was a major centre for timber logging and sand mining.

Many of the older homes in Maryborough were built with kauri pine, taken during the 128 years the island was logged between 1863 and 1991. Found to be resistant to marine borers and sold as pylons, Satinay trees from K’gari (then named Fraser Island) were used to build the Suez Canal and Urangan Pier, as well as rebuild the London Docks after they were damaged during World War II.

Sand mining began in 1949 and was stopped in 1976 in what was then a controversial move with environmentalists taking their case to the Australian High Court – not before an estimated 200 hectares of dunes were removed from the island.

The waters around K’gari have been hazardous to mariners over the years, with 23 wrecks recorded between 1856 and 1935 – the last being the SS Maheno (pictured page 10) which is a landmark attraction on the island’s eastern beach.

At 5,000 tonnes and famous for its role as a hospital ship during the Gallipoli campaign, and in its day providing the fastest commercial passenger service between New Zealand and Australia, the steel-hulled Maheno met an inglorious end, driven ashore just north of Happy Valley by cyclonic winds in 1935.

She had been sold for scrap and was minus her propellers and rudders while under tow to a Japanese wrecking yard when the line snapped. Although heavily rusted and disintegrating in the harsh conditions, the Maheno remains the largest World War I relic in Australia and a magnet for tourists.

K’gari was also used for cattle and sheep grazing in the 1890s and the brumby legacy that still exists today is a hangover from the time horses were used for transport and industry.

The island is now a world-class tourist attraction, coordinated by the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection and managed day-to-day by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. Visitors are encouraged to take only photographs and leave only footprints to preserve the unique environment.

K’gari eco adventures

n Take a boat cruise to the untouched beauty of the western side of the island where you can go bushwalking, snorkelling, kayaking and swimming.

n Float down Eli Creek, a freshwater stream pouring 4.2 million litres of water into the ocean each hour.

n Relax in the frothy bubbles of the Champagne Pools – naturally formed pools of volcanic rock.

n Gaze at the imposing Indian Head, now a major cultural site for Butchulla with breathtaking views of marine life and waves crashing on the eastern beaches.

n Take a scenic flight in a light aircraft that takes off and lands on the beach – one of the few places in the world where you can.

n Join a guided tour to K’gari’s most popular spots in just one day, by bus or four-wheel-drive vehicle or book your very own personalised expedition.

n Follow in the footsteps of Royalty and take a selfie on the shores of Lake McKenzie or in the Valley of the Giants.

Unforgettable Memories

Central Station: Home to a community of more than 100 people during its timber logging days in the 1920s, Central Station’s picnic area reflects its historic past. Now being developed as an Indigenous tourism product by the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation, the area includes the culturally significant Wanggoolba Creek flowing through the rainforest –the traditional birthing place for Butchulla women.

Lake McKenzie: This sparkling blue water lake bordered by stunning white sand 100m above sea level is the most visited attraction on the island – and the most photographed. Its incredibly pure waters make it ideal for swimming. There are no creatures to dodge and only soft sand underneath.

The Cathedrals: These cliffs of coloured sands were permanently stained red, brown, yellow and orange, according to Butchulla legend, when the gods brushed up against them.

Indian Head: Revered by Butchulla as a sacred site, this distinctive rocky cliff is a natural grandstand with captivating views of crystal-clear water dotted with manta rays, dolphins and other marine life.

Eli Creek: Pumping 4.2 million litres of water into the ocean every hour, Eli Creek is the largest freshwater creek along the east coast.

Champagne Pools: Swimmers flock to this location between Waddy Point and Indian Head where waves crash over rocks lining sandy pools creating a froth reminiscent of champagne bubbles.

75 Mile Beach: This spectacular stretch of beach running along the eastern side of K’gari north of Hook Point is officially a national highway and one of the few beaches in the world where light aircraft land and take off.

The Maheno Shipwreck: Once renowned for the fastest crossing of the Tasman between Australia and New Zealand and formerly a World War I hospital ship, SS Maheno washed ashore on K’gari’s eastern beach when her tow line snapped during a cyclone in 1935. She was on her way to a Japanese shipyard to be scrapped.

K’gari-Fraser Island

Remote Beauty

Previously secluded and untouched areas of the west coastline of World Heritage-Listed K’gari are now open to tourists, with a growing number of accredited marine tour operators departing from Hervey Bay and the island’s Kingfisher Bay jetty to explore this pristine, unique region.

Visitors can now walk the beaches, swim and kayak in remote creeks and check out the wildlife, accessing the area by fast catamarans, an outboard-powered Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) and even jet skis. Once only the province of confident boaties, experienced four-wheeldrivers and self-sufficient campers, western K’gari is now a soughtafter year-round destination to complement the whale watching season between late July and October.

Full day and half day tours operating from Hervey Bay during the summer months have become so successful that new vessels and amphibious watercraft have been introduced to make the destination a year-round adventure opportunity. Tours also operate from Kingfisher Bay Resort.

The area is regulated by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and visitors should check operator access permits to ensure they will be able to visit the best destinations.

Most commercial vessels are able to land guests on the island’s sandy beaches and depending on the weather and tides, some of the more remote islands in Great Sandy Strait. However, at this stage entry into Wathumba Creek – known locally as the “Whitehaven Beach of the Fraser Coast” where some of the best kayaking, swimming, snorkelling and hiking is available – is limited. Awinya and Bowarrady creek access is also restricted.

The great attraction of western K’gari is its remoteness, with many international tourists and even some locals never before enjoying

the experience of stepping ashore on beaches devoid of human footprints. The area has abundant wildlife with pods of pelicans often sighted on local banks and turtles, rays, fish, dolphins and even dugongs patrolling the nearby waterways.

The full day and half day tours include all the necessities for a great day out, including morning tea, beverages and lunch, often with a local produce focus. One operator includes a beach barbecue package and all tours offer educational commentary by guides with knowledge of local history and the island’s marine life and vegetation.

As well as exploring the remote beaches, including the popular Pelican Bank situated between Moon Point and Big Woody Island, guests also enjoy a wide range of water activities including boom netting, kayaking and paddleboarding.

Tours accessing the Great Sandy Strait from K’gari’s main resort also stop at Pelican Bank, before taking in the sights along the reefs to Big Woody Island, where twin lighthouses were built in 1866 to guide shipping to the mouth of the Mary River. Middle Bluff lighthouse is still standing, but only the frame of North Bluff remains. The island was declared a national park in 1960 and most of the buildings from its lighthouse era were removed.

For those who like it fast and being close to the water, jet ski tours operating out of Urangan Harbour are an ideal way to see the western side with plenty of time to spot the marine life.

And your trip to this part of K’gari does not have to be all action. Whether you choose a full day, half day or 3-hour exploration tour by boat or jet ski, guests can do as little or as much as they wish – with many taking the chance to just bask in the sun. There is an experience for all levels of fitness, from the adventure seeker to the avid sightseer.

FRASER EXPERIENCE TOURS | Small group sizes

Explore Fraser Island on one of our small group guided tours.

• Personalised service from Experienced guides

• Travel the Famous 75 Mile Beach

• Walk through the Iconic Central Station Rainforest

• Swim in the Fabulous Lake McKenzie

• Come and share the history of the Maheno Shipwreck

• Take time for a splash in Eli creek

• See how many colours there are in the Pinnacles Morning tea and picnic lunch included – departs daily.

2/28 Southern Cross Circuit, Hervey Bay 07 4124 4244

info@fraserexperiencetours.com.au www.fraserexperiencetours.com.au

the Best of

ECO MARINE CRUISES SUNSET CRUISES 4WD ISLAND TOURS

Journey along pristine coastlines, spot marine life and experience the remote surrounding islands off the western coast of K’gari, aboard Sea Explorer.

Enjoy a bucket list sunset session on the idyllic waters within the Great Sandy Biosphere, with an onboard bar, complimentary beverage and light refreshments!

Immerse yourself in the World Heritage-listed wonders of K’gari, on a curated 4WD itinerary. Join a local guide as you uncover the island’s unique landscapes.

Discover all that paradise has to offer from your base at the award-winning Kingfisher Bay Resort. Eco marine cruises, sunset cruises, and guided 4WD tours depart the resort daily (with whale watching from August-October). Enjoy ranger-guided activities and award-winning dining experiences, on a Queensland island escape that ticks all of the boxes!

K’gari-Fraser Island

Hiking & Walking Trails

90km Great Walk and guided touring options

K’gari (Fraser Island) is building on its reputation as a great hiking destination with new, guided products and a 90km Great Walk divided into 16 stages for those who want the freedom of walking the island at their own pace. Many sections of the trails are under forest canopy and adventurers will find shifting sand dunes, rainforests, mangroves, crystal-clear freshwater lakes and stunning ocean views.

Freedom hiking and commercially guided walks are available. Freedom hikers need to take their own camping gear including a tent, food, first-aid necessities and enough water to last until arriving at the next campsite to refill. A padlock is essential equipment as you will find lockable boxes at most campsites where you can store your bulky items while you take a lightweight hike to nearby areas. The commercially guided walks provide the support of experts who will arrange access permits and transport as well as camping gear, which for an eco-glamping option, can be transported ahead of you and set up, with meals also supplied.

90km Great Walk

The 90 kilometre Great Walk takes six to eight days but can be shortened, provided arrangements are made for pick-up at an agreed location. If you are fit, it is possible to complete the Great Walk in two three-day hikes – one covering the southern lakes area and the other, the rainforests to the north.

The tracks are well signed and there are plenty of campsites and crystal-clear freshwater lakes to cool off in. Not all camps are fenced, but most have toilets and there is generally water available, although it is worth checking whether you should use purifying tablets.

providing a range of tailor-made packages to suit all types of walkers from camping to luxury. An exciting eco-friendly way to see and experience K’gari’s pristine nature. Walk through diverse, ever changing landscapes and see K’gari from a unique perspective.

+61 7 4125 6386 | +61 400 528 817 bookings@kgariwalkingtours.com.au | @kgari_walking www.kgariwalkingtours.com.au

Be Dingo (Wongari) Safe

n Never feed dingoes (wongari)

n Always stay within arm's reach of children, even small teenagers

n Walk in groups and carry a stick

n Do not run. Running or jogging can trigger negative interactions

n Camp in fenced areas where possible

n Secure all food, rubbish, fish and bait

n Never store food or food containers in tents

n Report dingo interactions: dingo.ranger@des.qld.gov.au; (07) 4127 9150

The main hiking season is from March to October. It is important to check the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service website parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/great-walks-kgari-fraser for updates on the conditions of the tracks and to ensure they are open. Commercial operators provide assistance for self-guided hikers wanting to experience their own eco-adventure and they also offer prescribed routes where permits, transport from Hervey Bay via the barge, maps and camping and cooking gear are provided for you to carry in a backpack for either one, two or three nights.

Adventure hikes

These hikes require a moderate level of fitness and you will need to carry your backpack. It is recommended you pack a 1.5 litre water bottle which can be refilled at the hiker’s campsites. You will also receive a suggested food list to help keep your pack weight as light as possible. A minimum of two people is required, with a maximum of six in a group for each trip.

These adventure hikes cover the best lakes, flowing freshwater creeks and rainforest locations, covering between 12km and 14km a day. For those who like to travel light, fully supported hikes with eco-glamping are also offered, providing the option of your gear being carried ahead for you and meals set up on arrival at your next destination.

The main island resort at Kingfisher Bay offers ranger-guided bush tucker tours and Self-guided three-hour walks.

FRASER DINGO 4WD ADVENTURES

The 4WD Adventure specialist in Hervey Bay for travel to K’gari (Fraser Island), we specialise in 4WD Hire and Multi Day 4WD Tours, with camping or accommodation packages. Fraser Dingo 4WD Adventures creates tailormade Fraser Island experiences.

+61 7 4125 6386 | +61 400 528 817 | @fraser_dingo info@fraserdingo4wdhire.com.au www.fraserdingo4wdhire.com.au

CATHEDRALS ON FRASER | Accommodation for all budgets

Sheltered campground centrally located on Fraser Island’s eastern beach.

• Powered and unpowered camp sites

• Permanent canvas tents

• Cabins

• Group and school accommodation options

Dingo fenced; clean amenities; camp kitchens; communal firepits; playground; well-stocked convenience shop; cafe; fuel station and more!

6km north of the Maheno | +61 7 4127 9177 | reception@cathedralsonfraser.com.au

www.cathedralsonfraser.com.au

Holiday homes offer privacy and space

Staying in one of K’gari’s 100 or so holiday homes is an option some visitors to the island prefer because of the added privacy, comfort and space. Many homes are also close enough for guests to access nearby resort amenities and enjoy the best of both worlds.

The majority of holiday homes are in four locations – Happy Valley, Kingfisher Bay, Eurong Beach and Orchid Beach. Some are managed by Kingfisher Bay Resort and the Orchid Beach Trading Post and others that are privately owned can be booked independently.

A range of styles and prices are available, from four-bedroom houses to two or threebedroom cottages and units. Many houses on the eastern side have solar power and it is advisable to check what appliances are provided at the premises before booking.

As the island’s roads are mostly sand tracks or beaches, most houses other than those near Kingfisher are only accessible by 4WD

vehicle, with barges operating daily from River Heads in Hervey Bay or Inskip Point, north of Rainbow Beach.

There are several options for getting supplies and eating out on the island. Happy Valley has a convenience store and bar restaurant; Orchid Beach has a general store and post office and the Cathedrals has a convenience shop, bottle shop and fuel station.

At the two major resorts, Kingfisher Bay has several restaurants, bars, a general store, fuel station and gift shop and at K’gari Beach Resort at Eurong, the bakery, convenience store and restaurant are accessible to the public.

Like the resorts, holiday homes are an ideal base to explore the island’s spectacular scenic attractions, fishing spots and places to cool off in the crystal-clear waters.

Visitors need to bring their own food when renting a holiday home and apart from Kingfisher where there is a wheelie bin service, be prepared to remove rubbish

WAIUTA RETREAT AT KINGFISHER BAY RESORT

Stunning water views, adjacent to the National Park.

• Relax and enjoy sunset drinks from the 18 metre deck

• Air conditioning, 5 bedrooms, 2.5 bath, 2 living rooms, pool table, modern facilities and ample parking

• Private, quiet, stress-free holiday living for up to 13 guests

Kingfisher Bay Resort Precinct | 0419 722 098

www.facebook.com/waiutaretreat

www.waiuta-retreat.com.au

KOKOMO AT KINGFISHER BAY

Your holiday haven on World Heritage-listed K’gari (formerly Fraser Island)! Kingfisher’s newest residence – 3 bedroom 2 bathroom just 2 minutes’ drive from the barge, sleeps up to 10 people, making it the perfect place for couples, families or groups of friends.

858 Kingfisher Heights Drive, Kingfisher Bay +61 4 5702 2787 | kokomofraser@gmail.com

www.kokomoatkingfisherbay.com

Fly/Drive K’gari adventures

One of the best big nature adventures of a lifetime is taking to the skies via light aircraft and enjoying a bird’s eye view of the Fraser Coast, before landing on K’gari’s eastern beach and continuing to enjoy the island’s sights by 4WD.

The adrenalin rush of seeing the world’s largest sand island from the air and then taking your time to discover the island by 4WD at your own pace is the best of both worlds.

By air, passengers can spot the local marine life and enjoy the stunning views across Great Sandy Strait before landing on 75 Mile Beach – one of the few places in Australia which doubles as a beach highway and a landing strip.

The drive along the island’s eastern beach is packed with iconic attractions such as the Maheno shipwreck and Indian Head, and most also venture inland to worldrenowned Lake McKenzie.

Touring K’gari is on many bucket lists and fly-drive packages enable visitors to discover the hidden gems in flexible one or threeday itineraries.

on departure to three collection points along the eastern beachfront or visit the rubbish transfer stations in each of the three townships.

Bookings: Most holiday homes have onlinebooking options – search Fraser Island holiday homes early.

packages include return scenic flights to and from Fraser Island including beach landing and takeo and a 4x4 hire car. Private 4x4 guided packages also available. 1300 172 706

info@airfraserisland.com.au

www.airfraserisland.com.au

Lady Elliot Island Step from the beach into the reef

Uncovering the mystery of Australia’s iconic Great Barrier Reef is within a short 40-minute scenic flight from the Fraser Coast to magical Lady Elliot Island.

Experiencing the wonders of healthy coral reefs and an abundance of turtles, dolphins, manta rays and reef sharks at Lady Elliot is as simple as stepping off the beach and into the ocean, with an average under-water visibility 25m-plus year-round.

Lady Elliot Island is a 45-hectare coral cay at the southern tip of the Barrier Reef reef, 130km north-east of Hervey Bay. The flight from the airport at Hervey Bay over the Great Sandy Strait and K’gari (Fraser Island) is a mini adventure in itself.

Lady Elliot Island is in a highly protected Green Zone and is a sanctuary for more than 1200 species of marine life. The island is known as the “home of the manta ray” with more than 1000 recorded in the vicinity.

Going Up?

Hervey Bay is the busiest access point to Lady Elliot with three return flights each day. The island is an exclusive destination, only serviced by Seair Pacific. Boat access is impractical because of the absence of landing sites and regular ocean swells.

Dive into manta ray territory

Lady Elliot Island is recognised as one of the top five destinations in the world to scuba dive with manta rays and is among the best locations on the Great Barrier Reef to dive and snorkel. The manta rays are more active between May and August but can be seen all year round.

The island has the second-highest diversity of bird species on the Great Barrier Reef, with up to 95 different species of sea birds, land birds and shore birds. Perfect for twitchers!

Divers can enjoy the surrounding reef with a fascinating mix of hard and soft corals and more than 18 different dive sites, including wreck dives and a blow hole. Recently introduced clear-bottom kayak tours give visitors a different perspective on the reef.

King Charles visited Lady Elliot Island in 2018 (when he was Prince of Wales) for a Reef Roundtable, meeting leaders from industry and government to discuss the protection of the critical habitats and species.

The eco resort has been recognised for its dedication to the protection and preservation of the natural asset, winning many awards, the most recent:

n Gold and ‘Hall of Fame’ for the Steve Irwin Award for Ecotourism at the Queensland Tourism Awards (2022);

n Gold for Sustainable Tourism at the National Banksia Awards (2022).

DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN VISIT THE GREAT BARRIER REEF FROM THE FRASER COAST?

Lady Elliot Island is a coral cay located on the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, just north of K’gari (formally Fraser Island). The island is situated within a highly protected ‘Green Zone’ of the Marine National Park & is a sanctuary for over 1,200 species of marine life. Lady Elliot is regarded as one of the best snorkelling & diving locations on the Great Barrier Reef & is renowned for its healthy coral reef & abundance of turtles, manta rays, reef sharks & the entire cast of ‘Finding Nemo’.

Turtle Nesting Season: October - February

Turtle Hatching Season: February - April

Whale Migration Season: July - October

Day trips and overnight stays available with three scheduled flights per day ex Hervey Bay. Flights also departing from Bundaberg, 1770 (Day trips only 1770) Brisbane (Redcliffe) & Gold Coast.

K’gari

Hervey Bay

Revel in this aquatic playground

Hervey Bay has an abundance of riches. It’s the stepping off point to World Heritage-listed K’gari (Fraser Island), home to some of the world’s best whale watching in a region recently accredited as a Whale Heritage Site and it has arguably the safest, family friendly beaches on the Queensland coast.

Add its proximity to Lady Elliot Island, the southernmost coral cay on the Great Barrier Reef, world-class fishing, year-round swimming and boating and you can understand why visitors flock here.

Hervey Bay has five fantastic safe-swimming beaches along its 16km Esplanade foreshore … each with tracts of beautiful golden sand looking out to calm, protected waters sheltered by K’gari – the world’s largest sand island.

Take a breather

With its laid-back lifestyle that welcomes barefoot walks along the beach, bicycle rides beside the ocean and eating takeaway fish and chips with your fingers, Hervey Bay is the place to kick off your shoes, relax and unwind.

In the Bay, life is built around its stunning esplanade dotted with parks, playgrounds, jetties, picnic areas, barbecues, alfresco cafés, restaurants and shops.

This water lover’s paradise is made for swimming, fishing, water sports and fun beach activities, no matter what the season.

Temperatures range from 9 to 22 degrees Celsius in winter and 20 to 30 in summer.

Encounters with humpback whales (season July-October), turtles, dolphins and dugongs are possible through organised tours and by chance while out sailing or cruising on the water and also occasionally spotted from the beach. Pods of dolphins are often seen playing off the shoreline or at the end of the Bay’s iconic Urangan Pier, where you can also see schools of fish and rays in the clear waters below.

The pier, which stretches almost a kilometre seaward, is one of Australia’s oldest and longest, celebrating its centenary in March 2017. In years gone by, the pier was a major shipping point for the region’s coal, sugar and timber, and incoming fuel and manufactured goods.

Initially stretching 1107m out to sea, the pier was partly dismantled in the 1980s when more than 200m of the structure was removed. A public outcry helped retain the 868m still remaining today and it is now a much-loved spot for tourists and locals for fishing, strolling and sightseeing.

Just off the Esplanade in Zephyr Street, Scarness, it is possible to “walk through the doorway into the past” at the award-winning Hervey Bay Historical Village and Museum. Here you can get an appreciation of how tough and resourceful early settlers needed to be to survive. Explore 21 buildings from those days, examine 12,000 items and take part in interactive demonstrations on a 1.2ha site. Look for the big fish at the entrance.

For the young and young-at-heart, making a splash at WetSide Water Park on Hervey Bay’s foreshore at Pialba is another fun adventure. The park, judged number 3 in the top 25 water parks in the world by Tripadvisor reviews in 2019, has recently opened two new waterslides and also has a wave rider.

You can also test your mettle by climbing up the nets or ladder to the 7.3m-high sky towers and slipping down the slides at the new Pialba Adventure Playground.

Hervey Bay boasts a range of accommodation options – from five star luxury to beachfront caravan and camping sites – one of the last places in Australia where you can park a van right on the shoreline.

The Bay’s splendid natural setting, wide range of accommodation choices and attractions combine to ensure it offers something for just about everyone.

It’s the ideal family-friendly getaway, a wonderful romantic escape and an ecoadventure mecca … after coming here, you won’t want to say goodbye.

Whale Watching Humpbacks stay and

play in Hervey Bay

Each year from late July until October there is no place like Hervey Bay on Australia’s east coast for breathtaking, up-close and personal encounters with majestic humpback whales.

The stunning intimacy of a rendezvous with these gentle giants will leave you with amazing memories you won’t capture anywhere else.

Have a close encounter

When it comes to experiencing awe-inspiring interactions with humpbacks, the best advice we can give is – don’t just take our word for it, come, pay us a visit and find out firsthand why whale watching in Hervey Bay is so special it draws visitors back day after day and year after year.

The difference here is that the whales pause their migration journey when they reach Fraser Coast waters to relax, play and socialise in the lee of K’gari’s western coast. Here the waters are warmer, shallower and predator free.

Each year thousands of these 40-tonne mammals purposefully head to our marine backyard, breaking their return journey between the feeding grounds in Antarctica to the breeding grounds in the tropics.

Thirty years of scientific research has proven that Hervey Bay is the only genuine stopover in what is one of the longest mammal migration journeys on the planet – a 10,000km round trip from the southern ocean to the tropics and back again.

In all other whale watching locations in the open ocean on Australia’s east coast, the whales are travelling either north or south – a difference which enables Hervey Bay operators to offer a premium whale watching experience as boats are generally stationary when whale encounters take place.

Marvel at the humpback nursery

Studies have shown that humpback whales spend up to 14 days in Hervey Bay waters each year and they’re just as inquisitive about the boats and the people as we are about them. On many occasions, the whales come right up to the vessels which is why we

Festivals

Whale Festival, Hervey Bay

First weekend in August

Blessing of the Fleet | Parade of Lights

Creating Waves Lecture | Paddle Out for Whales

Flavours Festival, Hervey Bay

First weekend in September

*Subject to change, for updates visit: frasercoastevents.com

can guarantee a whale watching experience with the Fraser Coast fleet will be like few other places in the world.

September is the month when increasing numbers of mothers and calves glide into the region. Mums take the time to nurture and train their young, including teaching them to breach which is a sight to see!

Hervey Bay was the first centre in Australia to offer commercial whale watching from boats in 1987. Now, more than 30 years later, you will benefit from the knowledge and experience of expertlytrained crews working on the region’s safe, highly-professional whale watching fleet. Vessels offer decks with 360-degree views, underwater viewing rooms, underwater cameras and hydrophones to listen to the whales sing.

And a word about the whale orchestra: Only mature whales sing and since most of the older whales arrive in the Bay in September, that’s the best month to visit if listening to whale songs is your passion.

Swim with the whales

If you want to get even closer to the whales, early in the season before the calves arrive (late July and August), several boats offer a totally immersive experience. You can swim with the magnificent mammals tethered to a ‘mermaid line’ or sit on a duckboard platform that’s lowered into the water – either way, whales will be likely to approach you – almost within arm’s reach.

In a more recent addition to whale watching experiences on the Fraser Coast, visitors lucky enough to capture a photo of a whale’s tail after it breaches can load the image on the Happy Whale website happywhale.com – a data base that tracks whale movements around the world, enabling you to receive frequent updates on the world migration journey of “your whale”.

Many people tell us that a close encounter with these amazing creatures is spiritual and at times even life-changing. Certainly you will go home with lifelong memories. Start planning your Hervey Bay whale adventure today

HERVEY BAY WHALE WATCH

Join our experienced team for a fun, informative Whale Watch Cruise aboard Quick Cat II, a purpose built vessel for Whale Watching. With 3 di erent levels & spacious, unobstructed decks you’ll be sure to get a good view & capture that perfect shot! Experience close encounters with the Humpbacks, watch them breach, tail & pec slap and spy hop.

• Family owned and operated for over 30 years

• Eco accredited

• Upgrade to our EXCLUSIVE Whales & Lunch @ K’Gari Package

Marina Berth A1 (Floating O ice) Freecall 1800 671 977 | whales@bigpond.net.au

www.herveybaywhalewatch.com.au

Whales

Hervey Bay’s well established reputation as one of the best whale watching destinations on the planet was given an international tick of approval in 2019 when the region was selected as the first Whale Heritage Site declared by the World Cetacean Alliance.

The accreditation scheme for whale watching destinations was initiated by the London-based Alliance in 2016, to recognise the best global destinations for responsible whale and dolphin watching.

The selection process was rigorous, with Hervey Bay competing with candidate sites from around the world, including Vancouver Island, Canada; Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand; Mosaic Jurubatuba, Brazil; Durban, South Africa and Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica.

As well as ensuring respectful human interactions with visiting humpbacks, to qualify as a Whale Heritage Site a region had to show active engagement by their communities and tourists with marine life through art, music, science, education and celebratory events.

Hervey Bay’s selection was announced at the 2019 World Whale Conference in Hervey Bay, attended by more than 100 conservationists, scientists and whale watch operators from around the globe. Bluff, in Durban South Africa, was the second successful World Heritage Site, also announced at the conference.

WHS accreditation means that visitors who take tours with the Hervey Bay fleet in the coming seasons can be assured they are supporting sustainable whale watching practices judged amongst the best in the world.

In paying tribute to Hervey Bay’s selection, World Cetacean Alliance honorary president, Jean-Michel Cousteau, said Whale Heritage Sites would become the gold standard for responsible whale watching destinations worldwide “as they have so much more to offer, by interweaving natural and cultural elements and placing communities at their very heart. These sites will become places where people respect, celebrate and protect cetaceans and their habitats long into the future.”

WHS status for Hervey Bay is proof positive for tourists and travellers, that when they make the decision to take a whale watching tour in local waters, they are supporting practices in the best interest of the long-term survival of the planet.

The honour recognises the work of local whale watch operators who played a key role in 1989, working with scientists, conservationists and the then National Parks and Wildlife Service, to set up the Hervey Bay Marine Park and establish a whale watching Code of Practice that set the region on a path to its current status.

Top Notch Operators

The Hervey Bay whale fleet is the most professional and advanced in Australia, helped by its location, operating in the Great Sandy Marine Park.

Hervey Bay became the first location in the country to offer commercial whale watching from boats, in 1987, and this leadership position was maintained in the years that followed with operators playing a key role in firstly setting up the marine park in 1989 and then establishing rules for whale-human interactions to protect the migrating humpbacks.

The humpback whale population had diminished because of large-scale whaling and poor conservation practices and pioneer Hervey Bay whale watch operators were at the forefront of the recovery campaign, working with stakeholders, including the State Government.

The sustainable code of practice for boat operators and their passengers has stood the test of more than 36 years of whale watching and been copied by other whale watching destinations around the globe. Today’s Hervey Bay whale fleet operates under strict regulations, aimed at ensuring the thousands of whales that come into Hervey Bay each year are protected – and that they keep coming back in greater numbers.

The Fraser Coast is identified as one of the most important destinations in Australia for migrating whales, because unlike all other areas of the coast, it is a place where whales break their 10,000km migration journey between Antarctica and the Tropics to rest for up to 10 days, supporting their young calves.

In 2019 this area, covering about 20 percent of the 6,000 square kilometre Great Sandy Marine Park, in a line from Rooney Point to Burrum Heads and south to below Big Woody Island, was declared the world’s first Whale Heritage Site.

It’s the most wonderful time of year on K’gari, when we say HELLO to the humpbacks! Prepare for the adventure of a lifetime as you marvel at these majestic creatures from just metres away, PLUS ticking off the island’s most iconic sights on a guided 4WD tour.

Are you looking at me?

The homing instincts of humpback whales choosing Hervey Bay as an annual migration stopover is what makes whale watching in local waters so special, because the whales are rested, relaxed, playful and inquisitive.

Often, the whales come right up to boats or swimmers in what the locals call “mugging” and there are few life-changing experiences more profound than being at arm’s length to one of the largest mammals on earth, eyeballing you from a metre’s distance.

Of the estimated 40,000 east coast humpback population, between 30 and 40 percent stop at Hervey Bay each year and their numbers are growing about 10 percent annually. It’s on their journey, between late July and October, that juvenile whales and proud mothers with the cutest calves on earth make Hervey Bay their temporary home.

Scientific studies using fluke identification have proven that the same whales return each year, attracted to the warm, shallow waters of the Bay, which are free of predators.

Eleven whale watching vessels operate from of Hervey Bay’s Urangan Harbour and K’gari (Fraser Island) each season, offering sightseers everything from a fast three-hour excursion on the water to a half-day or a full-day sojourn in Platypus Bay. And whether you prefer to travel in a big group on a vessel with multiple decks, use glass viewing platforms or join a small number of passengers on a sailing catamaran, Hervey Bay has it covered.

Thousands of humpback whales return to Hervey Bay annually. Scientists and whale watch operators can identify them by the markings and the shape of their tails.

Humpback Whales

When: July–November

Where: Hervey Bay Dolphins

When: Year round

Where: Great Sandy Strait

Dugongs

When: Year round

Where: Great Sandy Strait

Our Marine Playground

Whale Behaviours

Tail Fluke

Diving down into the water, the humpbacks will throw their tails up and bring them down hard and fast onto the water to make a loud slap.

Fin-Slap

The humpbacks love rolling around and frolicking in the water. You’ll often see them splashing about, slapping their fins on the water to create a splash.

Spy-Hop

Humpbacks will poke their heads out of the water to take a good look around at what you’re doing. They love watching you just as much as you love watching them.

Breach

The humpbacks will show off by launching themselves out of the water and landing with a massive splash!

1

The 8 key facts that make Hervey Bay ‘the world’s best’

Hervey Bay on Queensland’s Fraser Coast is the only destination on the Australia’s east coast where humpback whales break their 10,000km return migration from the Antarctic to the Tropics and stop to rest, play and recuperate in the warm, shallow waters near K’gari (Fraser Island) for up to two weeks.

2 About one third (thought to be 13,000 whales) of the total eastern Australian humpback population detour into Platypus Bay in Hervey Bay’s Great Sandy Marine Park every year.

3 The whale mothers and their calves spend time socialising, playing and resting, with many adult females returning every year – proven by more than 30 years of scientific study carried out by the research findings of the Oceania Project and the Hawaiian-based Pacific Whale Foundation.

4

This rest period, in what has become colloquially known as the “Hervey Bay whale nursery”, is thought to be essential for calves and younger humpback whales, preparing for the Southern Ocean and the serious predators they will encounter.

5 The relaxed state of the whales and calves when they are resting and not migrating provides deeply spiritual whale watching experiences for thousands of people each season. Here the whales are just as interested in the whale watchers

as the watchers are in them – sometimes spending up to an hour fin-slapping, spyhopping and breaching close to boats.

6 The community of the Fraser Coast has embraced its “whale culture” through art, festivals and education, with the Hervey Bay whale fleet the first in Australia to adopt a strict code of conduct ensuring sustainable whale watching practices that have now been copied around the world.

7

The region, encircled by the Great Sandy Marine Park, is one of the most pristine in the world, awarded UNESCO Biosphere status in 2009. At its centre is the largest sand island on the planet and the region’s most iconic tourist attraction – World Heritage-listed K’gari (Fraser Island), granted its own Reserve status by the UN in 1992.

8 All these unique qualities resulted in the waters off Hervey Bay being recognised in October 2019 as the world’s first Whale Heritage Site, accredited by the World Cetacean Alliance. With World Heritagelisted K’gari and the UNESCO designated Great Sandy Biosphere, the Fraser Coast is a region like few others.

WHALESONG CRUISES | Whale watching = lifetime memories

Whether you choose the morning or the afternoon cruise, the experienced, informative, multi-lingual and hospitable crew will ensure you receive the best value for money Whale Watch experience. With extra wide decks, plenty of seating space and low passenger numbers (maximum 70% of actual capacity), everyone has a front row seat on this modern, environmentally friendly and luxurious, wheelchair-accessible vessel. Hydrophone to listen to the whales ‘sing’; informative and entertaining realtime commentary; personalised service.

Whalesong is the only half-day boat that includes meals (morning: morning tea and lunch, afternoon: afternoon tea and dinner). Filtered water, tea, herbal tea, co ee and milo included throughout the cruise. Also available in Winter - Whale Search cruise.

Shop 2, Great Sandy Straits Marina 17 Buccaneer Drive, Urangan | +61 7 4125 6222

info@whalesong.com.au

www.whalesong.com.au

BLUE DOLPHIN MARINE TOURS

TripAdvisor Multi-Award Winning Tour Operator

Eco-friendly sailing tours cruising the waters of Queensland’s stunning Hervey Bay and Fraser Island (K’gari) with small passenger numbers to ensure you get an up close, exclusive experience. On board Blue Dolphin you are well away from the large noisy crowds usually associated with whale watching tours plus we provide expert commentary – over 35 years’ experience with marine mammals. Outside of whale season our summer tours are a fantastic way to explore the waters of the Great Sandy Straits discovering our resident dolphins, dugongs and turtles with ample time for fun on the exclusive aqua mat and boom netting. Or try our fabulous Champagne Sunset Sails.

• Exclusive Full Day Whale Encounters (incl. full bu et lunch, morning/afternoon tea)

• Half Day Eco Sailing Adventures (Nov to Jul)

• Champagne Sunset Sails (Nov to Jul)

• Locally owned and operated for over 27 years

Great Sandy Straits Marina, Buccaneer Dr, Hervey Bay 07 4124 9600 | info@bluedolphintours.com.au www.bluedolphintours.com.au

Hervey Bay Great Sandy Spit

FREEDOM ECOTOURS: WHALE WATCHING & CHARTERS

Premium Full Day Whale Watching Encounters

Embark on an unforgettable journey interacting with inquisitive & playful humpback whale families. Spacious decks on three levels plus a smoking area included. Morning tea, a generous lunch and afternoon treats included. Licensed bar available.

July—October, 9.30am – 4pm. See website for more details and hundreds of reviews from happy guests.

Charters available from Oct-Jul for sunset cruises and trips to Maryborough, Tin Can Bay and K’Gari beaches.

Pricing: Adults $160 | Seniors/Students $140 Child 4-17 yrs $110 | under 4 years FREE Family (2 adults 2 children) $495

1300 388 688

andrea@freedomecotours.com.au www.freedomwhalewatch.com.au

ADDED EXTRAS

• Waterline viewing platform, reach out and touch a whale

• Underwater viewing windows to watch them in their underwater world

• Listen to them singing through our Underwater Hydrophone

• 6 viewing decks, no grappling for personal space

FREE Kids activities

• FREE Wi-Fi connection

• FREE Parking at Marina

• FREE Transfers between accommodation & marina

1/2 Day Cruise – 8:30am to 1:00pm OR 1:30pm to 5:30pm

Complimentary morning or afternoon tea

FARES – Adults from $140, Child $75

Fraser Island & Whale Watch packages available

Marine Mecca

Fraser Coast is the new marine mecca of Queensland

Just 360km north of Brisbane is a pristine sailing and cruising destination with uncrowded anchorages, minimal restrictions and excellent shelter to enjoy paradise without the worry.

The protected waters of the Great Sandy Strait between K’gari (formerly Fraser Island) and Hervey Bay open up a world of diverse landscapes and unique wildlife that entices hundreds of thousands of 4WD enthusiasts each year – and experiencing it from the water provides a whole new perspective for those lucky enough to enjoy it.

Sailing in a hired bareboat or opting for a skippered charter are just two of more than a dozen bookable marine experiences available from Urangan Harbour or the Kingfisher Bay Resort.

The products and the region are now being promoted as SouthEast Queensland’s “Marine Mecca” capitalising on one of the most pristine waterways on Australia’s east coast.

The Fraser Coast’s Marine Mecca product line-up covers everything from wreck and reef diving on a live-aboard expedition boat, to bareboat sailing charters, new youth and fishing adventures, jet-ski touring, guided K’gari wilderness excursions by kayak and Sealegs amphibius craft up remote creeks on the island’s west coast, Indigenous cultural adventures and close encounters with teaming marine life encircling Lady Elliot Island on the Southern Great Barrier Reef.

FRASER ISLAND BOAT CHARTERS | Pure Luxury

Escape the chaos and immerse yourself in the beautiful and remote coastline of western K’gari [Fraser Island] at your own pace on a sailing holiday. Fraser Island Boat Charters o ers both bareboat [self-drive] and skippered yacht charters that are completely tailored to your needs. The Fraser Coast region boasts incredible sailing conditions thanks to ideal weather, calm waters and a diverse range of anchorages, along with being home to the world’s first Whale Heritage Site in Hervey Bay.

You’ll spend your days exploring hidden creeks, walking along secluded beaches and swimming in crystal clear waters before watching the sunset over the ocean from the front deck of your private yacht. By hiring one of the many vessels available in the Fraser Island Boat Charters fleet, you’ll get an intimate and exclusive opportunity to sail in style and at your own pace. This is the ultimate slow travel experience. Our experienced and friendly sta will be there at every step of the way to ensure you have the best waterbased holiday that will leave you wanting to return year after year.

Boat Club Marina, Hervey Bay

0488 413 210 | info@fraserislandboatcharters.com.au www.fraserislandboatcharters.com.au

SWEET ESCAPE YACHT CHARTERS

Sweet Escape Yacht Charters o ers luxury, a ordable boating holiday experiences, cruising the spectacular world heritage renowned K’gari (Fraser Island) waters. Embark on a Bareboat (self-drive) yacht hire experience and enjoy cruising at your own leisure and pace, or sit back, relax and let our professional friendly crew take care of everything on one of our Skippered Yacht Charter experiences (sunset, half day, full day and multiple day options). Infinite opportunities for adventure and discovery await, limited only by your imagination. The K’gari west coast o ers a magnitude of safe waterways and quiet, picturesque anchorages which can be yours alone to enjoy.

• No licence required – comprehensive briefing included

• Easy to navigate, calm and sheltered waters

• Charter options to suit all experience levels

• Vessels sleep up to 12 people

Great Sandy Straits Marina, Urangan 0431 323 089

admin@sweetescapecharters.com.au www.sweetescapecharters.com.au

The region is remarkable for its breadth of wilderness and marine adventures and for its natural beauty and ecological significance on a world scale. The Fraser Coast is centrally located within the Great Sandy Biosphere, stretching from Bundaberg to Gympie. The biosphere was awarded Reserve status by UNESCO in 2009, with K’gari inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1992. The island is also included in the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy, protecting significant world forests.

Lady Elliot on the Southern Great Barrier Reef (a 40-minute flight from Hervey Bay) is a highly protected Green Zone and a sanctuary for more than 1200 species of marine life.

For those who don’t own a boat, there are plenty of options for bare boat hire including skippered charters, with nine sailing catamarans to choose from, between 10m and 15m – all shallowdraft providing maximum access to the Strait.

The area is suitable for all sailing abilities with an all-sandy bottom apart from a small area of reef around Big Woody Island. The bare boats cater from two to 12 people and packages include guided and non-guided fishing and in one case, a fly-drive-sail option leaving the Sunshine Coast landing on K’gari.

As well as sailing, there is also cruising options on motor launches to 20m, skippered and fully crewed, offering fishing and scenic cruises from Hervey Bay to K’gari. One company offers its full boat for a couple and groups up to 12. This cruise takes in the best of a one-day excursion on the island or provides a full Great Barrier Reef experience, visiting the snorkelling havens of Lady Elliot and Lady Musgrave islands over multiple days. Accommodation includes single and twin cabins with every need catered for.

There is a lot to cover on K’gari’s unspoilt west coast which rivals Whitehaven in the Whitsundays but is a lot closer to the southeast corner housing 70% of the State’s population.

ISLAND ESCAPES PRIVATE CHARTERS BY TASMAN VENTURE

All-inclusive private cruises to world-famous islands like Lady Elliot & K’gari O ering unforgettable group holidays on the stunning Fraser Coast and Southern Great Barrier Reef. Tasman Venture’s Island Escape o ers customisable, all-inclusive group holiday experiences on your own fully crewed private catamaran.

Cruise the west coast of K’gari (formerly Fraser Island) and discover the underwater wonders of the Great Barrier Reef in the comfort and safety of your own private charter. Our experienced crew will create a flexible itinerary tailored to the needs of your group. This allows you to choose the destinations, activities, and the length of your trip.

1800 620 322

info@tasmanventure.com.au

www.tasmanventure.com.au/island-escapes

Guided & Self-Guided Tours

Renowned for its sheltered waterways and safe cruising grounds, the Fraser Coast is protected by World Heritage-listed K’gari (Fraser Island), offering safe and protected anchorages.

Charters

Private and bareboat charters are offered by the Fraser Coast sailing fleet, while private charters including sunset sailing are also provided by a number of Whale Watching operators outside of whale watching season.

More info: visitfrasercoast.com/marine-mecca

Boaties travelling to the region via the Great Sandy Strait cover the same passage used by sailing ships plying their trade between Moreton Bay and Maryborough when the country to the north was opened up in the 1850s, before Queensland became a separate state to New South Wales. Today the area is part of the Great Sandy Biosphere, covering 874,000 hectares of land and 540,000 hectares of marine park.

WHALESONG CRUISES | K’gari 1/2 Day Beach + BBQ cruise

Half a day on the remote West Coast of K’gari (Fraser Island), to kayak, snorkel, swim, take inflatable tube rides or simply relax. You choose what to do (or not to do). The day is on your terms.

On a secluded beach where few have visited, this experience is perfect for those who want to get on the island but not spend a full day there.

Maximum 45 passengers.

Whilst searching for wildlife (dolphins, turtles and dugongs), enjoy an informative and entertaining real time commentary. With our reputation for a great time and exceptional service, it’s fun for the entire family!

With a delicious morning tea, Aussie BBQ lunch, drinking water and all the equipment included, all you need to do is turn up and enjoy the day.

Shop 2, Great Sandy Straits Marina 17 Buccaneer Drive, Urangan | +61 7 4125 6222

info@whalesong.com.au

www.whalesong.com.au

The biosphere was designated by UNESCO in 2009 as a reserve of cultural and ecological significance and is in the same class as the Galapagos Islands, the Central Amazon and Uluru. The waters of the biosphere, sheltered by K’gari, provide unique sailing conditions and stunning scenery.

The remote western side of the island is difficult to reach by 4WD vehicle and boaties mostly have it to themselves, where they can fish and dive or stop off at the small islands and sandbanks that dot the Strait – a favourite is the last of the quaint heritage-listed Woody Island lighthouses which guided mariners to the mouth of the Mary River more than 170 years ago.

The Strait is a diverse mix of marine and coastal wetlands, crystalclear turquoise water, long stretches of white sandy beaches, native woodlands and dense rainforest. Dugongs, turtles, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins and fish populate the Hardie and Simpson artificial reefs in the northern section near Hervey Bay.

The Fraser Coast is a beacon for nature lovers on a world scale, with marine experiences and products that appeal to a broad range of travellers motivated by encounters with nature, marine life, adventure, getting off the grid and spending time outdoors. It is a place of transformational experiences that leave memories for life.

NOTE: when swimming off the western beaches of K’gari-Fraser Island during high summer, particularly around creeks, visitors are advised to take precautions against marine stingers which are sometimes found in these waters.

Life is better at the beach

Hervey Bay is blessed with beautiful beaches and usually calm waters.

The beaches are flanked by a 16km walking and bike path which traverses almost the full length of the foreshore from Urangan to Point Vernon, attracting scores of walkers, runners, cyclists, skateboarders and scooter riders.

Urangan Beach is defined by its 868m pier, which celebrated its centenary in 2017. Originally built for the export of sugar, timber and coal, the pier is popular with anglers and also walkers who can spy schools of fish, rays and dolphins in the water below, or watch the windsurfers and kitesurfers on a breezy day. There are major boat launching facilities at the boat harbour.

Shelly Beach is a favourite of swimmers for its regular depth and also as a great place for a stroll to admire the shells washed up on the shore. A variety of accommodation is nearby along with cafés, restaurants, shops and bicycles for hire.

Torquay Beach is the only patrolled swimming area in Hervey Bay with life savers on duty between September and April. The timber Jetty built into the bay is also popular for a short stroll or fishing. The beach has a boat ramp mostly used by the sailing club, a beachfront caravan park, shops, cafés, restaurants, water sports equipment for hire and a hotel.

THE BAY APARTMENTS

Located directly opposite Hervey Bay’s premier swimming beach and only minutes’ walk to the restaurant and café hub of Scarness, The Bay Apartments o

Whether you stay overnight or for a few weeks ... the welcoming sta at The Bay Apartments are waiting to help you settle in and enjoy some of the most superb, spacious apartments and resort facilities that Hervey Bay has to o er.

371 The Esplanade, Hervey Bay 07 4194 1118

info@thebayapartments.com.au

Scarness Beach also has a jetty which attracts keen anglers. It has a timber boat ramp mostly used by outrigger crews to launch their craft, along with a beachfront caravan park, shops, cafés, restaurants and a hotel.

Pialba Beach is a quieter spot that entices anglers to throw in a line and includes dog walking areas. The foreshore has a beachfront caravan park, and WetSide Water Park, an adventure playground is nearby and there is a café, restaurant and hotel.

Point Vernon Beach has tidal rock pools to explore, abundant bird life to watch, off-leash dog walking areas and the opportunity to go snorkelling in Gatakers Bay where it’s possible to see healthy reef, rock ledges and a variety of sea creatures including turtles and reef fish. There are boat ramps at Gatakers Bay and at The Gables.

REEFWORLD AQUARIUM HERVEY BAY

Showcasing the natural beauty of the Hervey Bay waters and the largest living coral display in Australia, Reefworld is one of the longest running tourist attractions on the Fraser Coast and encourages everyone to get up close and personal with nature.

Open 7 days a week from 9:30am to 4pm.

On the Beach, Dayman Park, Cnr Kent & Pulgul St, Urangan 07 4128 9828 | reefworldherveybay@gmail.com

AKAMA RESORT

• Spacious, fully equipped self-catering apartments

• BBQ area and heated pool and spa

• Close to the marina and restaurants

• Tour Desk Specialist

625 Charlton Esplanade, Urangan

07 4197 0777

| book@akamaresort.com.au

www.akamaresort.com.au

www.fraserisland-tours.com.au

Ex-HMAS Tobruk lying on its starboard side at 12m to 14m depth about 25 nautical miles north-east of Urangan Harbour has quickly developed as one of the Fraser Coast’s iconic tourism drawcards.

The 127m former heavy-lift Naval ship scuttled in June 2018 and available for diving eight months later is brimming with sea life and ocean growth. Hundreds of divers have descended to the wreck, many from overseas, following an international marketing campaign led by Tourism & Events Queensland.

It takes about 75 minutes to reach the Tobruk from Hervey Bay and divers descend to the wreck during the slack tide in two 45-minute sessions one hour apart. Hervey Bay’s premier dive operator is the only company offering commercially guided tours of the wreck, with dive gear available for hire. The Tobruk provides a great technical dive for all levels of Experience. Because of its former life transporting army tanks and light armoured vehicles, its passageways and internal areas are wider than other battle class military wrecks.

Diving

Visitors to the Tobruk can expect to see two-metre-long barracudas, turtles, sharks, manta rays, gropers, cod and Spanish mackerel. An octopus known by locals as “Larry” has also taken up residence.

The ship is situated midway between Burrum Heads and Fraser Island’s Rooney Point and qualified divers using their own vessel can access the private moorings of the wreck in two-hour intervals, with bookings made online at the Fraser Coast and Bundaberg tourist organisation websites.

Visibility underwater, which is generally 15m and 25m on an excellent day, is another hallmark of the ship.

For more details:

visitfrasercoast.com/ diving-reefs

Skippered chartered fleet continues to expand

Growth in skipped chartered sailing and dive tours on the Fraser Coast has accelerated in the past three years, with a multi-choice bareboat fleet and private sailing yachts now joined by an 18m expedition vessel based in Hervey Bay, offering bespoke tours within the Great Sandy Marine Park.

Crewed by an experienced skipper with lots of sea miles, a chef and a drive/marine guide, the vessel is has all the bases covered for a perfect family getaway or a pleasure weekend for group of friends exploring the marine park and the western shores of K’gari (formerly Fraser Island).

As an older steel construction vessel with a touch of nostalgia and charm, accommodation is provided for a maximum

Expedition boat

of eight guests in two cabins. During the trip, those on board will get the chance of waking up in sheltered anchorages in the lee of K’gari or at other comfortable holding places dotted throughout the Great Sandy Strait.

In the winter months, close encounters with humpback whales playing and resting in K’gari’s Platypus Bay will be an added bonus, as the gigantic mammals migrate up the Queensland Coast. Each tour will provide multiple marine experiences for guests including underwater scooters, tubing, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, fishing and snorkelling.

Those wanting a scuba experience will also be well catered for through dives on one of several artificial reefs and dive sites in the Strait, in the company of experienced PADIqualified instructor crew members.

New 18m expedition vessel based in Hervey Bay offering bespoke skippered tours within the Great Sandy Marine Park

Perfect for a family getaway or a group of friends, you can expect to be entertained with your very own experienced skipper, chef and dive/marine guide who will pamper and cater your every need. Explore the amazing Great Sandy Marine Park and the western shores of K’Gari (formally Fraser Island) on our very cool 18m expedition vessel Advance II. She is an old vessel with a touch of nostalgia and charm with an awesome survey and high level of safety. The vessel accommodates a maximum of 8 customers in 2 cabins, she is comfortable, safe and fun.

This tour includes multiple marine experiences including underwater scooters, tubing, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, fishing and snorkelling. If guests want a scuba experience, that is also catered for by visiting one of several artificial reefs and dive sites in the Strait in the company of experienced PADI instructor crew members. Each Sandy Strait charter is designed to suit guest needs, with short twohour cruises broken up by water or land-based activities.

NOTE: Each charter can be designed and organised to suit our guests needs.

Artificial reefs

The three artificial reefs in the Great Sandy Strait east of Hervey Bay are increasing in popularity with both divers and anglers, and with the ex-HMAS Tobruk, are adding to the Fraser Coast’s credentials as one of Queensland’s most accessible recreational dive destinations.

All the man-made reefs are within a short 10 to 30-minute boat ride from the marina at Urangan, with the most popular, the Roy Rufus Artificial Reef located off the eastern side of Woody Island. Here the wrecks of five ships create amazing experiences to depths of 18m.

The reef is named in honour of local diver Roy Rufus, who was instrumental in its construction and lost his life some years later diving the structure. The Roy Rufus was originally a project of the Maryborough Skin Divers Club which engaged three biologists from the University of Queensland to locate the ideal spot.

A total of 63 drops were made between 1968 and 1987 using barges, boats, car bodies, washing machines and large concrete drainage pipes. The scuttling of small ships added substantially to the reef infrastructure, with the wrecks of the Pelican (built 1880), Otter (tug, built 1884) and Lass

SHELLY BAY RESORT

| Best beach, Best views, Best value

A ordable ★★★★ self-contained 1 and 2 bedroom apartments overlooking the safe and calm swimming beach.

• Open plan lounge, dining and kitchen + laundry • Pool, half court tennis and BBQ • Lift to all floors • Tour bookings / Packages / Wi-Fi • Kayak, bicycle and SUP hire • Onsite restaurant, nearby cafes and shops

• Secure undercover parking 465-467 Esplanade, Hervey Bay | 07 4125 4533

info@shellybayresort.com.au

www.shellybayresort.com.au

ALLEGRA APARTMENTS HERVEY BAY

Luxury self-contained apartments ideally positioned at magnificent Shelly Beach, overlooking the ocean to nearby Fraser Island. Restaurants nearby, short walk to shops, 22m heated pool, gym, sauna and undercover carpark. Beachfront position.

468 Esplanade, Hervey Bay | 07 4194 7200 holiday@allegra-herveybay.com.au www.allegra-herveybay.com.au

WOOLSHED ECO LODGE

Sustainable boutique accommodation, 5 minutes’ walk to the beach, restaurants & cafés. O ering Woolshed themed private rooms, motel style rooms, family rooms & dorms. Book direct Packages & Booking agents for K’Gari Whale Watching & Lady Elliot Island on the Great Barrier Reef. 181 Torquay Road, Scarness | 07 4124 0677

info@woolshedecolodge.com.au www.woolshedecolodge.com.au

O’Gowrie (40m steel barge, built 1885) positioned close together enabling them to be explored on the one dive.

Many rate the wreck of the 43m Fraser Island logging ship, K’gari, built in 1897, as a favourite. This wreck is best viewed at night when green and loggerhead turtles roost. Hawksbills are also common and up to 40 eagle rays have been spotted above the wreck at high tide. Visibility is at its highest when the tides are at the shortest range between high and low water, creating less run. Average visibility is five metres, but occasionally it can be as good as 15m.

The other artificial structures off Hervey Bay, the Simpson and Hardie reefs, were established by the Queensland Government in 2015 and yield good catches for anglers in suitable conditions.

Simpson Reef is on the Outer Banks seven nautical miles from Urangan Harbour and is named after the first lighthouse keeper on Woody Island, John Simpson and consists of 15 structures over 80ha at a depth between 10m and 16m. The Hardie Reef is two nautical miles north-east of Little Woody and has 15 structures in five clusters at a depth of 10m-15m over 160ha.

GREAT OCEAN HELICOPTERS | You’re in safe hands

Great Ocean Helicopters Hervey Bay o er private transfers and personally tailored scenic helicopter flights throughout the Fraser Coast and surrounds, including Hervey Bay, Maryborough, Fraser Island, Pelican Banks, Bundaberg, Gladstone, Agnes Water, South Burnett and Sunshine Coast to name a few.

But to us, Great Ocean Helicopters is so much more than that. We want to share an extraordinary experience, and we will go above and beyond to ensure that for you. Sure, we do o er scenic helicopter flights in Hervey Bay, Fraser Coast and surrounds, but above all, we o er unforgettable adventures.

Seasoned pioneers of the sky, Nathan and Aimee, have over 10 years of flying experience and a lust to share the spectacles of a world from above. Join them on your very own helicopter flight in Hervey Bay today!

Hanger 1, Don Adams Drive, Hervey Bay

0 418 309 788

info@greatoceanhelicopters.com.au

www.greatoceanhelicopters.com.au

Accessible Tourism

The Fraser Coast is building on its credentials as an accessible tourism destination with expert reports praising the high standard of assets, particularly the work undertaken by Fraser Coast Regional Council in providing facilities in public spaces, including a 16km paved foreshore walking and chair trail on the Hervey Bay foreshore.

The Fraser Coast was one of six tourism regions in Queensland assessed last year by the Melbourne-based Get Skilled Access team which engaged TravAbility to undertake an on-site product and public spaces audit. Travability was set up in 2007, dedicated to developing inclusive tourism through advocacy and by providing accessibility information for the world’s travel destinations.

The Fraser Coast report, undertaken by company principal Bill forester, highlighted the accessibility of Hervey Bay’s park facilities, foreshore eating areas and

playgrounds. Foreshore restaurants, accessible accommodation and suitable tour experiences are now featured on visitfrasercoast and government websites.

A follow-up assessment of Maryborough where the city’s high level of accessibility was praised – from parks and gardens, a multitude of dining and eating options, a good selection of tourist attractions and a flat central business district.

Hervey Bay and Maryborough are predominately self-drive destination. The Hervey Bay Regional Airport was upgraded in 2006 and now direct services from Brisbane and Sydney by Qantaslink and Jetstar. Direct Melbourne flights with Jetstar were added in June 2024. Wide Bay Transit

SANCTUARY LAKES FAUNA RETREAT

Winner of Fraser Coast Business & Tourism Awards 2019 & 2022 –General Accommodation

A unique holiday destination like no other in Hervey Bay. Our 36 private individual, lakefront villas are surrounded by 10 acres of lush tropical nature reserve, teeming with wildlife. Meet our resident ducks, turtles and possums and talk to us about feeding times. With its picturesque landscape, this is the perfect place for you if you are looking for peace and serenity.

Situated right in the town and within walking distance of great restaurants, the beach and points of interest for visitors to Hervey Bay. No tra ic noise, quiet and relaxing – you feel like you are a million miles away. Each villa is self-contained with a balcony overlooking our beautiful lake, providing the perfect setting for your family holiday or quiet getaway. Linen is provided and the kitchenettes are stocked with everything you need. Reverse cycle air conditioning makes for a very comfortable and a ordable stay in Hervey Bay.

1 Shell St, Urangan 07 4125 4445

stay@sanctuarylakesherveybay.com.au www.sanctuarylakesherveybay.com.au

provides airport transfers and the local bus service. Most, but not all, services are operated by low floor buses allowing for wheelchairs, prams and pushers. Route 705 connects the airport to Maryborough.

Queensland.com has an accessibility guide to Hervey Bay with information on accommodation, dining, activities, whale watching and places of interest. The Fraser Coast Regional Council site has information on its Inclusive Communities page covering the all-abilities playgrounds and Maryborough’s Queens Park.

For full details on Fraser Coast accessible accommodation, attractions and tours, including suggested itineraries visitfrasercoast.com

OAKS HERVEY BAY RESORT AND SPA

Oaks Hervey Bay Resort and Spa is located on Hervey Bay’s picturesque Esplanade. Just a pebble’s throw away to renowned family friendly beaches and an easy stroll to local boutiques, restaurants and bars. The resort o ers every guest an unforgettable stay for all the right reasons.

Whether you’re seeking a romantic getaway, family adventure or private retreat, Oaks

569\571 Charlton Esplanade, Urangan

1300 161 624 | herveybay@theoaksgroup.com.au www.oakshotels.com

Beach wheelchairs… available for hire at the Hervey Bay Visitor Information Centre.

Fraser Coast

RVs, Caravans & Tents

Enjoy beautiful climate all year round

The Fraser Coast, situated just three hours’ drive north of Brisbane, is a mecca for caravanners and campers year-round with 23 commercial tourist parks to choose from. Hervey Bay is one of very few places in Australia with van parks facing the beach with no roads to cross.

The region is defined by its mild temperatures, between 22 and 9 degrees in winter and 30 and 20 in summer, kilometres of unspoilt, safe beaches sheltered in the lee of K’gari (Fraser Island) and a hinterland rich in industrial and military history.

Hervey Bay

The centrepiece of the region is Hervey Bay, stretching across 38km of townships, hamlets and beachside coastal suburbs between Burrum Heads and Urangan. It remains one of the few places on Australia’s east coast where you can park a van right on the shoreline without roads and traffic to spoil the vista.

If salt air is not your preference, Hervey Bay also boasts shady, lakeside or secluded river parks to either pitch a tent or park your RV or caravan. There is a quality RSL, sports clubs, golf courses, fine restaurants,

TASMAN HOLIDAY PARKS - TORQUAY PALMS

Bask in the coastal charm of Torquay Palms at Tasman Holiday Parks. Steps from the beach, our park o ers a peaceful retreat with comfortable accommodation options, ensuring a restful stay amidst Torquay’s vibrant beach and nightlife.

67 Truro St, Torquay | 07 4125 1704

torquaypalms@tasmanholidayparks.com

tasmanholidayparks.com/au/torquay-palms

HISTORICAL VILLAGE & MUSEUM

This multi award winning venue is a treasure trove of history. Join our volunteers on Sundays, make your own souvenir rope or help shell the corn using 100-year-old machinery. Open all QLD school holidays.

13 Zephyr St, Scarness | 07 4128 4804

webmaster@herveybaymuseum.com.au www.herveybaymuseum.com.au

Camping

beachside cafés and 16km of paved beachside walking and cycle tracks. Fishing is a go-to recreation in sheltered waters with piers, rivers, lakes, beaches, and guided off-shore excursions are also catered for. K’gari (Fraser Island)

Now known by its Indigenous name, K’gari is sought out as a wilderness adventure paradise, a short barge transit from River Heads.

Suitable only for 4WD vehicles, the island has no less than 28 camping areas to choose from. There are 16 campgrounds and nine camping zones managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and separate private campgrounds at Cathedrals on Fraser and Dilli Village, which are both fenced.

All visitors to the island are advised to be dingo (wongari) safe, with heavy fines applying for those who interact with or feed the wild dogs, Fenced QPWS campgrounds are at Central Station, Dundubara, Waddy Point, Cornwells, One Tree and Wongai. There are different levels of facilities at some fenced campgrounds, so it is best to check before arriving at the island. Coastal camping (restricted to behind the dunes) is also available in some QPWS zones.

The tracks of K’gari vary by the season, from easy to extreme, and if you intend on pulling a van across the island you may have to negotiate long stretches of deep, loose sand where vehicles can easily become bogged. Make sure to carry a snatch strap and recovery gear. Once there, you will find all of the island’s camping spots have capacity limits. In peak periods it’s wise to book your space at least six weeks in advance.

Vehicle access and camping permits must be purchased online from Queensland National Parks before travelling to the island. Bookings made online at qpws.usedirect. com/qpws or in person at the Hervey Bay or Maryborough Visitor Information Centres.

TASMAN HOLIDAY PARKS - FRASER COAST

Escape to Fraser Coast’s Tasman Holiday Park, a tranquil haven near Hervey Bay’s beach. Relish our familyfriendly cabins, pet-friendly sites and a saltwater pool, all while being a heartbeat away from local adventures and island getaways .

91 Exeter St, Torquay | 07 4125 1840

frasercoast@tasmanholidayparks.com tasmanholidayparks.com/au/fraser-coast

TASMAN HOLIDAY PARKS - HERVEY BAY

Tasman Holiday Parks – Hervey Bay, your launchpad for family fun. Minutes from the beach, our park o ers a variety of cabins, pet-friendly sites and a delightful pool. It’s the perfect blend of relaxation and recreation, with easy access to Fraser Island’s charm.

295 Boat Harbour Dr, Scarness | 07 4128 2762

herveybay@tasmanholidayparks.com tasmanholidayparks.com/au/hervey-bay

Access and permits

Many campsites are managed by Queensland Parks and Wildlife or Fraser Coast Regional Council. Preparation is essential and we recommend taking your time to research the requirements so you have an amazing and safe holiday.

Maryborough

More and more caravanners are discovering the richness of the Fraser Coast’s oldest city of Maryborough and its colourful colonial past, when in the second half of the 19th Century its Mary River port was one of the busiest immigration docks in the nation and the town, Queensland’s major industrial centre building naval ships, sugar mill heavy castings and railway locomotives and rolling stock.

A mural trail now adorns many of the buildings in Maryborough’s CBD, telling the stories through art of the city’s great and quirky past. The city also boasts a military and colonial museum with more than 10,000 artefacts which keeps visitors busy for hours.

Hinterland towns

South of Maryborough, the hinterland towns of Tiaro on the Mary River, and Bauple, which is the home of the macadamia, cater for caravanners with authentic bush pubs and museums.

For a trip off the Bruce Highway, beyond Maryborough, the towns of Maaroom, Boonooroo, Tuan, Poona and Tinnanbar, accessed from the Maryborough-Cooloola forestry road, offer a different pace and easy access to the sand flats and tinny paradise of the southern Great Sandy Strait.

And to top it all off, the Fraser Coast has one of the best freshwater fisheries in Queensland with thousands of Australian bass, barramundi and golden and silver perch fingerlings released into Lake Lenthall in 2017-18. The dam bearing its name stretches for 9km on the headwaters of the Burrum River and there are camping and recreational areas with basic amenities. Pre-bookings are essential.

RV friendly

For RV travellers, Maryborough is an RV Friendly City with provision for low-cost overnight parking for self-contained vehicles and access to water and free dump points.

Short-term free parking and low-cost sites are available at Maryborough’s Alan and June Brown Car Park near the CBD, the Doon Villa Self-Contained RV Park, the Maryborough showgrounds off the Bruce Highway, Tiaro’s Memorial and Petrie parks and behind the Hervey Bay Visitor Information Centre at Urraween.

Excellent commercial and council caravan parks are dotted around the region, ranging from sites beside rivers and parklands to a number of prime beachfront positions on the Hervey Bay foreshore.

HISTORICAL VILLAGE & MUSEUM

This multi award winning venue is a treasure trove of history. Make your own souvenir rope or help shell the corn using 100-year-old machinery.

Saturday 1pm to 4.30pm; Sunday 10.30am to 4.30pm; Demonstrations 1pm to 3pm; Starting Nov 2021

Friday 1pm to 4.30pm; Open all QLD School Holidays.

webmaster@herveybaymuseum.com.au www.herveybaymuseum.com.au

Glamping and unique places to stay

Camping out under canvas has a certain romance for many couples and young families and assembling your kit, getting to your camping spot and setting up is part of the fun. That’s until the end of a weekend when the time comes to pack up. The kids are tired, stuff won’t go back into place as easily as it came out and there is usually more to do when you get home.

Camping in glamping-style is fixing all that. Here, someone else does all the preparation, the glamping tents come with more than a touch of luxury and they are hired on a walk-in, walk-out basis. With the increased popularity of “executive camping”

it’s no accident that businesses in Hervey Bay and on K’gari-Fraser Island have started cashing in on the trend, with new safari glamping tents now available for hire both in the centre of Hervey Bay and on the island’s eastern beach.

For a sense of escape with a strong connection to nature, these tents provide accommodation options with a difference and an ideal base to explore the region’s highlights.

Hervey Bay’s glamping tents in Torquay are designed with families in mind. Each tent comes with the comfort of a queen bed, bunks, a good-size living room, kitchenette, ensuite and a deck with barbecue facilities, all overlooking your own private piece of

FRASER COAST

BEACHFRONT TOURIST PARKS

Four absolute beachfront locations

Nestled on the pristine coastline of Queensland, the Fraser Coast is a captivating destination that promises unforgettable experiences for all travellers.

Our caravan parks are the gateway to this idyllic paradise, offering the perfect blend of modern comforts and easy access to the region’s natural wonders.

onsite lake. The beach is a 200-metre stroll away, adjacent to Torquay’s café precinct.

Why camp out in a tent – even a luxury one – when there is plenty of good quality motel accommodation the length of the Hervey Bay esplanade? The answer lies in the freedom camping brings outside of the traditional “four walls”.

When your glamping tent is located within the gated security of a holiday park, with access to park facilities like swimming pools, bicycle rental, playground equipment and a kid’s club complete with jumping pillow, the opportunity presented is at a whole new level.

K’gari’s glamping safari tents offer a similar level of comfort on Fraser’s 75 Mile Beach – but here campers fall asleep to the sound of the ocean with real surf. Centrally located on the island not far from Eurong township, these eco-friendly options are equipped with ensuites, power sockets and comfortable beds and furniture. There is a range of options depending on your budget, from king size, queen tents and bunk tents, as well as the budget six bunk bed variety. A communal kitchen enables guests to self-cater and there is even a wood fire to make pizzas!

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Maryborough

See art, history and military memorabilia in Queensland’s significant Heritage City

Stories of loss, triumph and unbreakable spirit from its captivating colonial past right up to modern times are evident throughout Maryborough, from its heritage buildings, striking public art, statues, memorials and museums.

Maryborough was Queensland’s industrial powerhouse in the final decade of the 19th century, producing naval ships, heavy castings for sugar mills and railway locomotives and rolling stock. It was also the centre of significant agriculture, including timber milling and sugar cane growing.

Bronze statues of military man Duncan Chapman and children’s favourite Mary Poppins illustrate the contrasts of Maryborough’s turbulent and enchanting history.

The Gallipoli to Armistice Memorial opened in Queens Park in 2018 features at its entrance the sculpture of Lieutenant Chapman – the first Australian soldier ashore at Gallipoli. The memorial is just one symbol of the tough military and industrial legacy of the city, built with fierce passion that often strayed into brutal, bizarre, risqué and haunting realms.

The Mary Poppins statue, standing beside the 142-year-old heritage-listed Australian Joint Stock Bank building where author and creator, Pamela Lyndon Travers, was born (named Helen Lyndon Goff) in an upstairs bedroom in 1899 is on nearby Richmond Street, also known as Cherry Tree Lane.

The bank has transformed by a major renovation into the Story Bank of Maryborough and is now the keeper of the tales, yarns, myths and legends that make up the rich fabric of one of Queensland’s oldest cities, founded in 1847.

Beyond its doors, visitors can discover where Mary Poppins magic began on the self-guided Magical Mary Trail starting from Richmond Street, or take a private tour and have morning tea with your own Mary Poppins-inspired character.

Historic Portside Precinct

Everywhere in Maryborough there are signs of the city’s colonial past. In Wharf Street in the city’s Portside Precinct is the Heritage Listed Bond Store, with the core of the building dating back to 1864 and still retaining the original flooring, hand-made bricks and barrel rails. Recently reopened after flood repairs, the Bond Store now sells locally produced wines and liqueurs in keeping with its 19th Century past when it was the receiving point for alcohol imports (and opium in the day) – impounded after arriving at the Port of Maryborough until the government duty was paid.

The nearby Customs House further along Wharf Street is where more than 21,000 European immigrants trudged from berthed sailing ships, when Maryborough was one of Australia’s major ports of entry between 1862 and 1890, taking their first steps on the new land they would call home.

Their lives are chronicled at the nearby Maryborough Family Heritage Centre,

where, with help you can make your own family history searches.

Walk further past atmosphere-soaked shops and hotels and past the City Hall in Kent Street and in its grounds you will find a fountain dedicated to heroic Maryborough nurses who sacrificed their lives in 1905 to care for children dying from the pneumonic plague. As well as the nurses, five of the seven children in the family of a wharf worker died in the only outbreak of the plague recorded in Australia. The family lived rough, sometimes scavenging for food and the children slept on hessian bags that came from ships that passed through the docks. It is thought rats carried the plague that caused the deaths.

From there, it’s another short walk to St Paul’s Anglican Church boasting a bell tower holding nine rare bells which ring out for the love of early pioneer Maria Aldridge, one of the first white women to arrive at the original Maryborough settlement. But that’s another story.

Guided city walks

A guided walking tour, where a storyteller will bring more of the city’s history to life using the backdrop of the many outstanding colonial buildings in the CBD, is a “must do” introduction to Maryborough’s past that will make your visit much richer for the experience. The guided tours leave from Maryborough’s City Hall at 9am three days each week (Tuesday-Thursday) with plans to extend when additional volunteer guides are appointed.

Maryborough

Gallipoli to Armistice Memorial

For those with an interest in military history, guided tours of the world-class Gallipoli to Armistice Memorial in Queens Park can be booked at the Maryborough Military and Colonial Museum. Here you will journey with the first Anzacs from the Gallipoli landing to the battlefields of the Great War, where in the defence of the Motherland the fledging five million population of Australia contributed the cream of its youth – 60,000 dead in WWI battles and as many more from shell shock, gassing and disease in the two years that followed the Armistice.

Military and Colonial Museum

From the Queens Park memorial, it is a short walk to the Military and Colonial Museum, housing more than 10,000 artefacts including letters from the front that are permanent, poignant reminders of the great, personal sacrifice our service men and women have made in all wars. This museum is a national treasure, valued at more than $17m and holding more officer medals for bravery from the Gallipoli campaign than any other museum in the world.

FRASER COAST WILDLIFE SANCTUARY INC

A unique Australian native wildlife experience.

• Hand feed kangaroos, wallabies and emus

• See our dingoes and handle snakes

• Interact with cockatoos and admire our colourful birds

31 Mungar Road, Maryborough West | 07 4122 2080

info@frasercoastwildlifesanctuary.org.au

www.frasercoastwildlifesanctuary.org.au

Maryborough Mural Trail

Another great walk in this city of bountiful heritage riches is the expanding trail of murals telling the quirky and significant stories from Maryborough’s past. Artworks on the walls of buildings in the city’s Central Business District, now numbering 40 large-scale murals and installations, have made the trail a significant tourist drawcard. Pick up a map to guide your journey at the Maryborough Visitor Information Centre in Kent Street or go to visitfrasercoast. com/maryborough-mural-trail

The Mary Ann

A not-to-be-missed tour recreating the romance of the steam era is a ride on the Mary Ann, a working replica of the first steam locomotive built in Queensland at Maryborough’s Walkers Ltd Foundry in 1873. The 8 horsepower Mary Ann was built with an upright boiler and a very short bogie frame to haul logs on narrow, wooden tracks serving the early timber industry. Today, the boiler is fired up every Thursday and on the last Sunday of the month, on a track that takes visitors beside the Mary River and through the city’s main park.

Markets

And for the treasure hunters and fresh produce purchasers, a trip to Maryborough’s weekly CBD markets, held each Thursday for more than 30 years, is an excursion well worth the effort of the 8am start to score a bargain.

McNEVIN’S MARYBOROUGH

McNevin’s Maryborough provide a quality accommodation and dining experience to suit all travellers. The motel features spacious spa suites and deluxe rooms, the fully licensed Sail’s Restaurant and the poolside Glasshouse Breakfast Cafe. 188 John St, Maryborough | 07 4122 2888

maryborough@mcnevins.com.au www.mcnevins.com.au

Maryborough

Steeped in military history

More visitors and students are coming to the Fraser Coast each year to study military history as Maryborough builds on its reputation as the most important place to connect with the nation’s military past outside of Canberra, housing the Australian War Memorial.

The jewels in what is now showcased as the Fraser Coast Military Trail are the spectacular Gallipoli to Armistice Memorial in Maryborough’s Queens Park and the 10,000-artefact collection of medals and the personal stories of war held by the Maryborough Military and Colonial Museum in the city’s Portside Precinct.

These two attractions head a list of significant reminders of the nation’s war sacrifice spread throughout the region, not the least Australia’s single largest artefact from World War I, the rusting hulk of the Gallipoli hospital ship, TSS Maheno, lying beached on the eastern shore of K’gari (Fraser Island). Also of significance are the remnants of the World War II Z Special Unit training camp, also on K’gari, a rare memorial bridge at Brooweena in recognition of the district’s war casualties and the dramatic, life-size statue in Hervey Bay of an Australian Light Horseman from the Battle of Beersheba.

The Gallipoli to Armistice memorial is at the heart of the trail, where a bronze statue of Maryborough son, Lieutenant Duncan Chapman – the first Anzac ashore at Gallipoli – stands before the stylised cliffs above Anzac Cove in the form of towering, rusted, steel columns reaching 8m into the sky. The sounds of marching boots and the softly told personal stories of soldiers lead a visitor from the Gallipoli landing to the deadly battlefields of the Great War, where Australia suffered 60,000 dead in the

fighting and as many more after the war as returning soldiers succumbed to shell shock, war wounds and disease.

Military Museum

The $17m Maryborough Military and Colonial Museum, packed with artefacts from the Boer war to the Afghanistan conflict, including an original Victoria Cross medal group from Gallipoli, is a “must do” on the Fraser Coast Military Trail. From the poignant letters home, some from men dying in the field writing their last, scratchy farewells to loved ones, to the medals for bravery and service, the museum focus is on the personal stories and contributions of the men and women who fought, rather than the campaigns and the machinery of battle.

Now considered a national treasure of Australian military history, the Maryborough museum is open seven days a week, staffed by more than 100 volunteers.

Not to be missed regional highlights of the Military Trail include:

n The Pialba War Memorial in Hervey Bay’s Freedom Park where there is a magnificent, life-size bronze statue of a horse and rider from the 5th Light Horse Regiment in full charge during the October 1917 Battle of Beersheba. The memorial pays tribute to the soldiers and the 160,000 horses that went to war and never returned from the desert campaign.

n The World War II training ground of Z Special Unit about 1.5km south of Kingfisher Bay Resort on K’gari, where the forerunner to Australia’s Special Air Service regiments trained for the daring 1500 nautical mile raid in the 21m wooden-hulled MV Krait to destroy Japanese ships in Singapore Harbour in 1943.

n K’gari’s eastern beach just north of Happy Valley where lies the wreck of the hospital ship TSS.

n Maheno, later a merchant ship, which stood off Anzac Cove treating the wounded after the landing and later battles on the Gallipoli Peninsula during World I.

Maryborough Mural Trail

Maryborough’s creative heart and colourful history is now exposed on the walls of central city buildings in a mural trail of more than 40 art pieces and installations.

The Maryborough Mural Project, launched in 2015 with the first mural of Sister Mary MacKillop of the Sisters of St Joseph, has grown to become a serious tourist attraction in the heritage city with trail brochures eagerly sought from the city’s Visitor Information Centre in Kent Street.

The murals are a “living canvas” telling the stories of Maryborough’s great and the quirky past from the time when it was Queensland’s major industrial city at the turn of the century, building naval ships and railway rolling stock, and later making a major contribution to both world wars.

The murals became a “passion project” of the project founders, Maryborough’s Deb Hannam and Elizabeth Lowrie, who were inspired by the art tourism created by cities around the world which have established mural trails that attract hundreds of thousands each year.

The city is aiming to emulate Canada’s Vancouver Island town of Chemainus which has more than 40 murals and claims to be attracting 400,000 visitors a year to its trail.

The Maryborough trail is a flat walk over 10 city blocks covering a distance of about two kilometres. The city’s connection as the birthplace of Mary Poppins creator, Pamela Lyndon Travers (born Helen Lyndon Goff in 1899), features heavily with three separate Murals. The heroic nurses who gave their lives combating Australia’s only outbreak of the pneumonic plague, occurring in Maryborough in 1905, are also remembered.

Mural trail maps, available from the Maryborough Visitor Information Centre in Kent Street, make suggestions on how the trail can be walked in separate sections if distance and mobility are a concern for some visitors.

For a full list of the murals, visit visitfrasercoast.com/maryboroughmural-trail

Indigenous memorial 235 years in the making

Like many of its type around Australia, the Maryborough Cenotaph erected in November 1922 by public subscription as a memorial to the fallen of the First World War, pays homage to Indigenous men and women who gave their lives in international conflict.

But it has taken 235 years to recognise Aboriginal men who died defending their country at home, during conflicts that arose from European “settlement” which began in 1788. This was put right in Maryborough’s Queens Park on 22 April 2023, when what is believed to be the first memorial to Aboriginal men who died defending their country was unveiled.

Conceived by Butchulla Elder, Uncle Glen Miller, a descendant of the Wondunna mob on K’gari, the memorial has three warrior shields with bullet holes as its centrepiece. Adjacent story boards help paint a picture of the first unequal confrontations between Aboriginal men carrying spears and European settlers packing guns.

Glen carved the shields from local timber which were then used as moulds and cast in bronze by Olds Engineering. Glen’s motivation was not to erect a monument to make later generations feel guilty, but to fill a recognition gap in Australia’s history.

The acknowledgement on monuments in almost every town in Australia of Aboriginal men who joined the armed services and fought defending Australia in overseas conflicts alongside their European comrades, are now matched by a memorial to those who gave their lives defending their homeland –at home.

The

Uncle Glen Miller and the Butchulla memorial in Maryborough’s Queens Park

Maryborough

Heritage Bank becomes deposit place for stories

A heritage-listed bank which was the birthplace of Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers in 1899 and transformed into the Story Bank of Maryborough 120 years later is now one the the city’s most popular attractions, welcoming more than 15,000 visitors and locals through its doors each year.

The multimedia museum brings to life the history of one of Queensland’s oldest cities, with the Story Bank now trading on Maryborough’s unique connection to Travers, who created the world’s most famous nanny.

And in the theme of Mary Poppins, visitors to the museum are being inspired to tell their own stories, leaving a piece of their history in the “story vault” for others to discover.

Since opening in June 2019 the former Australian Joint Stock Bank has been attracting people from all over the world, delighted in the museum’s “one of a kind” experiences with one visitor describing her

“inner child squealing” when she saw the exhibits. Many comment on the museum’s magical qualities.

The “bank” is on two levels with the upper story devoted to the life of Travers, born Helen Lyndon Goff, in an upstairs bedroom on 9 August 1899. Helen left Maryborough when she was about two-and-a-half and lived in rural New South Wales before later attending boarding school in Sydney. She emigrated to England at the age of 25 and changed her name to Pamela Lyndon Travers at the start of her bountiful writing career.

All rooms are decorated in period style and murals, sculptures, written works on Travers and what inspired her novels, as well as interactive displays, a story vault, theatrette, workshop and gift store now complete the centre.

In one room, a yarning circle celebrates Australia’s first storytellers with a focus on children’s stories from The Legends of Moonie Jarl, the first Aboriginal children’s book written and illustrated by Aboriginal

THE STORY BANK

Discover the magic of Mary Poppins in the birthplace of her author P.L. Travers. Explore the magnificently restored, heritage listed building as you interact with displays featuring the life of P.L. Travers and her enchanting stories of the practically perfect nanny.

As you cross the threshold, you will enter a world where fantasy and fact intertwine. Tales and yarns, myths and legends, memories and stories –share in their retelling and their creation. Sprinkled with a generous amount of whimsical playfulness, The Story Bank takes you on a delightful journey through the story telling process. Featuring two levels of interactive displays, pocket park, and retail shop.

Open Tue – Fri 9.30am – 3.30pm; Sat & Sun 9.30am – 2pm.

Admission fee applies.

Cnr Kent & Richmond Sts, Maryborough 07 4123 7221

storybank@frasercoast.qld.gov.au

www.StoryBankMaryborough.com.au

people. Published in 1964, Moonie Jarl was the work of Butchulla brother and sister –Wilf Reeves who wrote the words and Olga Miller who was the illustrator.

The book retells the Butchulla legends and creation stories of K’gari (Fraser Island), handed down by their grandfather, Willie Wondunna (also known as Caboonya Wondunna), a famed blacktracker, storyteller and significant Butchulla Elder.

The Story Bank museum is located on the corner of Kent and Richmond streets, Maryborough and is open weekdays from 9.30am – 3.30pm; weekends and public holidays from 9.30am – 2pm (closed Good Friday, ANZAC Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day).

Queens Park, Maryborough

Maryborough’s Queens Park, gazetted in 1873 after the town’s first Mayor Henry Palmer campaigned to provide residents with free use of land near the Maryborough wharves, remains a beacon for visitors to the region. An abundance of wildlife, flora and fauna and green spaces provide a relaxing vista, with a glorious Banyan Fig tree (Ficus Benghalensus) planted in 1900, one of the largest in Australia.

The oldest tree in the park, a Crows Ash (Flindersia Australis), was growing before European settlement of the area in 1848. Walking paths provide all abilities access to the park and the Gallipoli to Armistice Memorial, and there is room for bikes and scooters.

On the last Sunday of each month the replica Mary Ann steam train powers up, offering rides throughout the park and there are also children’s rides on miniature trains operated by MELSA (Model Engineers and Live Steamers Association) with carriages perfect for the young ones. A morning of festivities each month feature a brass band and food vendors.

Burrum Coast Experience the variety - from coal to coastal havens

Stretching from Toogoom and Torbanlea to Burrum Heads and Howard, the Burrum Coast takes its name from the Burrum River, where coal was discovered in 1863.

The township of Toogoom, a short 17km drive along the coast from Hervey Bay, boasts incredible fishing and boating. It’s also a terrific place for an adventure, like riding the Toogoom Mountain Bike Trails and it has a great restaurant located right on the water. Many visit to just relax on the beach.

A further 18km further along the coast is the fishing village of Burrum Heads, where the Burrum River meets the ocean. Here fishing boats pepper the sea, providing a beautiful backdrop for spectacular sunrises and sunsets. It is also worth keeping an eye out for the turtles and dugongs that make appearances in the area.

Anglers take advantage of the year-round fishing and the real enthusiasts join the annual Burrum Heads Easter Fishing Classic. Many visitors drop in a line from the beach and off the rock walls, or head out in a boat to explore the ocean and river systems. There is also great kayaking and camping spots along the river.

Further inland are the Wongi Waterholes, a beautiful picnic and camping spot fringed by paperbark trees. A further 5km to the north is Lake Lenthall which is a favoured fishing spot, following major restocking programs in 2017-18 when thousands of Australian bass, barramundi and golden and silver perch were released into the dam. Both are about an hour’s drive from Hervey Bay, or 30 to 40 minutes for those heading north-west from Maryborough.

BAMBOO LAND NURSERY & PARKLANDS

Bamboo Land is a well-established bamboo and tropical plant nursery with 20 acres of landscaped botanic garden style display gardens. The gardens are located on the beautiful freshwater Burrum River which gives the gardens an almost oasis-like feel. The production side of Bamboo Land supplies tropical plants Australia wide – both retail and wholesale. The retail business and display gardens are open 7 days a week – admission is free.

87 Old Coach Road, Torbanlea | 07 4129 4470

sales@bambooland.com.au

www.bambooland.com.au

Dig into coal mining history

About 20km south of Burrum Heads are the former coal mining towns of Howard and Torbanlea, with their oldfashioned pubs and historical buildings. Brooklyn House, the one-time childhood home of Queensland’s first female Senator, Dame Annabelle Rankin, remains a Howard landmark and a cottage built in the town in the 1880s by coal miner and later Australian Prime Minister, Andrew Fisher, is also still standing.

The Burrum coalfields were just the second to be exploited in the State and played a major role in the early development of the Fraser Coast region. Coal was mined in the area for more than 130 years between 1866 and 1997 and at its peak, the industry employed more than 400. Some 94 shafts and tunnels were dug. The Howard Power Station, which operated between 1951 and 1980, generated electricity for the entire region using Burrum coal.

The Burrum District Museum at Howard houses an impressive collection of memorabilia and the annual Burrum Coal Discovery Festival (Coalfest) celebrates the area’s early history. On most market days in Howard, held on the first Saturday of the month, visitors can take a ride on wagons pulled by ‘Rusty’ the restored local coal locomotive which runs along a reconstructed track and tunnel system.

Another big feature on the country calendar is the yearly Torbanlea Picnic Races, which incorporate tug of war competitions, wood chopping events and fashions on the field as well as horse racing.

Bike groups

Fraser Coast BUG (Bike Users Group) conducts rides on Saturday mornings, where participants can set their own pace and discover new routes. Beginners to experienced riders of all ages are welcome. Riders are required to bring a roadworthy bike, helmet and water bottle. For more details: fcbug.org.au

Fraser Coast Cycling Club has a rich history with many riders achieving success at national and international level including world championships. The club encourages and promotes safe and competitive cycling in the Fraser Coast area. Phone 0439 704 810 or email frasercoastcycling@gmail.com

Hervey Bay Triathlon Club established in 1989 is the region’s longest running triathlon club and the only club in the region which runs regular local triathlons and duathlons.

facebook.com/HerveyBayTriathlonClub

Hinterland Adventures

Delight in the country hospitality

Discover wonderful bushland, quaint towns, hotels from bygone eras and even the ancestral home of the macadamia nut.

The Fraser Coast hinterland is the place for exploring, with hidden gems well off the typical tourist routes.

The mighty Mary River defines the southern hinterland and provides many brilliant spots for picnics, camping, fishing and canoeing.

The river is the southernmost natural habitat of barramundi and they can be found in the ponded areas above the barrage, built on the Mary in 1982 downstream from Tiaro. The nearest boat ramp to reach the ponds is at Petrie Park in Tiaro.

Take a moment to breathe in the fresh, clean air and listen for the bird calls. The river also hosts Australian bass, bream, grunter, eels, spangled perch, mullet, two types of catfish – fork and eel-tailed – and several rare and endangered creatures.

Spot a bum-breathing turtle

One of the rarest species is the remarkable Mary River turtle which is unique to the river. The males have a distinctively large tail and are able to stay submerged for long periods to avoid predators by sucking water into

their bottom and extracting oxygen through their cloaca (a common chamber and outlet in some vertebrates into which the intestinal, urinary and genital tracts open). Thousands were sold as tiny “penny turtles” in pet shops during the 1960s and 70s. Due to changes in habitat and next predation, it is now one of the most endangered freshwater turtles in Australia.

Another ancient species is the Queensland lungfish, which makes a sound like a small bellows when it surfaces to take a breath. It is only found naturally in the Mary River and nearby Burnett River systems.

Tiaro township’s historic past

A 15-minute drive south of Maryborough along the Bruce Highway is the historic township of Tiaro, the location of the Wide Bay region’s first sheep run (Noomoo Woolloo) in 1843, and an important stop between the Gympie goldfields and the Port of Maryborough in the 1860s. Taking time out to visit the local craft galleries and craft shops provide rewarding experiences.

The town has several shops, cafés and two historic pubs. Visitors can barbecue, picnic or fish along the Mary River.

Visit the Tiaro Interpretive shelter (located beside the Visitor Information Centre on

Mayne Street) and take a photo with Mr T, the bronze Mary River Turtle statue. Here you’ll also learn about the Queensland lungfish, the Mary River Cod and the endangered Mary River turtle.

Petrie Park: This park is the perfect shady oasis to picnic, bird-watch and refresh on the banks of the Mary River. The park is named after Andrew Petrie who led the first exploration of the river in 1842 by whaleboat.

Tiaro War Memorial: Tiaro’s digger statue commemorates wartime and royalty. The statue was unveiled on Anzac Day 1921 to recognise local lives lost in WWI and now also honours WWII and Boer War veterans as well as King George V.

Go nutty Hinterland Adventures

A stop at the nearby township of Bauple provides visitors with a chance to savour the rare experience of eating macadamia nuts near where they were first discovered by the Butchulla an estimated 30,000 years ago. Mt Bauple and its surrounds were a sacred place while the nuts – called bopple nuts – were used for food, trade and gifts by Indigenous people.

Not to be missed!*

Teebar Show and Rodeo

Second weekend in June

Bauple Nut Bash

First weekend in September

Tiaro Father’s Day Show & Shine

First weekend in September

Tiaro Field Day (next held 13 July 2024) Bi-annual in July

Tiaro Carols in the Country

Last weekend in November

*Subject to change, for updates visit: frasercoastevents.com

The small village of Bauple is nestled into the foothills of the mountain and its wonderful museum offers the opportunity to delve into the origins of the nut as well as learn about the history of the whole hinterland.

Free overnight camping is provided for self-contained caravans and RVs at Bauple, Rossendale Park, Petrie Park and in the heart of Tiaro.

The quaint, former rail sidings of Gundiah and Theebine are both home to grand old hotels and a stop for a picnic at historic Munna Creek or heading to Miva to find the picturesque Dickabram Bridge (Queensland’s oldest road-rail bridge) are worthwhile excursions. Glenwood Park, south of Bauple, is another great picnic spot and home to a variety of wildlife including kangaroos, wallabies and goannas.

About an hour’s drive west of Maryborough are the Waterfall Creek Rock Pools, known locally as Utopia Rock Pools, in the Mt Walsh National Park. It’s about a 1.5km hike to the pools which are best visited after rainfall.

Drink in the great outdoors

n Go bushwalking, horse riding and mountain biking on country roads and old stock routes including sections of the Bicentennial National Trail.

n Walk or drive across the historic Dickabram Bridge which was built in 1886 and is one of only two bridges of its kind in Australia that could be traversed by car and train. The Tiaro Bridge over the Mary River is also one of only two “S” bend bridges in Queensland.

n Explore the UNESCO-recognised Great Sandy Biosphere, on the Cooloola Coast Road from Maryborough with

the beachside communities of Maroom, Boonooroo, Tuan, Poona and Tinnanbar one of the region’s hidden treasures, which provides the habitat for almost half of Australia’s bird species.

n Learn about the trials and tribulations of Queensland’s early pioneers at the impressive Brooweena Museum and Historical Village.

n Visit Tiaro’s “Giants of the Mary” interpretive display to find out more about the Mary River and the region’s rare and endangered river creatures.

The Great Sandy Strait

The Great Sandy Strait

Take it easy and reconnect with nature

Disconnect from the hustle and bustle and find an easier way of life and a slower pace at the towns and hamlets of the Great Sandy Strait. The calm, turquoise waters of the Strait and varied countryside are the foundation for a laidback getaway.

The strait is part of the Great Sandy Biosphere which covers 874,000 hectares of land between Gympie and Bundaberg and 540,000 hectares of marine park, incorporating K’gari (Fraser Island) and Ramsar-listed wetlands. It was designated by UNESCO in 2009 as a reserve of cultural and ecological significance and is in the same class as the Galapagos Islands, the Central Amazon and Uluru.

The waters of the strait and biosphere, sheltered by K’gari and incorporating Hervey Bay, rival the Whitsundays, providing unique sailing and stunning scenery. They are home to dugongs, turtles and rare Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, and during migration season thousands of humpback whales.

Sail away

You can sail this marine sanctuary and explore the remote western side of K’gari, fish and dive to your heart’s content or stop off at the small islands and sand banks that dot the strait – a favourite is the quaint heritage-listed lighthouse on Woody Island.

The Roy Rufus, Simpson and Hardie artificial reefs at the northern point of the strait sustain a wide variety of marine life and are sheltered from ocean currents, offering exciting fishing and diving opportunities.

When heading out to explore, fish or even water-ski, a stopover at Pelican Bank is a highlight. You can swim in the shallow turquoise waters or walk along the sparkling white sands of this isolated gem.

The Great Sandy Biosphere contains almost half of Australia’s bird species and is a critical habitat for more than 7000 species of flora and fauna, some of which are rare or endangered.

Put your feet up

The coastal villages of Maaroom, Boonooroo, Poona, Tuan and Tinnanbar are at the heart of the southern section of the biosphere and can be accessed via the Maryborough-Cooloola Road. They offer caravan and villa accommodation and are made for relaxing and fishing – from the shore or from mangrove-lined creeks and sheltered waterways. Yachts, catamarans (pre-bookings required) and even the humble tinny can be hired in Hervey Bay.

An birdwatchingexceptionalhabitat

The diverse habitats of the Fraser Coast provide exceptional birdwatching, from the low tide mud flats of Hervey Bay to areas on K’gari (Fraser Island), the Great Sandy Strait, Howard and Maryborough.

The area is recognised as among the most important roosting sites for migratory shorebirds visiting Australia and at least 40,000 come from as far away as Japan, Alaska and Siberia. The region is recognised as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. More than 250 species of birds have been identified and the region is also home to several threatened and endangered species including the little tern.

Popular birdwatching areas:

Hervey Bay

Dolphin Waters, Burrum Heads: From Burrum Heads Road turn into Ivor Drive, then right into Traviston Way. Migratory waders and beach birds can be seen at lower tides. More than 100 species have been identified in this area.

Arkarra Lagoons, Dundowran: Located on Panorama Drive, these diverse habitats suit a wide range of bird species. Waterbirds, mistletoe birds, reed warblers and fairy wrens are safe from cats and foxes while fossicking in tangled undergrowth.

Hervey Bay Botanic Gardens, Urangan: Located on Elizabeth Street, the gardens feature easy walking tracks with picnic facilities, toilets and carpark available. 100 bird species have been identified.

K’gari-Fraser Island

Kingfisher Bay: Within the area surrounding Kingfisher Bay Resort, 147 species have been identified including white-checked, dusky and scarlet honeyeaters and eastern whipbirds.

Maryborough

Teddington Weir: Drive 11km south of Maryborough to the Teddington Weir picnic area. Black-breasted button quails are occasionally seen and for a bonus, you may also get to spot a koala often seen in this area.

Fay Smith Wetlands: Between Neptune and Victory streets, a 4ha paperbark swamp with some dry clay pans, once a traditional Butchulla area valued as a source of fresh water. There are walking bridges and trails which allow visitors to enjoy the abundant bird life. A camera and binoculars will add to the experience.

POONA PALMS CARAVAN PARK

Situated right on the waterfront & surrounded by 100,000 ha of forestry in beautiful Poona is the POONA PALMS CARAVAN PARK. Our park features new waterfront villas, holiday units & large powered sites. Each site has its own dump point. There is a well-stocked shop on site, a boat ramp right in front of the park & full digital TV reception to all sites.

Family Fun

Make memories to treasure

With the world’s largest sand island, incredible encounters with wildlife, adventure playgrounds, safe beaches and amazing heritage –Queensland’s Fraser Coast is bound to engage, entertain and delight the whole family.

Don’t miss K’gari (Fraser Island)

The heritage-listed natural wonder of that is K’gari is a favourite holiday spot, previously accredited as Australia’s best family camping spot by readers of Out and About With Kids magazine. The list of the island’s child-friendly activities is long, including walking along the boardwalk at Eli Creek, then hopping into the water to drift back with the current, sinking your toes into the sand at Lake McKenzie before sliding into the sparkling blue water and wandering through the rainforest growing out of sand at Central Station.

If you’re looking for something with a little more comfort, K’gari has two, familyfriendly resorts. Kingfisher Bay Resort on the west coast is the island’s premier

accommodation provider with family hotel rooms and villas. The resort offers a variety of ranger-guided activities, eco-marine cruises and island-wide 4WD tours. The ranger-guided activity for kids aged 5 to 12 connects young travellers with the island’s unique wildlife and diverse ecology. On the east coast in a prime location along 75 Mile Beach is K’gari Beach Resort, the ideal base for family adventures, with apartments and hotel accommodation. This remote 4WD only resort offers the island’s best access to bucket list locations.

Romp around in our world-class water park

Don’t miss taking a splash at Hervey Bay’s WetSide Water Park on the Pialba foreshore, ranked number 3 in the Top 25 water parks in the world by Tripadvisor, pipped only by Spain and Dubai. With two new waterslides this free attraction is consistently highly recommended by local and visiting families. Youngsters can test their courage by climbing up the nets or ladder to the 7m-high sky towers and take a fast slide to the Pialba Adventure Playground below.

New mini-golf, latest family fun activity in Hervey Bay

Easy to learn, easy to play and exciting for all ages – Mini Golf Hervey Bay is one of the latest family attractions in Hervey Bay and fun for all ages.

Located on the corner of Bideford and Truro streets two blocks from Torquay Beach, the facility has an 18-hole course, a licensed café plus off-street parking. The 3300sqm course has landscaped humps and hollows, water features and sand traps to keep players on their toes. It is open seven days a week and guests can play under lights at night or during the day under the shade of colourful umbrellas.

There is no age limit for players and clubs, balls and score sheets are all in included in the entry price. All you need to bring is your sense of fun and adventure. The facility caters for special events including children’s birthday parties, corporate events and team building days, office parties, community group get-togethers and every other occasion in between!

Follow Mini Golf Hervey Bay on Facebook or visit the website minigolfherveybay.com.au for opening times, prices or to make a booking.

For a change of pace, let your children’s imaginations run wild at Woo-Koo Park on the outskirts of Maryborough, with its lagoon, statues of pioneers and animals. And to end a full-day excursion, climb through and admire one of Australia’s oldest and largest Banyan figs in Maryborough’s Queens Park, still going strong after 150 years.

MINI GOLF HERVEY BAY

Looking for family fun? Mini Golf Hervey Bay is a must!

• 18 hole course, with 2 di iculty levels

• No booking required, just turn up and play

• Open 7 days - check website for opening times

• Mouth watering snacks from ‘The Shack’ café

• Fully licensed bar

• Play day or under lights at night

• Kids par-tees and functions available

1 Truro Street, Torquay, Hervey Bay 07 4140 4653

www.minigolfherveybay.com.au

Take a splash at SplashSide

A new water play facility for children called SplashSide has added substantially to the multisport activities in Maryborough’s Anzac Park, which includes netball and tennis courts as well as a skate bowl and pump track. The park, is encircled by the Maryborough Golf Course and borders Ululah Lagoon, which served as the town’s water supply in the very early days.

The all-abilities water playground faces Cheapside Street and is easily recognised by its large “spoon full of sugar” discharge water bucket, taking inspiration from the Mary Poppins story books. Nearby is a sensory wall, trampoline, multiple water jets and a hammock. Off-street parking and a new shelter with a barbecue makes this a perfect location for a family outing.

Get closer to nature

To get out on the water, jump aboard a luxury catamaran, a glass-bottomed vessel, motorboat, jet ski, stand-up paddle board or kayak. Alternatively, you could bait a hook and try to catch a fish from the beach, off the 868m Urangan Pier and other jetties at Scarness and Torquay in Hervey Bay.

From coastal villages dotted along the Bay and down the Great Sandy Strait, look out for dolphins playing, turtles surfacing and dugongs grazing. Go nuts in Bauple and check out the original home of the macadamia.

Explore the serene Wongi Waterholes north-west of Maryborough where you’ll find a beautiful picnic and camping spot fringed with paperbark trees and surrounded by forest. Unwind in the Hervey Bay Botanical Gardens where you’ll find a green sanctuary of 26 hectares growing out of sand, or go exploring and bird watching at the Fay Smith wetlands off Victory Street opposite the entrance to the Maryborough Airport reserve.

Visit

Maryborough Markets

Each Thursday, don’t miss visiting the Maryborough Markets brimming with fresh produce and hand-made treasures in the city’s CBD, then descend to Queens Park to ride the Mary Ann – a replica of Queensland’s first steam loco built by Maryborough’s Walkers Ltd foundry in 1873 to haul logs.

Meet the animals

Feed kangaroos and wallabies, wander in the aviary and wrap “Muscles”, the diamond python around your neck if you dare at the Fraser Coast Wildlife Sanctuary on Mungar Road on the outskirts of Maryborough. You can also feed the turtles at the Reefworld Aquarium in Hervey Bay, hop on a horse and ride through 650 hectares of bush at Susan River or from late July to October, head out on a whale watching adventure aboard one of the vessels in the Hervey Bay whale fleet leaving from the boat harbour at Urangan.

Indoor activity for teens

For the occasional wet day on the Fraser Coast, there are loads of activities to keep the kids entertained including cinemas,

Family Fun

ten-pin bowling centres, a gel blaster base, video arcades and entertainment centres where you can become absorbed in a virtual reality experience, enter the wizard world in a breakout room, play laser tag, skirmish or drive the latest gaming console. And for something closer to nature, there is Reefworld Aquarium in Dayman Park which is a fabulous family attraction in all weather.

Skate, skate, skate

If air riding, backside or Caballerials are your thing, free skate parks at Pialba in Hervey Bay and at Maryborough’s Anzac Park provide great set-ups with rails, ledges, hips and bowls to keep the kids moving. The Hervey Bay Skate Park is located on the Esplanade in Pialba and has been designed to cater for beginners to advanced enthusiasts. It is a hotspot for the youth with shaded seating for visitors and toilet facilities.

Anzac Park is on the corner of Cheapside and Alice streets in Maryborough and as well as the skate bowl, the park has a pump track and a water play area with fountains, water poles and a giant “spoon full of sugar” discharge bucket. The park has large, shaded areas with wide open spaces, three playgrounds for kids of varying ages, a walking/bike path, a lagoon and several picnic areas and BBQs. Tennis courts are available for hire while toilet facilities and carparking are on site.

Outdoor family fun

So much to do, so little time! The Fraser Coast boasts a huge range of familyfriendly activities and outdoor experiences to enjoy right across the region!

Basketball courts

There are more than 20 free basketball courts in public recreational parks on the Fraser Coast, with many offering picnic areas, barbecues and playgrounds.

Free exercise equipment

Fitness enthusiasts and families can take their workouts outdoors, using the 60 or so fitness stations located right across the region. Many fitness stations dot the 16km walking and bike path on the Hervey Bay Esplanade.

Wongi Waterholes

Located 25km northwest of Maryborough in the Wongi State Forest, the Wongi Waterholes are accessible by conventional car during dry conditions. This beautiful location provides the perfect bush setting for camping or picnicking, with picnic tables, toilets and cold showers. Dogs are allowed on leashes. The deep brown waterholes act like mirrors creating stunning reflections.

If freshwater fishing is your passion, try your luck at nearby Lake Lenthall which was stocked with barramundi, Australian bass, golden and silver perch fingerlings in 2017-18. Fishing permits are required.

Mountain climbing

Rock climbing and hiking in the national parks of the Fraser Coast are popular activities. A great spot to start is at Mt Walsh National Park which provides a challenging summit climb to 703m which can be ascended in four hours without requiring ropes or specialist equipment on exposed granite outcrops and cliffs. Mt Walsh National Park is located 84km west of Maryborough off the MaryboroughBiggenden Road, wth the swimming hole at Utopia Rock Pools is an easy 1.5km hike from the carpark.

Delight in Mary Poppins

On the Mary Poppins “magic trail” take a selfie beside a statuesque Mary Poppins cast in bronze outside the author’s Maryborough birthplace, the Australian Joint Stock Bank built in 1882, at the corner of Kent and Richmond streets. The bank is now the Story Bank of Maryborough, trading in tales and yarns, myths and legends, reliving the memories and stories of bygone eras.

Here you will learn about the life of Mary Poppins author, Pamela Lyndon Travers, with interactive displays, a Story Vault, theatrette, workshops and gift store all part of the experience. Exiting the bank after an hour or three, pose with metal cut-outs of Mary’s umbrella and carpet bag nearby, then cross at the special pedestrian lights with the green and red Mary Poppins silhouettes. And if your trip to the Fraser Coast is not during the annual Mary Poppins festival, mark early July in your calendar for a return trip to experience all things Poppins and secure a front row seat to Queensland’s greatest carnival of story telling.

Quench your thirst for history

Unlock Maryborough’s unique, quirky character through its wonderful old buildings and street art. Discover at your own pace, or better still, take a guided heritage walk with an expert storyteller leaving the Maryborough Visitor Information Centre at 9am on mid-week days.

Don’t miss the Portside Precinct and the Maryborough Military and Colonial Museum with its 10,000-plus artefacts forming the largest display of war memorabilia outside the national capital. Nearby in Queens Park is a statue recognising Lieutenant Duncan Chapman, the first Australian ashore at the Gallipoli landing on 25 April 1915. The statue is at the entrance of the nationally significant Gallipoli to Armistice Memorial.

Walk the mural trail

Walk Maryborough’s mural trail of 40 murals and installations through Maryborough’s CBD that tells stories through art of the colourful past of the town when it was the industrial powerhouse of the new colony of Queensland, a direct port of entry to Australia for 21,000 migrants from the United Kingdom, Germany and Ireland and the staging point for Gympie gold. The city’s military credentials come through in the trail with murals of Rev “Tubby” Clayton, Squadron Leader Frank Lawrence and the Battle of Long Tan, Vietnam, adorning the Maryborough Military and Colonial Museum building in Wharf Street.

For a full list of the murals, visit visitfrasercoast.com/ maryborough-mural-trail

Plan Your Holiday

Fifteen pre-packaged itineraries have been added to the visitfrasercoast.com website to help visitors explore one of the most pristine and accessible regions of the State.

The itineraries, complete with interactive mapping tool, highlight the region’s great diversity, including a 5-day self-drive K’gari (Fraser Island) wilderness experience; long weekend adventures; 3-day / 3-night foodie trail, a 3-day wreck to reef diving adventures and many more.

The Pioneers and Diggers Trail introduces visitors to the heritage assets of Maryborough, including its art and military trails and the stories from a time when the city was a colonial frontier town and a major immigration port. The itineraries show the travel distance, the number of activities along the way. Accommodation options can also be accessed on visitfrasercoast.com under the tab 'stay'.

For more information, check out visitfrasercoast.com/plan-your-trip/ itineraries

Kayaking adventures

Kayakers from beginners to experienced have access to many unforgettable sights along the Fraser Coast. For experienced kayakers, accessed via a tour, is the west coast of K'gari which showcases pristine remote white sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters, mangroves and wildlife.

The gentle waters off Torquay Beach in Hervey Bay are also a favourite spot for kayakers of all levels of experience and the perfect place to take in the local sights. Visitors can also safely kayak any tide between Urangan and River Heads, through the seagrass meadows of the Great Sandy Strait.

Round Island located 1.3km from the Urangan Boat Harbour offers snorkelling opportunities for those who want to take a dip in the clear waters. Kayakers looking for diverse terrain can paddle around Point Vernon and Gatakers Bay, past coral reef and rocky outcrops, renowned for their abundant marine and bird life.

Top 10 ActivitiesFree

1 Watch the sunset from Urangan Pier. One of the most beautiful daily events in Hervey Bay are the sunsets, appearing like orange paint on a blue canvas. The best view is from the Urangan Pier where there are plenty of places to rest and watch the sea creatures play as you walk the 868 metres of this historic structure built in 1913 to ship timber, coal and sugar from the region’s main port.

The Esplanade, Urangan

2 Make a splash at WetSide Water Park. Any top 10 list of free activities on the Fraser Coast would have Hervey Bay’s WetSide Water Park on the Pialba foreshore close to the top. Rated number 3 of the top 25 water parks in the world by TripAdvisor, families continue to rate this facility as one of their best experiences on the coast, marvelling that many of the rides are free of charge. The facility is at the round-about, corner Main Street and The Esplanade, Hervey Bay. Entry into WetSide is free but there is a cost for the water slides and Aqua Ninga.

Opening Hours vary so check online at frasercoast.qld.gov.au/wetside-water-park Main Street & The Esplanade, Hervey Bay

3 Relax at Hervey Bay Botanic Gardens. The Hervey Bay Botanic Gardens are every nature lover’s escape and a great place for families. Here you can walk through the beautifully landscaped tracks and discover some of Australia’s bush tucker and astonishing flora and fauna. The plush green grass by the pond is the perfect place for a picnic and the gardens are one of the best places for birdwatching on the Fraser Coast.

Hervey Bay Botanic Gardens

Elizabeth Street, Urangan

Family Fun

*Wheelchair accessible, however paths may not be sealed or smooth. Sand may pose an issue in some areas.

4 Picnic along the shores of Hervey Bay. With 16km of shoreline to choose from it is not difficult to find a secluded spot to spend a day on the safe swimming beaches of Hervey Bay. A picnic blanket, swimming gear, a hat and sunscreen are all you need for a day of relaxation. The beaches slope gently down to the water and the protection of nearby K’gari (Fraser Island) means there is no surf to swamp little ones.

Multiple points along the 16km Hervey Bay Esplanade

5 Take an outdoor water adventure at SplashSide. This immersive water park is located close to the multisport activities in Maryborough’s Anzac Park and offers a wide range of fun and interactive activities for the kids including a large discharge bucket, a sensory wall, a trampoline, multiple water jets, a hammock and barbecue shelter making it the perfect family day out. The park also has a skate bowl and pump track.

45 Cheapside Street, Maryborough

6 Discover local markets. A visit to the Fraser Coast’s craft and produce markets reflect the diversity of the region. One of the most popular is the weekly Maryborough Market, held every Thursday on Adelaide and Ellena streets. There’s entertainment and characters in period costume and at 1pm a vintage time cannon booms across the city, reminding market-goers of a bygone era when the cannon was used to set the time for the town’s inhabitants.

A full list of regional markets is on page 64 of this publication.

– in most instances

7 Explore Arkarra Lagoons. The wetlands of Arkarra Gardens at Dundowran are perfect for a half day of exploring. Just minutes from Hervey Bay and

with a centrally located café, a seat under one of the lovely Bali huts is a superb place to enjoy a freshly ground coffee and cake, or breakfast and lunch. The gardens are a hotspot for birdwatching with more than 180 different species identified.

28/34 Panorama Drive, Dundowran Beach

8 Take A guided Maryborough heritage tour. During Maryborough’s first 50 years it was one of Australia’s major immigrant ports (second only to Sydney) and Queensland’s main industrial town producing ships for the Navy, sugar milling machinery, locomotives and railway rolling stock. The region boasts many great civic and commercial buildings and guided walking tours leave from the Maryborough Information Centre at 9am on midweek days.

Maryborough Visitor Information Centre, City Hall, 388 Kent Street, Maryborough When 9am-10.30am mid-week days. (Excluding public holidays and weather dependent)

9 Pay your respects at Gallipoli to Armistice Memorial. This interactive memorial paying tribute to all men and women who served and sacrificed in World War I battles is one of the most moving experiences a visitor can have on the Fraser Coast. The trail takes you from the statue of Maryborough’s Lieutenant Duncan Chapman, the first Anzac ashore, to the cliffs of Gallipoli and the disastrous battles of the Somme and the Western Front.

Queens Park, Maryborough nearby at the Maryborough Magistrates Court

10 Walk the Maryborough Mural Trail. The city’s mural trail over eight city blocks in Maryborough’s CBD is perfect for every couple and young family. The trail uses CBD buildings as a canvas to tell the quirky and serious stories of the city’s exciting past and now boasts 40 artworks and installations. The trail is a flat walk and there are many coffee and speciality shops, parks and places to take a break along the way.

Maryborough CBD, departing from City Hall, 388 Kent Street, Maryborough nearby at the Maryborough Magistrates Court and Wharf Street

Vibrant art, culture and theatre scene across Fraser Coast’s twin cities

The Fraser Coast has a vibrant art and cultural scene with a wide range of galleries in the twin cities of Hervey Bay and Maryborough, hosting touring exhibitions and showcasing the region’s creative talent, as well as a 900-seat theatre catering for visiting shows and entertainers.

The region is a mix of history, with Maryborough boasting the largest collection of Queensland’s significant heritage-listed buildings, and the energy and growth of Hervey Bay, which is one of the fastestgrowing cities on Australia’s east coast.

Theatres

Brolga Theatre And Convention Centre: One of the best regional theatres in Queensland, the Brolga Theatre and Convention Centre opened in 2000 in Maryborough is the entertainment hub of the region. As well as hosting premiere shows like the Queensland and Russian ballet almost every year, the Brolga presents a diverse annual program of performing arts, featuring comedy, dance, drama and music.

As well at the 900-seat main auditorium, the theatre has a 200-seat multi-purpose Federation Room suitable for exhibitions, conferences, dinners and receptions. Its glass-framed foyer with views of the Mary River can seat 300 and is used for cabarets, civic receptions, trade shows, school formals and dinners. There are also a smaller conference rooms, a large terrace used for outdoor functions and a river stage suitable for weddings and small performances with the audience seated on the Brolga Lawn.

For current information about what’s on at the Brolga Theatre and Convention Centre, visit brolga.ourfrasercoast.com.au/whats-on

Z-Pac Theatre: Hervey Bay’s Z-PAC Theatre is the main Community Theatre on the Fraser Coast, hosting annual productions featuring local actors, directors, technical and support staff. The theatre has raked auditorium seating for 128 people and a licensed bar. The volunteer run organisation conducts drama classes for children and adults and holds event nights including a free monthly karaoke evening. For more information and the Z-Pac events calendar, visit zpactheatre.com

Art Galleries

Art lovers visiting the region are well served by regional galleries and private studios, creative and workshop spaces. The region also boasts significant mural and sculpture trails.

Hervey Bay Regional Gallery: The destination gallery of the Fraser Coast is in the heart of Hervey Bay’s developing civic precinct, surrounded by parkland and within a short walk to the beach.

The gallery presents changing exhibitions on hyper-local themes by nationally significant artists as well as local practitioners. It also hosts touring exhibitions as well as original content.

Artist talks, workshops, makers’ markets and kids’ activities are regularly part of the program. The adjacent Butchulla Seasonal Garden is a highlight along with gallery shop, which stocks a range of art, culture and history books as well as locally produced homewares, accessories, gifts and design products. For more information, visit hbrg.com.au

BROLGA THEATRE AND CONVENTION CENTRE

Nestled on the banks of the Mary River in Maryborough, the Brolga Theatre is the entertainment heart of the Fraser Coast. One of Queensland’s best regional theatres, the Brolga presents a diverse program of performing arts, featuring comedy, dance, drama and music.

• Jam-packed program of live performances.

• Special screenings of theatre and film.

• A 900 seat main Auditorium with raked floor and comfortable lounge seating.

• Function room hire for corporate and special events.

• A spectacular glass framed Foyer with river views o ering seating capacity for 300.

• A large terrace, river stage and lawns take maximum advantage of the sweeping views of the city’s historic Queens Park and the Mary River.

Box O ice open: Mon – Fri 8.30am – 4pm; One hour prior to performances.

5 Walker Street, Maryborough | 07 4122 6060

brolga@frasercoast.qld.gov.au www.brolgatheatre.org

Gatakers Artspace and Creative Space: Some of Maryborough’s oldest warehouses built when the city was Australia’s most significant river port north of Sydney in the late 1890s have been sensitively restored to provide a hub for creativity. Gatakers Artspace in the Portside Precinct houses four galleries providing space for the hosting of regular exhibitions of local and visiting artists. The new Creative Space, using buildings further back from the river, supports community creativity with pop-up exhibitions, a print studio, creative workshops and a retail shop offering artisan products. Visit gatakersartspace.com.au

Gallery 5: Run by the not-for-profit Hervey Bay Art Society, Gallery 5 at Urangan is the largest commercial gallery in Hervey Bay. It has regular workshops, classes and social painting groups, as well as monthly exhibitions. Acclaimed local artist Ashleigh Manly showcases an extensive collection of his original artwork from his portfolio which spans over 40 years and includes watercolours, silk screen prints, etchings and acrylics on canvas. Visit herveybayartsociety.org.au

Harbour Gift Gallery: The Harbour Gift Gallery is an exhibition space and outlet selling original artwork and handmade crafts made by 30 local artisans who also

run the gallery shop which sells handcrafted items including original paintings, souvenirs, pottery, quilting, mosaics, glassware, jewellery, candles, handbags, clothes, organic skin care and woodwork. Visit harbourgiftgallery.com.au

Maryborough Art Gallery: This gallery provides a venue for local and regional artists and is home to Maryborough Art Society. Formed in 1947, the Art Society has had many changes over the years, once housed in the Gatakers building before relocating to its current location in the old Wintergarden Theatre building in Kent Street. The gallery hosts weekly Mary River Art Group creative sessions and twice-monthly coloured pencil workshops. Visit maryboroughart.com

The Wide Bay Gallery: This gallery in Maryborough’s CBD displays and sells the work of local artists within a space doubling as a studio and art supplies and framing shop. The gallery runs regular art classes and workshops. As well as an extensive stockist of art materials, the gallery provides a professional picture framing service. Visit artmaterialsupplies.com.au

Alpha 31 Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden: Located 11km from the Maryborough city centre at Plantation Road, Tinana, Alpha31 Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden showcases more than 300 original

HERVEY BAY REGIONAL GALLERY

Hervey Bay Regional Gallery (HBRG) is a destination gallery, located on Butchulla Country in the heart of Hervey Bay’s civic precinct. Featuring changing exhibitions curated to focus on hyper-local themes, we showcase nationally significant artists alongside local practitioners, touring exhibitions, and original content. HBRG also hosts a vibrant programming schedule including artist talks, workshops and kids’ activities. The Butchulla Seasonal Garden is a highlight along with HBRG’s shop, which stocks a carefully selected range of art, culture and history books as well as locally produced homewares, accessories, gifts and design products.

Open Tue – Fri 10am – 4pm; Sat & Sun 10am – 2pm. Free entry.

166 Old Maryborough Road, Pialba 07 4197 4206

regionalgallery@frasercoast.qld.gov.au www.hbrg.com.au

art pieces within a country garden setting. Award winning artists exhibit in a variety of mediums including oils, leadlight, stained glass, watercolours, pastels, acrylics and mixed media. The Sculpture Garden is evolving as more work is added by the not-for-profit group, Sculpture Central. The gallery accepts submissions from artists wishing to hold exhibitions. Visit alpha31artgallery.com.au

Attractions

The Story Bank: A heritage-listed former bank building is now the Story Bank of Maryborough. Here visitors discover the magic of Mary Poppins and explore the magnificently restored bank building in the heart of Maryborough’s Central Business District. Displays feature the life of author P.L. Travers and her enchanting stories of the practically perfect nanny. Visit storybankmaryborough.com.au

Mural Trail: The Maryborough Mural Trail uses city buildings as a 'living canvas' to tell stories of Maryborough’s great and quirky past from the time when it was Queensland’s major industrial city. The trail containing 40 art pieces and installations covers 10 city blocks, with brochures available at Maryborough City Hall. More information visitfrasercoast.com/ maryborough-mural-trail

GATAKERS ARTSPACE AND CREATIVE SPACE

Some of Maryborough’s oldest warehouses have been sensitively restored to provide a hub for creativity.

Gatakers Artspace, a contemporary exhibition space houses four galleries hosting regular new exhibits of local and visiting artists.

The Creative Space supports creativity within the local community with popup exhibitions, a print studio, creative workshops and a retail shop o ering unique artisan products.

Open Tue – Fri 9.30am – 3.30pm; Sat & Sun 9.30am – 2pm. Free entry.

311 Kent Street, Maryborough 07 4190 5818

GatakersArtspace@frasercoast.qld.gov.au www.gatakersartspace.com.au

Fishing

So many species, so little time

Already one of the most amazing in-shore spawning grounds in Australia with an overlap of both northern and southern species, fishing on the Fraser Coast will get even better in the next year following the Queensland Government’s decision to end commercial net fishing in the Great Sandy Strait.

Commercial large mesh gill nets and ring nets will be banned from “yellow zones” in the Strait, Baffle Creek, Elliot River, the Burrum River System and Tin Can Bay inlet from mid-2024.

The removal of what has long been seen as an anachronism by recreational fishers – commercial netting in a marine park – and the 9% increase in protected areas announced at the same time is expected to lead to an immediate improvement in catch rates and species variety, already seen as some of the best on Australia’s east coast. targeted successfully here, including blue and black marlin, sailfish, longtail tuna, golden trevally, snapper, coral trout, barramundi, threadfin salmon and mangrove jack.

The maze of intertwining creeks and rivers, vast sand flats, inshore islands, deep reefs and ginclear waters have always set the Fraser Coast apart as one of the most diverse fisheries in the country.

The sheltered waters, protected by the largest sand island in the world (K’gari-Fraser Island) have helped the Fraser Coast build a deserved reputation as a renowned fishing destination – and this can only increase with the Government’s decision.

Some of Australia’s most iconic sportfish species can be targeted successfully here, including blue and black marlin, sailfish, longtail tuna, golden trevally, snapper, coral trout, barramundi, threadfin salmon and mangrove jack.

The options range from world-class beach fishing on the eastern side of K’gari-Fraser Island and outstanding pelagic fishing in Platypus Bay, to one of the best blue marlin fisheries in Australia. The Mary River is also home to big barra and threadfin salmon.

Pick your spot

K’gari’s Platypus Bay is responsible for putting Hervey Bay’s pelagic fishing scene on the map, making it the “goto” destination for all enthusiasts. With the crystal-clear, bait-rich, sheltered waters of the bay, it is an international drawcard for lure and fly anglers.

The Hervey Bay flats are world famous among fly fishers and sport fishers alike with a huge variety of species on offer. These flats are greatly influenced by the adjacent creeks on the western side of K’gari, creating a unique fishery that includes prized species such as Hervey Bay’s iconic golden trevally, longtail tuna and juvenile black marlin. The marlin can be sight fished in less than 2m of water – one of the only places in the world where this is possible.

And if that’s not compelling enough, the eastern side of K’gari is described as the “holy grail” of beach fishing and throughout the winter months it draws crowds of anglers for the annual run of tailor. Spectacular catches of Spanish mackerel are common during the summer months as well as the everyday staples of whiting, dart and flathead.

The Great Sandy Strait between the mainland and K’gari covers about 70km of crystalline waters, white sandy beaches, a network of shallow lying flats and a maze of creeks. These wildlife and fish-rich waters present anglers with a huge diversity of species from whiting and flathead, barra and threadfin salmon to prawns and mud crabs. For land-based anglers, the 868m Urangan Pier is the ultimate fishing platform accessing a diverse fishery of garfish, whiting and flathead in the shallower waters of the first channel and larger predatory species including mackerel, tuna, trevally and queenfish which patrol the deeper waters of the outer channel. These larger predators are drawn in by the huge schools of herring, hardyhead and pike that congregate around the pylons of the pier seeking protection.

The Mary River is the largest estuary system in the region and boasts one of the most remarkable barramundi and threadfin salmon fisheries on the Australian east coast. In with what feels like a never-ending system to explore, the river has multiple areas to fish with some form of structure to be found around every corner. Mud crabs are a year-round option in this river and each wet season spawns a significant banana prawn fishery producing exceptional quality prawns.

The upper reaches of the Mary River above the causeway not only provide a picturesque backdrop but a healthy Australian bass fishery. The region is also blessed with one of the best freshwater fisheries in Queensland at Lake Lenthall, off the Bruce Highway north of Maryborough, where thousands of Australian bass, barramundi and golden and silver perch fingerlings were released into the dam four years ago.

The Fraser Coast is blessed with an excellent fishery of inshore islands and reefs comprising many inshore islands, shallow natural reef flats, deeper natural and artificial reefs and ledges of coffee rock.

The Roy Rufus Artificial Reef at the top of Great Sandy Strait off the eastern side of Big Woody Island is one of the largest in the southern hemisphere and consists of sunken barges, boats, car bodies and pipes creating a diverse ecosystem for a variety of fish. On top of all this, the relatively protected waters of the Bay offer fantastic bait and lure fishing year round.

Not to be missed

Burrum Heads

Easter Fishing Classic Easter

Poona Family Fishing Competition Easter

Fishing

Toogoom Family Fishing Competition

Late September

(check dates, event alternates between fourth and third weekend of September)

Hervey Bay Game Fishing Classic

Mid November

*Subject to change, for updates visit: frasercoastevents.com

FISHO’S TACKLE WORLD – HERVEY BAY

A Hervey Bay icon operating for more than 40 years, Fisho’s Tackle World is the premier fishing tackle store on the Fraser Coast, o ering a wealth of local knowledge, expert technical advice and stocking the most comprehensive selection of fishing gear at competitive prices

• Trading hours: Mon to Sat 7:30am – 5:30pm & Sun 7:30am – 3:00pm

• The Fraser Coast’s Premier Fishing Tackle Store

• Bait, Ice, Rods, Reels, Lines, Lures, all your tackle and more

• Fly Fishing Gear

• Apparel

• Spear & Snorkelling gear

• Rod & Reel Repairs

59 Torquay Road, Pialba 07 4128 1022

info@fishostackleworld.com.au

www.fishostackleworld.com.au

Rail trail, mountain bike tracks and bike paths make Fraser Coast ‘cycling heaven’

Whether it’s mountain biking, rail trail excursions, competitive cycling or simply riding for leisure, the Fraser Coast has something for all avid two-wheel enthusiasts.

Without doubt, the best ways to fully Explore many of the Fraser Coast’s most picturesque locations is to leave your car and take your bike.

All ranges of fitness are catered for in the region’s cycle trails, starting with the mostly flat 16km Recreational Trail extending along the Hervey Bay foreshore from Urangan to Point Vernon, passing close to five fantastic safe-swimming beaches. This paved walk and cycleway is family-friendly and borders the Hervey Bay Esplanade which is dotted with accessible parks, playgrounds, jetties, picnic areas, barbecues, cafés and shops.

The second major city cycleway follows the Mary2Bay Rail Trail (Hervey Bay section) from Urangan Pier to Nikenbah, which for much of its length runs parallel to the Esplanade, about 1km back from the sea.

The Urangan to Nikenbah section is 11.6km with some hills but still a fairly flat ride. It can be entered at the foreshore from several access points including at Urraween, where parking is available on the wide road verges; Pialba, with parking at the Hervey Bay Community Centre with walk/cycle path connections to the rail trail and at Urangan at the pier. For those entering the ride at Nikenbah, there are wide roadside verges for parking.

Mary2Bay Rail Trail

The Maryborough to Hervey Bay rail line played a key role in the early development of the Fraser Coast, first opened on 18 December 1896 as far as Pialba and extended to Urangan in 1913. The rail line was used for passenger services and freight, including coal (discovered on the Burrum River in 1863), pineapples, fuel and general goods.

The last passenger train ran on the line to Pialba on 7 August 1972, with railway kept open for a time for freight. However, road transport won out and the last freight train to depart the Urangan terminal was on 29 October 1991 when Caltex ceased operations at its fuel storage facility.

The railway line was officially closed on 30 June 1993 and over the next few years was gradually lifted but a very active Fraser Coast Bicycle Users Group is now helping to convert the line corridor to a tourist trail with the support of the Fraser Coast Regional Council. The plan in time is to reactivate the entire railway easement between the two cities.

Two sections of the Mary2Bay Rail Trail totalling 37k are already built – about 20km of sealed cycleway between Urangan Pier and Nikenbah, and a further 17km rural section running from Piggford Lane through to near Colton. The Colton to Maryborough line remains under development, with a large number of bridges requiring significant financial investment.

Rail Trail Section Guides

n Urraween to Urangan via Pialba (7.5km): Wide sealed trail surface, connecting the main centres of the coastal city of Hervey Bay.

n Pialba to Nikenbah (5.5km): Wide sealed trail surface connects the main centre to southerly suburbs. There are no facilities near the trail except a café at Nikenbah.

n Nikenbah to Stockyard Creek (3.5km): Wide gravel trail surface through bushland with plentiful bird life. Due to no controlled crossing of the busy Hervey Bay-Maryborough Road, this section currently starts at Piggford Lane. There is only a shelter at Stockyard Creek.

n Takura Siding to Churchill Mine Road and Colton (11km): Rural trail with some rough terrain, opened in August 2023. Surrounded by forest and wallum country, the trail is shaded and features many native plants and birdlife.

For more Rail Trail information visitfrasercoast.com/m2brt

Toogoom Mountain Bike Trails

For endurance riders who regularly test their level of fitness, the Toogoom Mountain Bike Trails in the Vernon State Forest 13km east of Hervey Bay offer a great deal.

More than 50km of tracks can be accessed along the Pialba-Burrum Heads Road, with easy, intermediate and difficult grades clearly signed with a system of colour codes, with green designating an easier ride, blue (intermediate) and black (difficult). Easy trails offer gentle gradients and smooth surfaces with minor obstacles such as roots and logs. Intermediate trail surfaces vary with some steep sections and the Difficult trails are more suited to experienced mountain bike riders as they

Cycling Heaven

feature large and unavoidable obstacles with some steep climbs and loose surfaces.

All the tracks are maintained by the Fraser Coast Mountain Bike Club with the assistance of the Fraser Coast Regional Council.

The most popular section is 12 km between O’Regan Creek Road, the Pialba-Burrum Heads Road and Toogoom Road. Parking is available next to the Toogoom Community Hall, with the trail entrance across the road. The longer trails extend 40 km from Toogoom to the Hervey Bay-Torbanlea Road, with the entrance to this section off Toogoom Cane Road.

A special permit is not required for recreational activities in the forest unless activities are of a commercial nature or an organised event (including competitions).

Walking and running on Toogoom mountain-bike trails and Takura trail is not recommended as the trails are designed and built for technical mountain bike riding. Trail bikes are also permitted on the Takura trail and walkers and runners who choose to use these trails do so at their own risk.

Trails are narrow and rough in places, so walkers are required to be aware of their surroundings and give way as bike riders may approach at speed from either direction.

Essentials:

There are no toilets within Vernon State Forest. The nearest public toilets are located beside the Toogoom Community Hall, corner of Toogoom Road and O’Reagan Creek Road. Dogs are permitted in the State Forest but must be kept on a leash and under control at all times.

For more information on the track or to make contact with the Fraser Coast Mountain Bike Club visit: Facebook.com/ FraserCoastMtbClub

Competitive cycling –Hervey Bay 100 Triathlon

The development of more Fraser Coast recreational bike trails and competitive annual cycling events, including 100km and 50km triathlons, are making the region a growing drawcard for cyclists.

The premium competitive event for serious athletes and fit families is the Hervey Bay 100 triathlon in November, which uses the picturesque waterfront Esplanade for its 80km bike ride, 2km swim and 18km run. Organisers have added a 50km triathlon to the same weekend, as a development event for those aiming at the senior distance.

More than 600 cyclists from as far away as Tasmania, Sydney and northern NSW compete in the senior event, riding four laps of a 20km circuit along the Esplanade from Torquay to Point Vernon and spectators watch the race from numerous vantage points along the way.

New pump tracks

Skateboarders, BMX and scooter riders are also well catered for on the Fraser Coast, with skate bowls in both Hervey Bay and Maryborough, and a pump track at Maryborough’s Anzac Park. There is already a pump track at Tiaro and a third track is expected to be open at Pialba in Hervey Bay in 2024. Anzac Park also has a water play area, multiple barbecue shade areas and tennis court and is adjacent to the Maryborough Golf Course.

Top 10 Adventures

Life’s short, play hard

1 Four-wheel drive on the world’s largest sand island. Driving a 4WD on K’gari (Fraser Island) is exciting, exhilarating, adventurous and a pleasure. The terrain varies from firm sandy tracks to soft sand blow-outs, threatening to swallow your vehicle whole. Hardwood forests, large wooded hills, crystal-clear streams, blue lakes and the hard sand of 75 Mile Beach deliver you into another world. (Queensland road rules apply).

2 Dive into the Great Barrier Reef. Don a mask and snorkel to swim with the resident manta rays on Lady Elliot Island and the other amazing marine life including turtles, sea stars, colourful coral, tropical fish, sea cucumbers and clams.

3 Swim with the whales (late July and August). Be swept up in the surreal experience of being in the ocean right next to majestic humpback whales and experience Australia’s best upclose and personal whale encounter in Hervey Bay.

4 Hike the 90km Great Walk on K’gari. Take an epic adventure and traverse K’gari’s Great Walk beside perched lakes, open dune country and rainforest, or take one of the shorter options if you are stuck for time. The full walk stretches 90km and takes 6-8 days. Head to the National Parks website parks. des.qld.gov.au/parks/kgari-fraser for more information.

5 Hook into some sports fishing. Experience the thrill of catching marlin, golden trevally or a barramundi. The region’s fishing experiences are amongst

the most diverse in Australia, thanks to an overlap of northern and southern species.

6 Ride the Mary to Bay Rail Trail (M2BRT), with all cycling preferences catered for. The 13km urban section from Urangan to Nikenbah is sealed, with wide gravel surfaces through bushland and plentiful bird life starting at Piggford Lane. Further west towards Maryborough, the 11km Takura Siding to Colton section has rougher terrain through forest and Wallum country.

7 Get wet at Wetside. Take the young and young at heart to Hervey Bay’s Wetside Water Park, ranked No 3 of the top 25 water parks in the world by TripAdvisor. Climb the 7m sky tower and take a fast slide to the adventure playground below.

8 Jet ski to K’gari. Experience the thrill of a one-of-a-kind jet ski tour and discover the idyllic Pelican Bank in the heart of the Great Sandy Strait, before venturing on to the gorgeous western coast.

9 Dive ex-HMAS Tobruk Join the sea life setting up home in this former Navy warship scuttled off Burrum Heads. Swim the length of the ship, which is lying on its starboard quarter with propellers and rudders in plain sight.

10 Take a scenic joyflight. Hop aboard a light plane or helicopter at Hervey Bay airport and fly over the UNESCO-listed Great Sandy Biosphere with its network of islands and creeks before landing on the beach on K’gari for a 4WD tour across the island’s rainforest tracks to catch the barge.

Eat, Drink & Relax

The Fraser Coast provides an opportunity for you to take your tastebuds on a delicious journey of discovery, sampling everything from bush tucker on K’gari (Fraser Island) to local wild catch seafood at alfresco footpath diners, beachside restaurants and bars, clubs and pubs and quality restaurants in Hervey Bay and Maryborough.

From the hinterland to the Great Sandy Strait, the Fraser Coast has a delightful range of fresh produce, seafood and tantalising tipples including the regionally crafted lychee liqueur and wines. The famous Hervey Bay scallops are prized by seafood connoisseurs worldwide for their superior appearance, texture and taste, while juicy Fraser Island prawns are also a favourite.

The culinary scene in the region’s largest city of Hervey Bay has reached a level of refinement, with local produce matched with outstanding wines, beers and spirits. At premium locations, many overlooking the ocean, diners can indulge in sumptuous meals, full of inventive flavours created by masterful local chefs. Alfresco restaurants and coffee shops are dotted along the Hervey Bay Esplanade, most with stunning sea views.

Feast in historic surroundings

Picturesque Maryborough provides a backdrop of heritage and culture, delivering a memorable food experience where visitors can enjoy the old-world charm of coffee shops and ice cream parlours in heritage-listed buildings. In the awardwinning Portside Café Restaurant in the heritage-listed Customs House Residence built in 1899, guests can enjoy picturesque views of the Mary River and parklands, once the scene of a bustling river port.

Enjoy first-class island cuisine

Visitors to K’gari are spoilt for choice, thanks to the dining options available at Kingfisher Bay Resort and K’gari Beach Resort. Their family-friendly classics and modern cuisines are all inspired by island living and incorporate only the finest local produce.

Dune Restaurant boasts an inviting and ambient setting, serving items from a tantalising sweet, salty and spicy Asian fusion menu packed with authentic flavours. Situated adjacent to the resort’s Rainforest Bar, your night will include a bold list of beverages to enjoy with shareable dishes cooked to perfection.

At nearby Sand & Wood Restaurant, chefs draw inspiration from modern Australian

AQUAVUE BEACHFRONT BAR & EATERY

Are you looking for a beachfront bar and eatery which has the perfect balance of fun vibes, delicious cocktails and exciting menu items? Aquavue is under new management and the talented but slightly crazy and fun team are ready to serve you! They’re open and ready to roll seven days a week. From brilliant breakfasts, lavish lunches, scrumptious share platters and everything in between, Aquavue has something for everyone.

415a Esplanade, Torquay 07 4125 5528 | team@aquavue.com.au

www.aquavue.com.au

influences that are perfect for the whole family. Adults can share from the Maheno Bar before selecting from gourmet starters, land and sea inspired mains and a variety of delectable desserts.

Offering casual dining in a stunning bush and poolside setting, the Sand Bar Bistro is a family favourite, with classic Australian pub fare, a long list of beverages and a gaming arcade for the kids. By day, both Sand & Wood and The Sand Bar provide the perfect environment for indulging in a poolside cocktail and settling into the island life.

Perched on the jetty at Kingfisher Bay Resort is the Sunset Bar, providing a front row seat to one of K’gari’s unmissable moments. By late afternoon on clear days the sky erupts into bursts of orange, pink and yellow as guests enjoy a delicious cheese, dip, or prawn platter and icecold beverage.

On the island’s remote east coast, the renovated K’gari Beach Resort provides relaxed coastal dining at McKenzie’s on 75 Bar & Restaurant. Fuel up in the morning with an espresso coffee and buffet breakfast, enjoy a cold beer and a buffet lunch, or take your pick from the extensive dinner menu. McKenzie’s on 75 is open to all the island’s visitors, not just resort guests.

BANKSIA SEAFOOD AND GRILL

Situated on the Charlton Esplanade of Hervey bay, Banksia Seafood and Grill enjoys gentle sea breezes in a modern seaside venue. While crisp wines, icy beers and fresh cocktails are served by a professional team, our award-winning Head Chef and owner, Saul Collins has created a menu filled with perfectly cooked local Seafood and Steaks which are the stars of the show...

The best of modern Australian style.

4/381 Charlton Esplanade, Torquay, Hervey Bay

07 4325 4095 | bookings@banksiaseafoodgrill.com.au

www.banksiaseafoodgrill.com.au

Food with a View at Hervey Bay

Boasting uninterrupted coastal views and nearby Hervey Bay’s iconic Urangan Pier, Salt Café provides excellent breakfast, lunch and coffee options. The café is located on the beachside of Oaks Resort and Spa on Hervey Bay’s esplanade.

An expansive view of the ocean and Urangan Pier can also be enjoyed from the huge verandah at the nearby Bayswater Bar & Grill. This venue offers an extensive lunch and dinner menu with a focus on steak, seafood and fresh local produce.

If absolute beachside dining a stone’s throw from the ocean is your desire, you can’t do better than Enzo’s on the Beach at Scarness or Aquavue at Torquay. Enzo’s offers sophisticated café-style food and uninterrupted views across the bay. Seating options range from traditional chairs at dining tables, bar stools at high tables and colourful beanbags on the sand.

Aquavue Beachfront Bar and Eatery, perched further along the Esplanade at Torquay, beckons visitors with its spectacular oceanfront setting, fresh cuisine, and relaxed atmosphere. The restaurant's open design maximizes the panoramic ocean vistas, creating a relaxed dining experience with both indoor and outdoor eating options on the spacious deck. Its menu is a celebration of coastal flavours featuring an array of locally sourced ingredients, offering an array of options including gourmet burgers, wood-fired pizzas, grilled local fish and chargrilled steaks. The venue is also a popular choice for functions.

Nearby Banksia Seafood and Grill stands out as a culinary gem with a fine dining experience with a casual beach style feel, synonymous with fresh, locally sourced seafood, great service, and a warm, inviting atmosphere. The restaurant's spacious interiors and panoramic views blends with its natural surroundings, creating a harmonious dining experience. The menu showcases the finest of local produce including oysters, calamari, Moreton Bay bugs, iconic Hervey Bay scallops to the best Queensland steaks.

Sea Bar 469, also idyllically located across from the pristine foreshore in Torquay, boasts a coastal breeze and laidback vibe that Hervey Bay is famous for. The team are all about creating a memorable experience with attention to detail when serving up breakfast, lunch, house-made coffee and cakes, freshly squeezed juices, smoothies and more. The venue is family-friendly with options for children and an extensive main menu with a mix of classics and fresh local seafood and is fully licensed.

Mini Golf Hervey Bay, also in Torquay two blocks back from the beach, combines great family fun with delicious food and drinks. The venue features an 18-hole course, a fully licensed café and bar with refreshing drinks and lots of tasty snacks including loaded chips, pizzas, fresh sandwiches, nachos, hotdogs, nuggets and more. The venue also caters for special events and is open seven days a week and visitors can play under lights at night or during the day.

ENZO’S ON THE BEACH

• Absolute beachfront restaurant and bar o ering a unique, casual beach dining experience – open for breakfast, lunch and dinner

• Enjoy stunning views and sip on a cocktail as you lounge on a bean bag with your feet in the sand

351a Esplanade, Hervey Bay | 07 4124 6375

info@enzosonthebeach.com.au

www.enzosonthebeach.com.au

Order your favourites

A pub favourite, where you can enjoy meals on the verandah or savour the flavours in air-conditioned comfort is the Beach House Hotel at Scarness, Hervey Bay, which is open for lunch and dinner each day and for breakfast at the weekend. Diners can watch the activity in the kitchen as pizzas glide in and out of the eye-catching pizza oven and those outside can admire the view past Scarness Park to the jetty and ocean.

And not to be outdone by its seaside competition, the Carriers Arms Hotel in Maryborough brings together all of your pub dining favourites plus an extensive list of modern Australian dishes. Patrons are guaranteed a comfortable and relaxing dining experience in the hotel’s newly renovated bistro and café. It all goes to show, that wherever you go on the Fraser Coast, there are restaurants, hotels and cafés to tantalise your tastebuds!

Dine at the clubs

The club scene is also thriving on the Fraser Coast with a range of quality venues to choose from including the Hervey Bay Boat Club overlooking the marina at Urangan, The Clubhouse Hervey Bay after a round of golf at Pialba, or be entertained at the Hervey Bay RSL Club, a short walk from Seafront Oval at Pialba.

Monthly chef’s creations, steak night, schnitzel night and kid’s eat free nights are all part of the dynamic dining experience at The Clubhouse Hervey Bay. The venue offers terrific food in a relaxed atmosphere overlooking the golf course in Pialba.

The bustling Hervey Bay RSL offers mouthwatering meal options at its Sandy Bay Restaurant and Poppies Cafe, with nightly specials and plenty of tempting à la carte choices. The club has something for everyone with five separate bars, a supervised kids club, function and meeting rooms, bottle shop, snooker room, 280 gaming machines, KENO, TAB, lives shows and free weekly entertainment.

Events

Celebrate Mary Poppins, whales and everything in-between

Family entertainment, food festivals, sport, community and culture – the Fraser Coast has events to celebrate them all.

A climate blessed by year-round sunshine, mild temperatures, a variety of accommodation choices from the beach to the hinterland, all supported by great cuisine, makes the Fraser Coast a perfect event destination. The region is only a short drive from the major population centres of South-East Queensland and offers a diverse line-up of events.

Whales: Declared the world’s first Whale Heritage Site in 2019, Hervey Bay celebrates the return of majestic humpback whales each year with the Hervey Bay Whale Festival between late July and early August.

To ensure a bountiful whale watching season and safe passage for cetaceans and humans, the festival launches with the centuries old tradition of the “Blessing of the Fleet” sail past in the Great Sandy Straits Marina at Urangan, concluding with a colourful display of fireworks over the water.

The weekend continues with the City and Sea Celebrations featuring the Parade of Lights and the local favourite, a Paddle Out for Whales off Scarness Pier. The paddle was originally a protest about continuing whaling world-wide but has transitioned as a celebration of the humpback’s return to Hervey Bay each migration season.

To pay further tribute to Hervey Bay’s unique relationship with the ocean, the festival ends with the Fraser Coast Flavours, on the Hervey Bay foreshore, with great music, entertainment –and food!

Mary Poppins: Another popular event is the colourful and quirky Mary Poppins Festival, held each year in Maryborough during the June-July school holidays, celebrating the art of storytelling. The festival honours Mary Poppins’ author and storyteller, Pamela Lyndon Travers, who was born Helen Lyndon Goff in an upstairs bedroom of the former Australian Joint Stock Bank building in Maryborough on 9 August 1899.

The bank has been converted into an interactive museum, called Story Bank, sharing Maryborough’s unique connection to P.L. Travers. The Mary Poppins Festival held in historic Queens

Park and Portside Precinct includes storytelling across multiple art forms, the Great Nanny Race, Chimney Sweep Challenges, entertainers and characters bursting into the streets, and with a period costume Grand Parade finale to boot.

A dose of country: Visitors wanting to experience a healthy dose of country hospitality are encouraged to stroll through the gates of the Fraser Coast Agricultural Show in May or celebrate the region’s rich mining history at the Burrum Coal Discovery Festival in July.

If you are looking for an energetic atmosphere, head to the Teebar Show and Rodeo in June, frock up for the Torbanlea Picnic Races in October or watch all the action at the Maryborough Showgrounds with year-round horse competitions, shows and trials.

Sport: The Fraser Coast’s action-packed sports line-up includes the Burrum SurfFX Windfest in April, the Hervey Bay Pier 2 Pub swim in August, the Barge2Beach Swim and Hervey Bay 100 triathlon in November.

Fishing: The Fraser Coast capitalises on its reputation as one of the country’s premier fishing destinations by hosting a range of contests for anglers including the Burrum Heads Easter Fishing Classic in April, the Toogoom Family Fishing Competition in September and the Hervey Bay Game Fishing Classic in the marlin grounds off K’gari-Fraser Island in November.

Events

Speed: Feel the need for speed? In May, hit the beach for the highoctane thrills of powerboat racing as Hervey Bay hosts the Offshore Superboat Championships. If cars are your thing, cruise to the Maryborough Speedway track for one of their regular meets involving karts, junior sedans, modifieds, formula 500s and V8 sprint cars. If you prefer your thrills sky-high, try the annual Wings, Wheels and Warbirds for classic cars, classic planes and serious horsepower. Plus street cruises including May in the Bay, Dunga Derby Homecoming and the Land Rover Gathering Field Day in September.

The Fraser Coast has a busy calendar of festivals and events happening all year round. For a complete list go to frasercostevents. com and follow Fraser Coast Events on Facebook.

Food Festivals

Culinary events are a crowd favourite on the Fraser Coast with the popularity of food-focused festivals a hot ticket item. The events offer unique Fraser Coast experiences to both locals and holiday makers alike.

The driving force turning food experiences into a stronger tourist attraction has been the team at Fraser Coast Tourism & Events, which has hit on the popular combination of offering great food variety mixed with quality entertainment, craft stalls and kids’ entertainment to draw the crowds at regular Food ‘n Groove Friday events at Seafront Oval during the summer tourist high season.

Relish: The Relish Food & Wine Festival in Maryborough’s Mary River Parklands has been a consistent favourite since it began its career as the Portside Food and Wine Festival in 2012. Aimed at lifting in the profile of Fraser Coast food and agri-businesses, this event is a celebration of local talent and resources. Great food, selection of regional wineries, distilleries and breweries, live entertainment and watching some of the region’s best chefs showcase their skills and knowledge are now huge drawcards to the annual Relish event, held in winter sunshine in early June.

Fraser coast flavours: Expanding on the much-loved annual Hervey Bay Seafood Festival, Fraser Coast Flavours is a celebration of food, music, artisans and community. Using Seafront Oval on the Hervey Bay foreshore, Flavours takes advantage of the perfect destination, climate with extended hours. Attendees are entertained through twilight into the evening from two live music stages, a games tent, kids entertainment area and an exclusive cocktail lounge hosted by an award-winning Fraser Coast based distillery. As Hervey Bay’s newest festival, Fraser Coast Flavours is a vibrant day out the whole family can enjoy.

Fraser Coast Annual Events Calendar 2024-25

For a full list of the region’s events and most up-to-date information search frasercoastevents.com and follow Fraser Coast Events on Facebook

January

n Food ‘n Groove Friday, Hervey Bay

n Food ‘n Groove Friday, Maryborough

n Kingfisher Bay Resort Regatta, K’gari (Fraser Island)

February

n Triathlon/Aquathlon Schools Championship, Hervey Bay

March

n SummerSalt Concert, Seafront Oval, Hervey Bay

April

n SurfFX Windfest, Burrum Heads

n Bay to Bay Yacht Race, Hervey Bay

May

n May in the Bay Rodders Car Show, Nikenbah

n Offshore Superboats, Hervey Bay

n Fraser Coast Agricultural Show, Maryborough

June

n Relish Food and Wine Festival, Maryborough

n Teebar Camp draft and Rodeo

July

n Mary Poppins Festival, Maryborough Parklands

n Burrum Coal Discovery Festival, Howard

n FraserPop! Pop Culture Festival, Maryborough

n River Heads Rocks, River Heads

n Fraser Coast Expo, Maryborough Showground

n Tiaro Field Day (2024 only)

August

n Hervey Bay Whale Festival

n Dunga Derby, Hervey Bay

n Pier to Pub Ocean Swim, Torquay, Hervey Bay

n Ultra 355, Hervey Bay

n Maryborough Open Gardens

September

n Fraser Coast Flavours

n Riverfest, River Heads

n Toogoom Family Fishing Competition

n Wings, Wheels and Warbirds, Maryborough Airport

n The Land Rover Gathering Field Day, Hervey Bay

October

n Torbanlea Picnic Races

n Majestic Vanners Show ‘n Shine, Hervey Bay

n Red Bike Challenge, K’gari (Fraser Island)

n Food ‘n Groove Get Ready, Hervey Bay & Maryborough

November

n Hervey Bay Game Fishing Classic

n Hervey Bay 100 Triathlon

n Barge2Beach Ocean Swim, Scarness, Hervey Bay

n Carols in the Country, Tiaro

December

n Food ‘n Groove Fridays, Hervey Bay

n Maryborough Carols

n Hervey Bay RSL Carols by Candlelight

n New Year’s Eve Celebrations, Torquay

Regional Markets

The Fraser Coast has a suite of craft and produce markets that reflect the diversity of the region and draw locals and visitors alike to their bustling sites.

One of the largest and most regular markets is in Maryborough’s CBD each Thursday from 7am to noon where you will find 80 to 100 stalls and there’s also entertainment and a vintage time cannon booming across the city at 1pm as a reminder of a bygone era, when the cannon was used to set the time for the town’s inhabitants.

Another local favourite is the summer food market, a feature of Food ‘n Groove Fridays live music events held on selected Fridays during summer months at Seafront Oval and Maryborough's Brolga Theatre river stage. Food trucks support all Food ‘n Groove events offering a wide variety of cuisines, satiating hunger pangs as crowds of up to 4000 kick back on chairs and picnic rugs enjoying great local bands and artists.

Throughout the Fraser Coast there are many market options with quality handmade clothing, playful jewellery, colourful artwork, plants, fresh organic produce, and tasty homemade treats on offer.

Hervey Bay

Food ‘n Groove Fridays

Seafront Oval, Pialba Fridays during summer (for updates check Fraser Coast Events Facebook).

Urangan Pier Park Community Markets

Pier Street, Urangan every Wednesday and Saturday, 8am – 1pm

Torquay Beachside Markets

415 Charlton Esplanade every Saturday, 8am – 1pm

Nikenbah Markets

Corner of Nikenbah-Dundowran and Maryborough-Hervey Bay roads 1st, 3rd and 5th Sunday of the month, 6am – noon

Koala Markets

Kruger Court, Urangan 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month, 6am – noon

Maryborough

Food ‘n Groove Fridays

Seafront Oval, Pialba Fridays during summer (for updates check frasercoastevents.com)

Maryborough Markets

Adelaide and Ellena streets every Thursday, 7am – noon

Regional

Howard Country Markets 6 Steeley Street

1st Saturday of the month, 7am – noon

Burrum Heads Markets

Corner of Burrum Heads Road and Howard Street

2nd Saturday of the month, 7am – noon

Tiaro Markets

Corner of Mayne Street and Forgan Terrace 2nd Saturday of the month, 6am – noon

Bauple Markets

Band Hall Road

4th Saturday of the month, 7am-1pm

2024-25 Partner Directory

Platinum Partners

Fraser Coast Regional Council www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au

Kingfisher Bay Resort www.kingfisherbay.com

University of the Sunshine Coast www.usc.edu.au

Gold Partners

Discovery Parks

www.discoveryholidayparks.com.au

Hervey Bay RSL Club www.herveybayrsl.com.au

Tasman Venture Whale Watching www.tasmanventure.com.au

Accommodation

Akama Resort www.akamaresort.com.au

Arlia Sands Apartments arliasands.com.au

Blue Shades Motel Maryborough www.blueshades.com.au

Breakfree Great Sandy Straits www.greatsandystraits.com.au

Burrum Tavern www.burrumtavern.com.au

Cara Motel

www.caramotel.com.au

Comfort Inn on Main www.comfortinnherveybay.com.au

Emeraldene Inn & Eco Lodge www.emeraldene.com.au

Fraser Island Retreat www.kgari.au

Fraser View

www.fraserislandhouses.com.au/fraser-view

Grand Mercure Allegra Apartments www.allegra-herveybay.com.au

Happy Valley Property Management Pty Ltd www.fraserislandhouses.com.au

Hervey Bay Motel

www.theherveybaymotel.com.au

K'gari Beach Resort

www.kgaribeachresort.com.au

K'gari Fraser Island Adventures www.beachcampfraserisland.com.au

Kingfisher Bay Resort www.kingfisherbay.com

Kokomo at Kingfisher Bay www.kokomoatkingfisherbay.com

Kondari Resort & Hotel www.kondari.com.au

Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort www.ladyelliot.com.au

Main Street Motel

www.mainstreetmotel.com.au

Mantra Hervey Bay

www.mantraherveybay.com.au

Ned Kelly's Motel

www.nedkellymotel.com.au

Oaks Hervey Bay Resort & Spa

www.oakshotels.com/en/oaks-resort-andspa-hervey-bay

Plantation Resort at Rainbow www.plantationresortatrainbow.com.au

Quarterdecks Retreat www.quarterdecksretreat.com.au

Ramada Hervey Bay

www.ramadaherveybay.com.au

Riviera Resort

www.rivieraresort.net.au

Salty Towers

www.saltytowers.com.au

Sanctuary Lakes Fauna Retreat www.sanctuarylakesherveybay.com.au

Shelly Bay Resort

www.shellybayresort.com.au

The Bay Apartments

www.thebayapartments.com.au

The Beach Motel www.thebeachmotel.com.au

The Grange Resort www.thegrange-herveybay.com.au

Villa Cavour Hervey Bay

www.villacavour.com.au

Waiuta Retreat Holiday HouseKingfisher Bay Resort Fraser Island www.waiuta-retreat.com.au

White Crest Luxury Apartments www.whitecrest.net

Woolshed Eco Lodge

www.woolshedecolodge.com.au

Camping, Caravan & Holiday Parks

BIG4 Point Vernon Holiday Park www.big4herveybay.com.au

Burrum Heads Beachfront Tourist Park www.beachfronttouristparks.com.au/ourparks/burrum-heads-caravan-park

Burrum River Caravan Park

www.burrumrivercaravanpark.com.au

Cathedrals on Fraser

www.cathedralsonfraser.com.au

Discovery Parks - Head Office

www.discoveryholidayparks.com.au

Discovery Holiday Parks - Fraser Street www.discoveryholidayparks.com.au/caravanparks/queensland/fraser-street-hervey-bay

Fraser Coast Beachfront Tourist Parks www.beachfronttouristparks.com.au

Fraser Coast Top Tourist Park www.frasercoasttoptouristpark.com.au

Gootchie Creek Escape www.gootchiecreek.com

Gum Tree Lodge & Bush Camp www.gumtreebushcamp.com.au

Habitat Noosa

www.habitatnoosa.com.au

Ingenia Holidays Hervey Bay www.ingeniaholidays.com.au/hervey-bay

Pialba Beachfront Tourist Park www.beachfronttouristparks.com.au/ourparks/pialba-caravan-park

Pier Caravan Park

www.caravanparkherveybay.com.au

Poona Palms Holiday Park www.poonapalms.com.au

Riverside Burrum Heads www.riversideburrumheads.com

Scarness Beachfront Tourist Park www.beachfronttouristparks.com.au/ourparks/scarness-caravan-park

Sunlodge Caravan Park www.sunlodge.com.au

Tasman Holiday Parks www.tasmanholidayparks.com/au

Tasman Holiday Park - Fraser Coast www.tasmanholidayparks.com/au/frasercoast

Tasman Holiday Park - Hervey Bay www.tasmanholidayparks.com/au/hervey-bay

Tasman Holiday Park - Torquay Palms www.tasmanholidayparks.com/au/torquaypalms

Torquay Beachfront Tourist Park www.beachfronttouristparks.com.au/ourparks/torquay-caravan-park

Trinity Islands Holiday Park www.trinityislandsholidaypark.com.au

Wide Bay Getaway Bush Camp www.widebaygetaway.com.au

Windmill Caravan Park www.windmillpark.com.au

Attractions

Bamboo Land Pty Ltd www.bambooland.com.au

Bond Store Museum

www.portside.ourfrasercoast.com.au

Brolga Theatre & Convention Centre brolga.ourfrasercoast.com.au

Bundaberg Rum Distillery www.bundabergrum.com.au

Fairies Reborn Magic Nursery www.facebook.com/ FairiesRebornMagicNursery

Fraser Coast Wildlife Sanctuary www.frasercoastwildlifesanctuary.org.au

Gatakers Artspace gatakers.ourfrasercoast.com.au

Hervey Bay Hat Co www.hatco.com.au

Hervey Bay Historical Village & Museum www.herveybaymuseum.com.au

Hervey Bay Regional Gallery hbrg.ourfrasercoast.com.au

Hervey Bay Regional Library www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/libraries

Little Monkey's Playcentre & Cafe www.littlemonkeyscafe.com.au

Lychee Divine www.lycheedivine.com.au

Maryborough Military and Colonial Museum

www.maryboroughmuseum.org

Maryborough Showgrounds & Equestrian Park

maryboroughpark.ourfrasercoast.com.au

Mini Golf Hervey Bay

www.minigolfherveybay.com.au

Portside Heritage Gateway portside ourfrasercoast.com.au

Splashside Water Park

www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/splashside

Story Bank storybank.ourfrasercoast.com.au

Dining

Aquavue Beachfront Bar & Eatery

www.aquavue.com.au

Banksia Seafood and Grill

www.banksiaseafoodgrill.com.au

Bay Central Tavern

www.baycentraltavern.com.au

Bayaroma

www.bayaroma.com.au

Cafe Balaena

www.cafebalaena.com.au

Cake Bake Brew

www.facebook.com/CakeBakeBrew

Hervey Bay Boat Club

www.boatclub.com.au

Hervey Bay RSL Club

www.herveybayrsl.com.au

Odyssey Bistro

www.odysseybistro.com.au

Salt Cafe

www.saltcafe.com.au

The Bayswater Bar & Grill

www.thebayswater.com.au

The Beach House Hotel

www.beachhousehotel.com.au

The Clubhouse Hervey Bay

www.theclubhouseherveybay.com.au

Car & 4WD Rental

Aussie Trax 4x4 Rentals www.fraserisland4wd.com.au

Budget Rent a Car Central Queensland www.budget.com.au

Fraser Dingo 4WD Adventures www.fraserdingo4wdhire.com.au

Hervey Bay Rent a Car Pty Ltd

www.herveybayrentacar.com.au

Safari 4WD

www.safari4wdhire.com.au

Tours, Charter & Transport

1770 Larc! Tours

www.1770larctours.com.au

Air Fraser Island

www.airfraserisland.com.au

Blue Dolphin Marine Tours

www.bluedolphintours.com.au

Boab Boat Hire Hervey Bay www.boabboats.com.au/hervey-bay-1

Boat Club Adventure Cruises

www.boatclubadventurecruises.com.au

CaCh Tours and Events

www.cachtoursandevents.com.au

Fraser Coast Jetski Tours

www.frasercoastjetskitours.com.au

Fraser Experience Tours

www.fraserexperiencetours.com.au

Fraser Island Barges

www.sealink.com.au/kgari-fraser-island

Fraser Island Boat Charters

www.fraserislandboatcharters.com.au

Fraser Island Whale Watching

www.whalewatch.com.au

Freedom Eco Tours

www.freedomwhalewatch.com.au

G & D Ross Bus Charters

www.ganddrossbuscharters.com.au

Great Ocean Helicopters

www.greatoceanhelicopters.com.au

Hervey Bay Dive Centre

www.diveherveybay.com.au

Hervey Bay Eco Marine Tours

www.herveybayecomarinetours.com.au

Hervey Bay Fly and Sportfishing

www.herveybaysportfishing.com.au

Hervey Bay Whale Watch

www.herveybaywhalewatch.com.au

Hummer Tours

www.fraserexperiencetours.com.au

K'gari Explorer Tours

www.kgariexplorertours.com.au

K'gari Salty Safaris

www.salty-safaris.com.au

Mary Valley Rattler

www.maryvalleyrattler.com.au

Pacific Whale Foundation

Eco Adventures Australia

www.pacificwhale.com.au

Spirit of Hervey Bay www.spiritofherveybay.com.au

Sweet Escape Yacht Charters

www.sweetescapecharters.com.au

Tasman Venture Whale Watching Hervey Bay www.tasmanventure.com.au

Tasman Venture Remote Fraser Island Tours www.tasmanventure.com.au

Whalesong Cruises www.whalesong.com.au

Business Services

AATEC Office National www.photocopiersherveybay.com.au

Altus Traffic Australia www.altustraffic.com.au/qld

Baywaters Cleaning www.baywaterscleaning.com.au

BDB Lawyers www.bdblawyers.com.au

Consolidated Linen Service www.clservice.com.au

Crush Communications Pty Ltd www.crushcommunications.com.au

Fisho's Tackle World Hervey Bay www.fishostackleworld.com.au

Fraser Coast Tourist Radio tunein.com/radio/Tourist-FM-Radio-878-s181149

Hervey Bay Caravan Storage

www.herveybaycaravanstorage.com.au

Hervey Bay Chamber of Commerce www.herveybaychamber.com.au

iStore Storage/Auction Centre Hervey Bay www.istorestorage.com.au

JR Marketing Group www.jrmg.com.au

Marks & Partners Property www.markspartners.com.au

Mitchells Realty www.mitchellsrealty.com.au

Southern Cross Austereo www.southerncrossaustereo.com.au

Torquay Progress Association www.torquay.org.au

Wide Bay Caravans Sales & Repairs www.widebaycaravans.com.au

FIND YOUR MOMENT OF FREEDOM

The very best of Fraser Coast is right on your doorstep at Tasman Holiday Parks. Discover more for less at any one of our Fraser Coast parks.

Unwind in the tropical surrounds in your caravan at Tasman Holiday Parks – Fraser Coast . Relax in nature with your furry friend at our pet-friendly park at Tasman Holiday Parks – Hervey Bay or simply sit back and take advantage of our refreshing pool at Tasman Holiday Parks – Torquay Palms

Paradise Awaits

Led by an experienced local guide, K'gari Explorer Tours will help you discover the island's UNESCO World Heritage-listed locations, with curated itineraries that represent the BEST VALUE experiences on K'gari! Tours depart from Hervey Bay and Rainbow Beach, including an award-winning team, courtesy transfers and free cancellations up to 48 hours prior to departure.

K'GARI DAY TOUR K'GARI TWO DAY TOUR K'GARI GETAWAY

Embark on an all-inclusive island adventure. Visit bucket list locations such as Lake McKenzie, Central Station rainforest, 75 Mile Beach, and the historic Maheno Shipwreck.

Enjoy two days discovering the island’s iconic attractions, PLUS explore hidden gems, with the opportunity to swim in Champagne Pools and the emerald green oasis of Lake Wabby.

For a bespoke experience, combine a stay at the award-winning Kingfisher Bay Resort before exploring the world’s largest sand island, on an accommodated tour.