Hervey Bay, Queensland

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The beach in Hervey Bay looking towards Point Vernon

Hervey Bay (25°17′S 152°50′E^[1]) is a rapidly growing resort city and Local Government Area in south eastern Queensland, Australia. The 'Bay' benefits from a fantastic sub-tropical climate with no real extremes (average 30 degrees in Summer and 23 degress in Winter) and has been voted in the top three of 'best climates' in the World. Subsequently this has certainly added to the growth appeal of the city. City population is approximately 52,000 (2006 estimates), with the city covering an area of 2,356 square kilometres, under the administrative control of the Hervey Bay City Council.

The bay was originally named "Hervey's Bay" by Captain Cook (in the Admiralty copy of his journal) when he passed there on 21 May 1770, after naval officer The Hon. Augustus Hervey.^[2]

The city is situated on the shores of the South Pacific Ocean, and is only a short distance from Fraser Island, the world's largest sand island. The local economy thrives on tourists, for whom whale watching and Fraser Island itself are the major drawcards. Recent figures (2004) suggest that more than 600,000 people visit the city each year.

With the recent expansion of Hervey Bay airport and direct flights from Sydney and Brisbane, the numer of visitors (and permanent residents) is set to continue to increase.

Until recent years, Hervey Bay was a string of small townships stretching along the coast. In 1976 the population was only 8,000. Rapid population growth can, in a large part, be attributed to the sea change phenomenon, with large numbers of retirees seeking a relaxed coastal lifestyle.