Hervey Bay

Hervey Bay lies in the lee of K'gari, which shelters it from the ocean swell, and humpback whales on their southern migration turn into the calm water and stay, resting, nursing calves and often approaching boats out of apparent curiosity. That behaviour, unusual in migrating whales, made the bay one of the first whale watching centres in Australia and it is now designated a Whale Heritage Site. Cruises run daily through the season from the Urangan marina, most offering a sighting guarantee. The Urangan Pier, built in 1917 and once over a kilometre long, remains a fishing landmark, and the bay is the second departure point for K'gari.

History

The Butchulla people, with the Kabi Kabi, are the traditional owners, and James Cook sighted the bay on 22 May 1770 during his survey of the east coast, not realising that Fraser Island, now K'gari, was separate from the mainland, and named it after Augustus John Hervey, later Earl of Bristol, a Lord of the Admiralty. A branch railway from the North Coast line served the area until the mid-1980s, and in October 2019 the World Cetacean Alliance named Hervey Bay the world's first Whale Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Hervey Bay).

What you'll find

• The resting humpbacks - whales pausing in the bay, often close to boats.
• The calves - mothers with young in the sheltered water late in the season.
• Urangan Pier - the long 1917 pier used for fishing and sunsets.
• The K'gari access - barges and tours to the island from the marina.

When to go

July to October, with August and September the peak; whales are gone outside those months. Mothers with calves dominate the later part of the season. Cruises run morning and afternoon and can be cancelled in strong wind.

Practical notes

The season is fixed and there is no whale watching outside it. Cruises are half or full day and not cheap, though most guarantee a sighting or a free repeat trip. The town itself is a spread-out retirement and holiday centre with modest attractions.

Nearby

K'gari lies across the strait; Bundaberg and Mon Repos are north.