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| Old whaling harpoon at
the marina, Hervey Bay |
Hervey Bay
Popular resort town and main access point to Fraser
Island.
Hervey Bay is a well-frequented holiday destination, a huge
retirement centre, and the most popular access point to
Fraser Island. Essentially a string of associated villages -
Urangan, Torquay, Scarness, Pialba and Point Vernon - it
stretches along the bay in a series of small shopping
centres and a seemingly endless run of holiday units,
motels, caravan parks and flats.
Located 300 km north of Brisbane and 37 km east of
Maryborough, Hervey Bay's great attraction lies in the
diversity it offers - whale spotting, fishing, walking,
water skiing, scuba diving, fishing, exploring nearby Fraser
Island. Beyond these activities are the usual tourist
attractions of a wildlife park, a bird sanctuary and an
aquarium. There is also an interesting and substantial
historical museum and a memorial to the kanakas who worked
the sugar fields in the area.
Hervey Bay has had little respect for its past. Once a
series of quiet and sleepy villages it is now in the process
of exploding into a Gold Coast style series of holiday
destinations. It is now a city (officially proclaimed in
1984) encompassing a series of small villages, all of which
now blend together. With this development has come the
inevitable problem that much of the character of the area
has been sacrificed by the construction of modern project
homes for people (apparently most of them came from
Victoria) eager to retire to the sun. This problem is
compounded by the fact that much of the beach foreshore is
taken up with Caravan Parks (it actually boasts that it is
the 'Caravan Capital of Australia') creating a very one
dimensional feel about the place - shops on one side of the
Esplanade, then Caravan Parks, then a narrow hard sand
beach.
The first European to reach the Hervey Bay area was
Captain James Cook who sailed past Fraser Island naming many
of the prominent features. Cook did not sail into Hervey
Bay. In fact he was some 6 km offshore as he sailed north.
This did not stop him naming the bay after the 'English
Casanova', Augustus John Hervey, a sailor of some note who
acquired a fierce reputation as a womaniser.
Matthew Flinders passed through the area twice. In 1799
Flinders sailed around Fraser Island entering the bay and
going ashore at the present site of Dayman Park. He was the
first European to step ashore at Hervey Bay.
It is one of the ironies of history that Flinders, who
returned to the area in 1802 on his historic
circumnavigation of the Australia, did not located the
Fraser Island Straits on either of his voyages.
The first settlement of Hervey Bay occurred in the 1850s.
Hervey Bay was originally part of a cattle station, the
Toogoom Run, which was settled in 1854. The first permanent
white settler at Hervey Bay was Boyle Martin who, with his
wife and child, arrived in 1863. He worked cutting timber
and it is suggested that he was the first person to grow
sugar cane in the area. By 1859 the first subdivision of
land around Hervey Bay took place.
The attractions of the area were obvious. The fishing was
good, the place was quiet, the weather was excellent, the
area around the bay was flat and accessible. All these
factors quickly led Maryborough businessmen to take up large
waterfront blocks of land for weekend retreats.
In the 1870s many Scandanavian settlers moved into the
area and for a short time Hervey Bay became known as
Aarlborg. At this time the area was basically used for dairy
farming.
In the 1880s sugar was introduced to the area and the
Kanakas were brought from the South Pacific islands to work
on the sugar plantations.
In 1896 the Bay was connected to Maryborough by railway
and in 1917 (progress wasn't exactly rapid) the Urangan Pier
was completed and Urangan became an important port for the
export of sugar.
Modern tourism started in the 1950s when Hervey Bay
became a popular retreat particularly for retired Victorians
who were initially attracted to the area by the warmth of
the climate and later the added appeal of 'no death duties'.
It has continued to grow in popularity so that in 1984
Hervey Bay was proclaimed a city.
Things to see:
The Matthew Flinders Memorial
The Matthew Flinders Memorial is located in Dayman Park
(good maps of the Hervey Bay area are freely available from
virtually all tourist outlets) which lies between the
Urangan Pier and Hervey Bay Marina. A bronze plaque on the
monument reads: 'Erected to the memory of Capt Matthew
Flinders R.N. who landed hereabout from HMS Norfolk on 6th
August, 1799 and Lt Joseph Dayman R.N. who passed here in
the schooner Asp, after making the first passage of the
Fraser Island Straits in 1847.' Dayman found the straits by
clinging to the shores of the bay as he sailed down the
coast after a surveying expedition in the Port Curtis area.
Urangan Pier
Stretching 1.4 km out into the sea and now over 70 years
old, it is used by holidaying fishermen and people who want
a leisurely walk.
During the war Fraser Island and Hervey Bay were used as
training grounds for the famous Z-Force. At Dayman Point,
near the Matthew Flinders memorial, is another memorial
'Dedicated to the men of Z. Force who sank 38 000 tons of
Japanese shipping in Singapore Harbour September 1943'.
Using an old Japanese fish carrier named Kofuku Naru,
which had been changed to the Krait, Z-Force managed to get
into Singapore Harbour where they attached limpet mines to a
number of Japanese vessels. In one night they blew up over
38 000 tons of Japanese ships and managed to return to
Australia.
Whale Watching
In recent year the fashionable activity of whale watching
has attracted thousands of people to the area. The migrating
humpback whales pass along this section of the Queensland
coast between August and October and interest in the huge
mammals has created a new tourist industry. There are ten
companies offering whale watching voyages and all are listed
in the Fraser Coast Tourist Information Directory.
The Hervey Bay Museum in Zephyr Street (clearly
signposted off the Esplanade) is an interesting and detailed
collection of buildings and memorabilia related to the area.
The Museum is easily located as it has a huge 'Fighting
Whiting', donated by the local newspaper, outside to attract
tourists.
Tourist Attractions
Apart from these attractions the area has a number of
typical holiday resort attractions. There is Vic Hislop's
White Death Shark Show on the Esplanade at Urangan,
Polymetrics of Hervey Bay at 63 Old Maryborough Road, Pialba
- who claim to have 'Australia's largest range of crystal
clear resin embedment and acrylic souvenirs', Neptune's
Marine Aquarium at Dayman Point (tel: 07 4128 9828) which
has living coral, tropical fish, a shark pool and crocodile
pit, and the Botanic Gardens in Elizabeth Street, Urangan.
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| Vic Hislop's Shark Show
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Memorial to the Kanakas
There is a Memorial to the Kanakas at Point Vernon (follow
the Esplanade along to Corser Street - the memorial is
located at the back of the Polson Cemetery) which is a
reminder that these virtual slaves were brought to Australia
as conscripted labour from 1863-1906. There were an
estimated 12 000 (of a total of over 50 000) kanakas living
in the Maryborough-Hervey Bay area.
Ferry Services to Fraser Island
Services from Hervey Bay Boat Harbour (at Urangan) and River
Heads (south of town) all require advance bookings. The
Fraser Dawn departs from Hervey Bay Boat Habour at Urangan
for Moon Point at 8.30 a.m. and 3.30 p.m. daily, returning
from Moon Point at 9.30 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. daily. The trip
takes about one hour and, in September 2002, the price was
$82 return for one vehicle and driver plus $5.50 for each
additional person at school age and above. For walk-on
passengers the cost was $16.50 return per person, tel: (07)
4125 4444.
Also departing from Hervey Bay Boat Harbour, at Urangan,
is a passenger service bound for the Kingfisher Bay Resort
on Fraser Island. This is NOT a vehicle barge. It departs at
6.45 a.m., 8.45 a.m., midday and 4.00 p.m. daily, plus an
additional departure at 6.30 a.m. from Sunday to Thursday
and at 7.00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The return trips
depart Kingfisher Resort at 7.40 a.m., 10.30 a.m., 2.00
p.m., 5.00 p.m. and 8.00 p.m. daily. The cost is $35 return,
per adult and $17.50 return, per child aged over four, tel:
(1800) 072 555.
The Kingfisher Resort also has a passenger service which
departs from River Heads at 7.15 a.m., 10.00 a.m. and 3.30
p.m. daily, with return services departing from the resort
at 8.00 a.m., 1.30 p.m. and 4.00 p.m. The prices are the
same as from Urangan.
It is also possible to take a vehicle barge called the
Fraser Venture from River Heads to Wonggoolba Creek (a
thirty minute trip). They depart at 9.00 a.m., 10.15 a.m.
and 3.30 p.m. daily, with an additional service at 7.00 a.m.
Saturday. The return trips depart from Wonggoolba Creek at
9.30 a.m., 3.30 p.m. and 4.00 p.m. daily with an additional
service at 7.30 a.m. on Saturdays, tel: (07) 4125 4444. The
prices for the Fraser Venture are the same as those for the
Fraser Dawn.
Maps of the island are for sale at all ferry points. It
is important to remember that a permit is required to drive
on Fraser Island, for which a fee is payable. They can be
obtained from the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife
Service office at River Heads. There are also fees for usage
of the camping facilities on the island.
Australian Businesses for sale
Caravan Parks for sale
Motels for sale
Hotels for sale
Broadwalk Business Brokers
Businesses for Sale in Hervey Bay
: Buy or Sell Hotels, Motels, Caravan Parks, Bed & Breakfast,
Pubs, Wine Bars, Restaurants, Cafe, English Tea Rooms, Coffee Shops,
Deli, Catering Business, Pubs, Bars, Sandwich Bars, Pizza Delivery,
Bakeries, Hot Food Take-away, Fish & Chips, Petrol & Service Stations,
Australian Businesses for sale, Car Sales, Motor & Transport, Car/Van
Hires, Newsagents, Dry Cleaners, Salons, General Stores, Retail Stores,
Post Office, Printers, Convenience Stores, Clothes shop, Hair Dressers,
Beauty Salon, Fruit Markets, Butchers, Florist, Card & Gift shop, Sports
shop, Book Shops, Care Agency, Pharmacy, Tool-Hardware & DIY shops, Pet
Shops, Auto Mechanical, Auto Parts & Accessories,
Bakery Businesses for sale , Motel sales, caravan park sales, Hotel
sales, Business sales, Bar for sale, Juice Bar for sale,
Beauty Salon for sale, Bike and Motorcycle Businesses for sale ,
Australian Businesses for sale, Blinds and Shutters Businesses for sale , Boat Business for sale ,
Book Shop , Bread Run, Building and Construction , Butcher Shop,
Café Business for sale, Car Dealerships for sale, Car Rental
Business for sale , Car Yard, Cleaning Business for sale, Computer
Business for sale, Childcare Centre for sale, Confectionary
Business for sale, Convenience Store for sale, Deli Businesses for
sale , Distribution Businesses for sale , Earth Moving Businesses
for sale , Businesses for sale , Engineering Businesses for sale ,
Export/Import Businesses for sale , Fitness Centres for sale,
Florist for sale, Franchise Businesses for sale , Fruit and Veg
Shop for sale, Function Centre for sale, Funeral Parlour for sale,
Furniture Businesses for sale , Garden Equipment Businesses for
sale , General Store s for sale, Gift Shop for sale, Hairdressing
salons for sale , Hardware Businesses for sale , Hire Businesses for
sale , Businesses for sale, Motels for sale, Caravan Parks for sale,
hotels for sale, Ice Cream Businesses for sale , Juice Bar for sale, Laundrette ' s for sale, Lawn Mowing Businesses for sale , Magazine
Businesses for sale , Manufacturing Businesses for sale , Marine
Businesses for sale , Menswear Businesses for sale , Milk Run 's
for sale, Mixed Businesses for sale , Mobile Businesses for sale ,
News agency Businesses for sale , Pawnbroker Businesses for sale ,
Preschool for sale, Pest Control Businesses for sale ,Business for
sale Pet Shop, Plumbing Businesses for sale , Post Office for sale ,
Removalist Businesses for sale, Restaurants for sale, Roadhouses for
sale, Rubbish Removal Businesses for sale , Rural Supplies
Businesses for sale , Sales and Distribution Businesses for sale ,
Security Businesses for sale , Service Station for sale, Shoe Shop
for sale, Supermarkets for sale, Takeaway Businesses for sale ,
Taxi Businesses for sale , Transport Businesses for sale , Vending
Machine Businesses for sale , Wholesale Businesses for sale,
Wrecking Yard for sale in Hervey Bay.
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