Tours

HUMBACK WHALES: An iconic tourist drawcard to some of the world’s largest mammals, the coastal city of Hervey Bay is the only place where humpback whales stop to rest and play for up to 10 days on their annual migration journey from the Antarctic to the northern tropics. The calm waters in the lee of Fraser Island are used as a “humpback nursery” from July to October, where visitors can experience one of the most intimate whale watching encounters in the world. So unique is the location, Hervey Bay was declared the world’s first Whale Heritage Site in 2019.

Amazing early season immersive whale-watching experiences before the mothers with calves arrive, when it is possible to swim with these 40-tonne giants of the Southern Ocean.

REMOTE K’GARI-FRASER ISLAND: Experience the unique and untouched remote west coast of World Heritage listed Fraser Island (K’gari) and be one of the few to explore parts of the island only the locals know about.  Leave the crowds behind and discover the hidden and remote parts of the island in a comfortable and relaxing way. Explore the island while bush walking, snorkelling, kayaking and swimming.  Tours are run from the mainland with Tasman Venture to the remote western side of Fraser Island from large marine vessels. Full day and half day tours include all water activities, transfers and food.

Fast boat, the ‘Osprey’, with unique eco experiences exclusive to the  Kingfisher Bay Resort. Beat the crowds and explore the untouched paradise of the remote surrounding islands of the Great Sandy National Park.

DIVING: Located a short distance from the harbour are some of the best local dives you could come across; K’Gari Wreck, Goorie Wreck, The 3 Ships Wrecks, Hardys Artificial Reef, Simpson Artificial Reef, The Snapper Grounds, Iron Maria Wreck and Moon Ledge. Started in 1968 Roy Rufus Reef is the largest artificial reef in the southern hemisphere. With   depths up to 18 metres and spanning 3km2 of the seafloor, the reef is located on the eastern side of Big Woody Island, a 30-minute boat ride from the Great Sandy Straits Marina in Urangan Hervey Bay.

The reef is made up of car bodies, tyres, concrete pipes, two barges and four ships: Pelican, Otter, Lass O Gowrie and Kgari. Marine life includes gropers, coral trout, kingfish, sea snakes, wobbegong, and turtles. The three shipwrecks (GPS 25 16’044″ 152 58’013″ AMG84) of Otter, Pelican and Lass O’Gowrie are within proximity making it possible to explore all, on the one dive. The 43m K’gari (GPS 25 16’087″ 152 57’086″ AMG84), a former logging ship from Fraser Island, is a favourite. The wreck of the Goori (GPS 25 16’087″ 152 58’024″ AMG84), an old Fraser Island timber barge is also a great beginner’s dive.

SAILING: Sheltered by Fraser Island and Hervey Bay, the Great Sandy Strait offers unique sailing and stunning scenery, rivalling the Whitsundays in North Queensland. The Strait is a diverse mix of marine and coastal wetlands, crystal clear turquoise water, long stretch­es of white sandy beaches, native woodlands and dense rainforest. Du gongs, turtles, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins and fish populate the Hardie and Simpson artificial reefs in the northern section near Hervey Bay.

The Fraser Coast region has incredible sailing conditions thanks to ideal weather conditions, calm waters and a diverse range of anchorages with lots to explore. We are also home to the world’s first Whale Heritage Site (Hervey Bay).  Hiring a sailing catamaran will give you an intimate and exclusive opportunity to sail the waters in style and at your own pace.  Join one of the region’s Sailing Fleet on a private day charter in the waters between Hervey Bay and Fraser Island for a full skippered boating experience. Perfect for parties, business functions or a private couple or family experience. Some of the locations travelled include Round Island, Big Woody Island lighthouse and Pelican Bank and views of Fraser Island. Soak up the panoramic views of Hervey Bay and World Heritage listed K’gari (Fraser Island) and watch a spectacular sunset in Hervey bay from one of the regions marine operators. Many tours include drinks and food platters so guests can sit back and enjoy the views.

INDIGENOUS TOURS: Butchulla Indigenous culture is at the forefront of a local tour company operating marine and cultural tours from Urangan Harbour – which gained greater prominence in 2020, designated the Year of Indigenous Tourism in Queensland.

The djinang (on foot) tours along the Urangan foreshore and trips by glass-bottom boat to Round Island and Pelican Banks – and Big Woody Island when the tides and weather permits – are the main Indigenous touring products on the Fraser Coast

The Milbi, a glass bottom boat, navigates through the beauty of the Great Sandy Strait Marine Park, where you will be taken to a small island and receive a warm Welcome to Country from a Butchulla guide.

Time is spent on the island, where you can swim or snorkel in crystal clear waters, play beach cricket or relax on the sandy beaches. Immerse yourself in the Butchulla culture with a local Indigenous guide.

FISHING: The Fraser Coast has abundant recreational and sports fishing. Hervey bay is centrally located in the Great Sandy Biosphere, with a maze of intertwining creeks and rivers, vast sand flats and deep reefs. Hervey Boat Fly and Sportfishing operates in one of the most unique fisheries on the East coast of Australia and a is a Tourism Australia Great Fishing Signature Experience.  The sheltered waters of Fraser Island is one of the very few places in Australia that has an overlap of southern and northern fish species.

The flats of Hervey Bay are renowned as one of the birth places of flats fishing in Australia, in the summer months the flats can see a wide range of species coming up to feed from: tailing Golden Trevally, cruising Queenfish, big GT’s, Yellowtail king fish, Black Marlin and Longtail tuna. t is one of the only known places in the world where you can see Juvenile Black Marlin cruising the shallow flats. For the flats fisherman, Hervey Bay can certainly deliver some unique shallow water captures on both fly and lure.

MARYBOROUGH – HERITAGE & HISTORY: Further inland, the quaint charm of Maryborough, one of Queensland’s oldest cities, is also a drawcard where visitors can stroll through heritage-rich streets brimming with fine colonial architecture and walk a 37-strong mural trail telling some of the fascinating stories which shaped one of the state’s most important industrial towns at the turn of the 20^th Century.

Gallipoli to Armistice, Maryborough. This memorial traces the birth of the Anzacs at Gallipoli, where Maryborough man Duncan Chapman was the first Allied soldier to step ashore, and follows their gruelling journey along the Western Front to Armistice Day. Personal perspectives in the memorial are drawn from letters written home by Maryborough district men on the front line. Some names also appear on the Cenotaph. Representations of the first three boats to land at Anzac Cove carrying the 9^th Battalion are nearby as well as stylised steel columns, up to eight metres tall representing the cliffs in front.

HERVEY BAY BEACHES: The Bay’s beachside towns, protected in the lee of Fraser Island, stretch 16km from Urangan to Point Vernon and are the jewels of the Fraser Coast. There is no beach-front high rise on the Esplanade ringed by a continuous bicycle pathway suitable for roller blading, walking or jogging. The area is dotted with playgrounds, barbecues and numerous alfresco cafes and shops.

Family Fun at Hervey Bay WetSide Water park