| Hervey Bay Queensland | |
 Torquay Beach Hervey Bay | |
| Population: | 48,157 [1] (29) |
| Coordinates: | Coordinates: |
| Time zone: | AEST (UTC+10) |
| Location: | |
| LGA: | Hervey Bay City Council |
| State District: | Hervey Bay |
| Federal Division: | Wide Bay |
Hervey Bay is a rapidly growing city in southeastern Queensland, Australia. The 'Bay' benefits from a fantastic sub-tropical climate with no real extremes (average 30 degrees Celsius in summer and 23 degrees 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. At the 2006 census the population was approximately 48,000, with the city covering an area of 2,356 square kilometres, under the administrative control of the Hervey Bay City Council. Hervey Bay is represented in the Queensland State Parliament by Andrew McNamara. The current Mayor of Hervey Bay is Ted Sorensen.[2] 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.[3] 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 and Lady Elliot Island, a pristine resort island on the Great Barrier Reef. The local economy thrives on tourists, for whom whale watching, Fraser Island and Lady Elliot Island are the major drawcards. Recent figures (2004) suggest that more than 600,000 people visit the city each year. 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.
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Climate
Hervey Bay has a warm sub-tropical climate with no real extremes. In summer, daytime maximum temperatures average 30 degrees celsius with minimum temperatures a mild 21 degrees celsius. Winters in 'The Bay' can be quite cold. Daytime maximums average 22 degrees celsius. The mercury is known to plummet to low figures; the lowest temperature recorded is -1.2 degrees celsius in July 2007. Since the climate is sub-tropical climate, Hervey Bay receives most of its annual rainfall during the summer wet season from December to February.
Transport
Hervey Bay is situated approximately 3 and a half hours drive north of Brisbane, and 30 minutes drive north-east of Maryborough. The city is served by the Hervey Bay Airport, with direct flights from Brisbane (QantasLink) and Sydney (Virgin Blue and Jetstar). With the 2005 expansion of the airport and the commencement of direct flights from Sydney and Brisbane, the number of visitors (and permanent residents) is set to continue to increase. The Hervey Bay City Council has released an Airport Master Plan which includes future provisioning of a taxiway parallel to the main runway, a 900 metre cross runway, additional car parking facilities and larger terminal.[4] Airlines Virgin Blue and Jetstar and currently being lobbied by a business consortium, which includes the Hervey Bay City Council, to provide a direct flight route to Melbourne.[5]. The airport is currently served by daily flights from Virgin Blue (from Sydney), 4 weekly flights from Jetstar (from Sydney), and 18 flights from Brisbane (QantasLink).
Localities
Hervey Bay began as a dispersed community spread over numerous small, seaside villages. As the area grew, these communities merged and became suburbs of the new city. The current city includes the following suburbs:
- Dundowran
- Eli Waters
- Kawungan
- Nikenbah
- Pialba
- Point Vernon
- Scarness
- Torquay
- Urangan
- Urraween
- Wondunna
Towns outside the Hervey Bay area but within the city council boundaries:
- River Heads
- Toogoom
- Craignish
- Booral
- Aldershot
- Howard
- Torbanlea
- Burrum Heads
Nearby towns and cities
Education
The Bay offers many primary and secondary schooling facilities, both state and private.
- Primary
- Fraser Coast Anglican College
- Kawungan State School
- Pialba State School
- Sandy Straits State School
- St James Lutheran College [Primary]
- Star Of The Sea State Primary School
- Torquay State School
- Urangan Point state School
- Xavier Catholic College
- Yarrilee State School
- Hervey Bay Special Schoool
- Secondary
- Higher Education
Sister Cities
Hervey Bay has two sister cities, according to the Australian Sister Cities Association.
References
- ^ 2006 Census QuickStats : Hervey Bay (QLD) (Statistical District). Australian Bureau of Statistics (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2007-12-30.
- ^ Hervey Bay City Council - Mayor and Councillors. Hervey Bay City Council. Retrieved on 2007-05-07.
- ^ Ray Parkin, H. M. Bark Endeavour, Miegunyah Press, second edition 2003, ISBN 0-522-85093-6.
- ^ Hervey Bay City Council - Airport Master Plan. Hervey Bay City Council. Retrieved on 2007-05-07.
- ^ Hervey Bay-Melbourne route sought. The Australian. Retrieved on 2007-05-07.
External links
- The Hervey Bay City Council
- Hervey Bay Schools ~ Educational Excellence and Opportunities
- Homepage for The Oceania Project. Humpback Whale Research Expedition, Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia
- Hervey Bay Regional Gallery Artabase page
Cities of Queensland, Australia  |
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Capital: Brisbane |
