Hervey Bay (Queensland)

This article is about the body of water. For the town, see Hervey Bay. For the Queensland electoral district, see Electoral district of Hervey Bay.

Hervey Bay
View from the International Space Station of the town of Hervey Bay (upper left), the Great Sandy Strait (left), Fraser Island (lower) and Hervey Bay (upper and right), 2013
Hervey Bay is located in Queensland
Hervey Bay
Hervey Bay
Coordinates25°00′13″S 152°50′36″E / 25.0036°S 152.8433°E / -25.0036; 152.8433
Surface area4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi)
Max. depth30 metres (98 ft)

Hervey Bay is a bay of the Coral Sea in the Bundaberg Region and Fraser Coast Region of Queensland, Australia.[1] The bay covers 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi) with a main opening facing northwards. The northern end of the bay is about 80 km wide and its average depth is about 20 metres.[2] In the south of the bay lies the Great Sandy Strait. The Mary River, Burrum River and Burnett River flow into the bay.[2] Hervey Bay is partly protected from oceanic swells by the southern extension of the Great Barrier Reef.[3] To the east of the bay is Fraser Island.

Hervey Bay coastline, 2007

It is known for its whale watching.[4] Hervey Bay is also a spawning region for temperate pelagic fish.[2] Fish populations have supported a fisheries industry that is worth several tens of millions of dollars. Aquaculture is developing into a significant industry for the bay.[2] Recreational fishing around the bay is a tourist drawcard.[5]

Parts of the bay are protected within the Great Sandy Marine Park.[5]

  1. ^ "Hervey Bay – bay in Bundaberg Region (entry 15808)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Ribbe, Joachim (February 2006). "A study into the export of saline water from Hervey Bay, Australia". Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 66 (3–4): 550–558. doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2005.10.012. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference fac was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Whale watching in Hervey Bay: When to go, who to go out with and more". Queensland Uncovered. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  5. ^ a b Loram, Lucy; Heagney, Pat (13 July 2023). "Expansion of 'green' zones in Great Sandy Marine Park to promote biodiversity". ABC News. Retrieved 1 February 2024.