Wide Bay, QLD
whale-watching · k'gari-access · sheltered-bay · family
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Drive to the coast
3 min
By road
Nearest major hospital
6 min
By road
Airport access
13 min
By road
Schools access
Excellent
Average daytime temp
26.4°C
Rainfall
Moderate rainfall
Hervey Bay is a large coastal centre with the service base of a regional city and a lifestyle built around a sheltered bay rather than surf. Around 57,700 people live here, the median age is 51 and population has grown strongly, up about 25% since 2016.
That rise is substantial enough to make development and changing traffic part of the local story. Schools and healthcare sit alongside shopping that is all strong, with the hospital about six minutes away and the airport around 15 minutes.
Housing remains comparatively affordable for a growing Queensland coastal centre, with a median around $770,000 and three-bedroom rents near $590 a week. The esplanade, Urangan Pier, whale season and access towards K’gari give the place a clear outdoor identity, but the urban area is spread out and a car is useful for many routines.
Summers are hot without the extreme wetness of the far north. Brisbane is about 3 hours 30 minutes away, so the city is self-contained enough that residents do not need the capital for ordinary life. Hervey Bay suits people who want strong services and calm-water coastal access. The compromise is less walkability and a more suburban feel than compact beach towns provide.
7 photos
It suits retirees, families, healthcare workers and remote workers who want warm coastal living with real services around them. People who like boating, walking and calm-water beaches may prefer it to a surf-focused town. It is also practical for movers who do not want to depend on a tiny local job or retail market.
The city is spread out, so a car is useful for many everyday trips. Summers are hot, and Brisbane is about 3 hours 33 minutes away. Tourism is noticeable at peak periods, while the local food and cultural scene is more modest than in the Sunshine Coast's higher-profile centres.
Watch humpback whales in season
Walk Urangan Pier
Visit K'gari on a day trip
Swim along the Esplanade beaches
Median house price
$770,000
17% below the QLD median
Median attached price (townhouse/apartment)
$585,000
Median weekly rent (3-bed house)
$590
≈ $2,557/month
Sourced from Queensland Government Statistician's Office · 12 months ending 31 March 2026
Healthcare access
Excellent
Shopping & everyday services
Good
4–9 shopping centres within 20km
Internet connection
Fixed line
Plus 7 more within 20km — showing the 8 closest.
Job market by industry
Healthcare — 17.4%
Largest share of local jobs
Employment figures cover this town's wider statistical region, not the town alone — you'll see the same figures for Maryborough, Bundaberg, Bargara, Gympie and Kingaroy.
The score ranks this region against other regions for the same occupation, not against other jobs here — a low score means it isn't a regional stronghold for that field, not that there are no vacancies. Counts online job advertisements, so trades and farm work hired by word of mouth are undercounted, and outside capital cities this is published at a regional level larger than one town.
Hervey Bay (UCL 311002) · 2021 Census
Older than the country as a whole: 31.9% are 65 or over against 17.2% nationally, and 15.4% are children against 18.2%. Among households, couples without children outnumber couples with them (52.1% of families against 28.4%).
Population
57,722
Population growth
+25.2%
Pialba - Eli Waters (SA2 319041518)
Median age
51 years
Labour force participation
43.7%
Growth is measured across the wider area named under the figure, which can be a different size to the town.
Share of total population in each band — rounding means these won't land on exactly 100%.
Couples are a share of total families; lone-person households are a share of total households — different bases, not one breakdown.
Median personal income
$552
Per week · ≈ $28,704/year
Median family income
$1,312
Per week
Median household income
$1,083
Per week
Personal is one person's income; family and household cover everyone living together — a single-income household will show a lower household figure than its highest earner's personal one. Personal income also covers every resident aged 15 and over, retirees included, so it reads low in a town with an older population even where household income is solid.
Owner-occupied
67.8%
Rented
27.7%
Born in Australia
75.5%
Born overseas
18.4%
Doesn't sum to 100% — people who didn't state a birthplace are excluded rather than redistributed.