Hi all!
Today is my 33rd birthday! I wanted to share some of my favourite places in Hervey Bay, Queensland and show you exactly why I love living here. If you didn’t know, I moved from Melbourne with my family last month and it was the best decision we ever made. You can read more about that here. It’s such a slow-paced and visually stunning area of Australia. Without further ado, let’s get into it!
1.) The Botanical Gardens
The Hervey Bay Botanical Gardens are located in the suburb of Urangan. It was established in 1974 and is situated on 6,000 year old foreshore dunes, spanning 26 hectares. I still haven’t completely explored it all yet. There is a Japanese inspired bridge, a Chinese Zen Garden, an Orchid House, Bush Tucker Garden, chapel and more. You can find turtles swimming in the lake and lots of hidden trails within the greenery. I love going for a walk there. It’s really peaceful and so beautiful.
2.) Wetside Water Park
The Wetside Water Park is located on the foreshore and at the junction of Main Street and the Esplanade in Pialba. Entry is free (except for the water-slides) and there is a Fountain Light Show every Saturday night at 7pm. As you can imagine, my daughter loves it. There is so much to do and it’s the perfect place to spend a few hours on a warm day. Even better, it overlooks the beach with a cafe on site.
3.) Urangan Pier
The Urangan Pier is a must see attraction on the Fraser Coast. It is one of the longest piers in Australia, stretching almost one kilometre into the ocean. If you walk all the way to the end, you may spot a pod of dolphins, stingrays or schools of fish. It’s also the most popular site for fishing. I’ve spent a lot of time there already. It’s absolutely beautiful.
4.) The Esplanade
The Esplanade stretches all the way from Urangan to the beaches of Point Vernon (17 kilometres). There is so much to see along the way. You can walk, jog, ride your bicycle, work out on the gym equipment, have a picnic in the park, go to the beach, hire a scooter (I did this and it was so much fun), stroll along the pier, get an ice-cream and more. The options are endless. I already have many happy memories there.
5.) Reef World Aquarium
Reef World Aquarium is located in Urangan, right on the foreshore. It was established in 1979 and has been operating for well over 35 years. It is an all-natural aquarium, using only sand filtered sea water and natural sunlight. During our first week here, we went and had such an amazing experience. We were permitted to pat the gigantic green turtles (see image below). It was a truly special moment we will never forget. They also house sharks, stingrays, many different species of fish and more. I absolutely recommend going to visit.
Thank you so much for reading! I hope this post inspires you to visit my little corner of the globe. There are a lot more places I could name, so I might do a follow-up post. Let me know if you’ve been to Hervey Bay before.
Peace & Love xoxo
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