HERVEY BAY, QUEENSLAND



Location
Hervey Bay is situated in Queensland, approximately 290 kilometres north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the coast of a natural bay between the Queensland mainland and nearby Fraser Island.


Description
Hervey Bay has often been called the jewel in Queensland’s crown. It is also referred to as the whale watch capital of the world as many whales frequent the waters from July each year.

Hervey Bay has a mild, sub-tropical climate throughout the year, and is a rapidly expanding city with a population growth of around eight per cent annually, putting it near the top of the list of fastest growing cities in Australia. Public facilities are always in the process of being upgraded, and the area has now become a progressive city providing excellent tourist facilities and attractions.


Facilities
There are numerous primary schools in the area, including both a special school and two private schools. At the secondary school level there are two state high schools and two private secondary schools. Hervey Bay also has two Higher Education institutes, a campus of the University of Southern Queensland and the Wide Bay Tafe.

Hervey Bay has a diverse range of sporting activities available, and the Hervey Bay Triathlon has been an annual even since 1988. Recreational water sports are played along the beaches also.


Industry and Employment
The main economy depends heavily on tourism due to its proximity to some of the greatest tourist destinations of Australia like the Lady Elliot Island and the largest sand island in the world, the Fraser Island.

In the 2006 Census, the most common industries of employment for persons aged 15 years and over usually resident in Hervey Bay* were:
•    School Education                     6.0%
•    Cafes, Restaurants and Takeaway Food Services     4.1%
•    Residential Building Construction             3.7%
•    Accommodation                     3.7%
•    Supermarket and Grocery Stores             3.2%

Population
According to the 2006 Census, the population of Hervey Bay* was 52,218 people with 48.8 per cent being males and 51.2 per cent females. Of the total population, 2.6 per cent were Indigenous persons, compared with 2.3 per cent Indigenous persons in Australia.

Housing Market
Residex Statistics (updated for Hervey Bay*)

 

Houses

Units

Current median value

$346,500

$281,500

Current median rent

$300 p/w

$255 p/w

Average capital growth, 10 years

10% p.a

11.4% p.a

Average rent rate, 10 years

5% p.a

5.3% p.a

Average total returns

15.5% p.a

17.4% p.a

*Statistics are for Hervey Bay Local Government Area.

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May 2011