Getting to Hervey Bay: drive, fly, train or coach, and where tours leave

Getting to Hervey Bay is straightforward: it is about 3.5 hours' drive north of Brisbane on the Bruce Highway, or a flight of under an hour. Qantas flies from Brisbane and Jetstar flies direct from Sydney and Melbourne; there is no Virgin Australia service. Without a car, the Tilt Train runs to Maryborough West with a coach connection, and Greyhound runs from Brisbane in about 6.5 hours.

The part most visitors get wrong is local: whale and bay cruises leave from the marinas at Urangan, but K'gari (Fraser Island) ferries and most 4WD tours leave from River Heads, 20 minutes south. This page covers both, plus where to stay and how to get around once you arrive.

Driving from Brisbane to Hervey Bay

Tourism and Events Queensland and Kingfisher Bay Resort both put the drive at about 3.5 hours. Take the Bruce Highway north to Maryborough, then turn north-east for the last 30 km or so into Hervey Bay. Visit Fraser Coast gives 260 km from Brisbane to the Fraser Coast, so the full trip is roughly 290 km.

From the north, Kingfisher Bay Resort gives about 1.5 hours from Bundaberg to River Heads via Torbanlea. If you are coming up from Rainbow Beach with your own 4WD, you can cross to K'gari at Inskip Point instead and drive up the island; that route is covered in our K'gari guide.

A few practical points. Leave Brisbane by early afternoon so you are not driving the last stretch in the dark. Whale boats and K'gari boat days leave between about 7 and 8:30 am, so plan to arrive the night before your first trip. If you want to visit Australia Zoo on the way, it is at Beerwah, about an hour north of Brisbane, so it fits the drive rather than a return day trip from Hervey Bay.

Flights to Hervey Bay: Qantas and Jetstar

Hervey Bay Airport (code HVB) is run by Fraser Coast Regional Council, which lists Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne as destinations, plus light-aircraft services to Lady Elliot Island and K'gari. The two airlines are:

• Qantas, on the Brisbane route. The flight is scheduled at about 55 minutes, so connecting from anywhere on the Qantas network through Brisbane is easy.
• Jetstar, direct from Sydney and from Melbourne (Tullamarine). Check Jetstar's schedule for the days each route operates.

The council's airport page mentions only Qantas and Jetstar flights, and we found no Virgin Australia service, whatever older travel articles say. If fares into Hervey Bay are high, compare flying into the Sunshine Coast or Brisbane and driving the rest.

At the airport there are rental desks (Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Sixt, Thrifty and Dollar), Hervey Bay Taxis on 131 008, a shuttle and Uber. The council says the airport is about 10 minutes by car from the Esplanade and 25 minutes from Maryborough. If you are heading straight to Kingfisher Bay Resort, the resort runs a set-time transfer from the airport to the River Heads ferry, about 15 minutes, for A$15 one way.

Train and coach: the Tilt Train and Greyhound

There is no railway station in Hervey Bay itself. Queensland Rail's Tilt Train (Brisbane–Bundaberg–Rockhampton) and Spirit of Queensland (Brisbane–Cairns) both stop at Maryborough West, and both have RailBus coach connections to Hervey Bay. Kingfisher Bay Resort describes the Brisbane–Maryborough West leg as about four hours, and a ticket booked through to Hervey Bay includes the coach transfer.

Greyhound runs Brisbane to Hervey Bay in about 6 hours 35 minutes, with fares from A$54 on its own site. The Hervey Bay stop is the bus bays at Stockland Hervey Bay, 6 Central Avenue, Pialba. It suits backpackers doing the east-coast run; from Pialba, a taxi or local bus takes you on to the rest of the Esplanade.

Getting around Hervey Bay without a car

Hervey Bay is long and thin: the suburbs of Point Vernon, Pialba, Scarness, Torquay and Urangan are strung along about 15 km of Esplanade, with a shared recreation pathway running most of the way. That makes walking or cycling between neighbouring suburbs pleasant, but not the whole length.

For everything else:

• Tour pick-ups. Tasman Venture, Spirit of Hervey Bay and Boat Club Adventure Cruises list courtesy transfers or pick-ups from select accommodation on their whale trips, and Whalesong runs a courtesy bus. Check which hotels are on the list when you book.
• Local buses. Wide Bay Transit runs the urban bus services in Hervey Bay and Maryborough, plus the RailBus link. Services are geared to locals, so check the timetable before relying on them.
• Taxis and Uber. Hervey Bay Taxis (131 008) and Uber both work in town and at the airport.

For K'gari, you do not need your own vehicle at all: guided 4WD tours include the ferry and transport on the island, and the remote west coast day goes by boat from Urangan.

Where Hervey Bay tours leave from

This is the most useful map on the page, because tours in Hervey Bay leave from four quite different places. The exact check-in point is always on your voucher.

All the Urangan marinas are within a few minutes of each other, so a wrong turn there costs you minutes. Going to Urangan when your tour leaves River Heads, or the other way round, can cost you the trip. Our K'gari 4WD guide and whale watching guide cover each departure in detail.

Getting to K'gari (Fraser Island) from Hervey Bay

The SeaLink ferry runs from River Heads to Kingfisher Bay Resort on K'gari's west coast. It takes about 45 minutes, according to SeaLink's timetable. Walk-on fares start at A$50 one way, and a standard 4WD costs from A$135.30 one way. Everyone, with or without a vehicle, needs a ticket bought in advance and should check in at least 30 minutes before departure.

If you are staying at Kingfisher Bay Resort, SeaLink runs house-guest ferries with luggage handling, leaving River Heads at 9 am, 1 pm and 3:45 pm on the timetable we checked, and the resort's mainland reception is at 54 Ariadne Street, River Heads (open 8 am–4 pm). Day visitors use the general sailings, which on the same timetable ran from 7 am to 4 pm.

Taking your own vehicle means a Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) vehicle access permit, bought online or by phone (13 QGOV) before you cross; rangers on the island cannot sell them. Only high-clearance 4WDs with low range are suitable. For a first visit, most people are better off on a guided day: compare the remote west coast by boat, the 4WD east coast day and multi-day tours.

Where to stay in Hervey Bay

Pick the part of the Esplanade that matches your plans:

• Urangan — closest to the marinas, the pier and the Botanic Gardens. The easy choice if your trip is built around whale watching and boat days.
• Torquay and Scarness — the middle of the beachfront strip, between the tour departures in Urangan and the shops in Pialba. Aquavue in Torquay hires kayaks and paddle boards.
• Pialba — the Stockland shopping centre, the Greyhound stop, WetSide water park and the Regional Gallery. Handy without a car.
• Point Vernon — the western end, residential and further from the tour departures.
• River Heads or Kingfisher Bay Resort — worth a night if you are catching an early K'gari ferry or want to stay on the island.

Book early for whale season (mid-July to late October). It is also the driest stretch of the year and overlaps the Queensland school holidays, so accommodation near the Urangan marinas and the popular morning whale boats can fill early. Outside whale season and the school holidays it is much easier to turn up with a loose plan.

If you are travelling with children, our Hervey Bay with kids guide covers family-friendly areas and activities. Once you know where you are sleeping, our things to do in Hervey Bay list shows what is within walking distance and what needs a transfer, and the day trips guide covers Maryborough, Bundaberg and Rainbow Beach. Partner prices on this page are checked regularly.

• Check where your tour startsUrangan, River Heads and Kingfisher Bay are different places up to 20 minutes' drive apart. The exact check-in point is on your voucher.
• Ask about hotel pick-upMany whale and K'gari tours include pick-up from select Hervey Bay accommodation, which removes the need for a car on tour days.
• Book the ferry and permit before you driveSeaLink wants a pre-purchased ticket for everyone, and QPWS permits cannot be bought from rangers on the island.
• Hire the right vehicle for K'gariOnly high-clearance 4WDs with low range are suitable; AWDs and caravans are not. Confirm in writing that your hire company allows the car on K'gari.
• Allow buffer time for first-day toursWhale boats leave around 7–8:30 am. Arrive the day before rather than driving from Brisbane that morning.
• Pack a warm layer in winterJuly mornings average about 10 °C at Hervey Bay Airport, and it is colder on deck.

Our call

Drive from Brisbane if you have more than three days or plan K'gari self-drive; fly if you are coming from Sydney or Melbourne for a short stay, then rely on tour pick-ups.

Hervey Bay's attractions are spread along 15 km of Esplanade, River Heads is 20 minutes south, and local buses are limited, so a car pays off over a longer stay. On a short visit, the best-reviewed tours collect you from your accommodation anyway.

Skip it if the car if you are only here for a whale watch and a K'gari boat day — both include pick-up from select accommodation.

Check K'gari boat-day datesfrom A$269 · GetYourGuide