Hervey Bay is a city in Queensland, Australia. The city is situated approximately 290 kilometres (180 mi) or 3½ hours highway drive north of the state capital, Brisbane. It is a natural bay between the Queensland mainland and nearby Fraser Island. The local economy relies on tourism which is based primarily around whale watching in Platypus Bay to the North, access to Fraser Island, accessible recreational fishing and boating and the natural north facing, calm beaches with wide undeveloped foreshore zones.
Hervey Bay has an active sporting community with the geography and climate encouraging a diverse range of activities. The natural foreshore area of Hervey Bay has a 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) long bike and pedestrian path that visibly integrates recreational fitness into the environment and community. Competition sports are generally regional and played against nearby cities, Bundaberg, Maryborough and Gympie. The calm waters and gently sloped beaches make recreational and competitive water sports popular and accessible. These include sailing, kite boarding, water skiing, wake boarding, kayaking, out-rigging, snorkelling, scuba diving and ocean swimming. The Hervey Bay Triathlon started in 1988 and has been raced annually since. The local rugby league team, Hervey Bay Seagulls, are the cornerstone of rugby league in the Hervey Bay area.