The spotlight is firmly on Hervey Bay with the $12 million redevelopment of the city’s airport, announcement of the $75 million Hervey Bay Airport Industrial Park, construction of a new Council operated Visitor Information Centre and a spate of new residential and resort developments either underway or in the pipeline.Hervey Bay, situated on a north facing sweep of the Queensland coastline, 300 kilometres north of Brisbane, has the distinction of being among Australia’s fastest growing regional centres.
With a growth rate of five per cent during 2002/2003, Hervey Bay City was the second fastest growing Local Government area in Queensland (behind Caloundra City at 5.1 per cent) and number 12 in Australia. Hervey Bay’s growth, with over 2,000 people, more than doubled for the year compared with average annual growth of 2.2 per cent over the previous four years.
Jets landing in late July
Hervey Bay City Council is undertaking a total redevelopment of its airport to facilitate direct connections to Sydney and connecting linkages to other Australian airports, in addition to the current services to Brisbane.
The existing terminal building will be trebled in size and will incorporate retail sales, hire car and other transport options, an information kiosk and a restaurant bar. Eight check in counters and security screening facilities will also be introduced.
Woodhead International was appointed to deliver the architectural, interior design and aviation planning for the project and local firm Bellero Constructions has been awarded the $5.7 million contract for the runway upgrade and associated works.
The contract for the terminal construction will be announced shortly.
Hervey Bay Mayor, Ted Sorensen, said this is one of the most important capital infrastructure projects Council has undertaken.
“With Virgin Blue and Jetstar both committed to providing regular services direct from Sydney, we anticipate a fresh cycle of economic, population and tourism growth,” Mayor Sorensen said. “Once flights start arriving from Sydney on 29 July, word will get out very quickly that Hervey Bay is a world class destination.”
$75 million joint venture for industrial estate
In October 2004, Hervey Bay City Council called for expressions of interest to buy or develop an industrial estate near the Hervey Bay Airport. After two months of negotiations with local developers, Council announced the new Hervey Bay Airport Industrial Park project.
The joint venture between Seashift Properties Pty Ltd and Hervey Bay City Council will provide a master planned industrial estate of approximately 40 hectares adjacent to the redeveloped airport. The estate, which will be developed over the next three to five years, will support airport related as well as general industries and is expected to attract substantial new businesses to the area. Development of the estate will be supervised by a joint venture management committee comprising Council’s Mayor and Chief Executive Officer and Seashift’s Chairman and Managing Director.
In announcing the project, Mayor Sorensen commented that the innovative structure will not only allow Council to have a major say in the quality and design of the estate, it will also allow the ratepayers of Hervey Bay to benefit from further value adding of the site.
“Earthworks will commence in the first quarter of 2005 and we are hopeful that lots will be available for purchase or lease by the mid year to coincide with the opening of the airport redevelopments,” he said.
New developments change the face of the Bay
Buoyed by news of the airport upgrade, a number of developers have earmarked Hervey Bay for their next major developments. The $80 million Peppers Pier Resort Hervey Bay, providing luxury five star accommodation on the Esplanade opposite the historic Urangan Pier, will be completed in the first quarter of 2006. The resort will include 120 units and 11 penthouses. With unrestricted views of the Bay and Fraser Island, Peppers Pier Resort will be the focal point of a new retail and leisure hub in Urangan.
Queensland based property development company, the Seymour Group, has had a reported $50 million spending spree on prime Hervey Bay waterfront and residential land. It has announced a partnership with the construction company Watpac for many of the proposed projects. The first of these developments, Waterline, comprises 13 beachfront allotments and was released onto the market in August 2004. Other projects include a five star hotel, residential apartments and residential subdivisions.
Two of Hervey Bay’s major shopping centres are planning to expand over the next 12 months and student accommodation is being constructed to cater for the increasing student numbers at the University of Southern Queensland’s Wide Bay Campus in Hervey Bay. In addition to the large scale developments, Hervey Bay City Council has a steady stream of applications for smaller commercial and residential developments.
Hervey Bay is in demand and it just keeps getting better.
For more information, telephone Claude Dolan, Economic Development Advisor, on (07) 4197 4516 or Larry Monk, Tourism and Events Manager, on (07) 4197 4314.
Change of visitor profile for Hervey Bay and the Fraser Coast
As many as 1,000 extra people a week could be touching down in Hervey Bay once Virgin Blue and Jetstar direct flights from Sydney commence. Council’s Tourism and Events Manager, Larry Monk, believes the profile of visitors to the area will change dramatically.
“Some 1.2 million overnight visitors and 1.1 million day visitors come to Hervey Bay each year, mostly by car,” Larry Monk said. “The Sydney market, and potentially other capital city and international visitor markets, has remained virtually untapped because of direct air access issues.”
He said that cheaper air fares and direct flights combined with the region’s natural beauty, its status as the whale watching capital of the world and gateway to two world heritage areas, Fraser Island and the Great Barrier Reef, will prove a magnet to interstate visitors.
“We expect to see increases in business traffic and the short break and package holiday markets, as well as people visiting their friends and family.”
Recent figures released by the ABS show that the Fraser Coast region topped the State in key accommodation trend data for the year ending September 2004. The Fraser Coast was the only region in Queensland to achieve double digit growth for room nights occupied – 13.5per cent, which is more than double the State average.
The Fraser Coast Region also led Queensland in terms of growth for yield (18.3 per cent) and average room rate (8.7 per cent), and was among the top regions, recording growth in average occupancy rate (4.3per cent).
Hervey Bay City Council will open a new Visitor Information Centre mid year to ensure that visitors make the most of the many attractions and activities on offer in the Fraser Coast region.
