inlet and city on the Pacific Ocean between Fraser Island and Burnett Heads, southeastern Queensland, Australia. The bay was named in 1770 by the British navigator Captain James Cook and was surveyed in 1804 by the British navigator Matthew Flinders. Measuring 55 by 40 miles (89 by 64 km), it opens to Great Sandy Strait in the south and receives the Burnett, Mary, Isis, Burrum, and Gregory rivers.

Hervey Bay city comprises a complex of bayside resorts, including Point Vernon, Pialba, Torquay, Scarness, and Urangan. These communities also serve a district of sugarcane and pineapple plantations. Oysters are farmed, there is light engineering in the area, and tropical fish are bred. Urangan has developed as a deepwater port for Maryborough, 20 miles (30 km) south-southwest. The area is accessible from Brisbane via the Bruce and Isis highways. Pop. (2006) urban centre, 48,155.