Shelly Bay Resort, Hervey Bay
Located directly opposite Torquay Beach at Hervey Bay, every apartment has a large north-facing balcony which captures both the sun and views of the bay. A four-star property with friendly resident managers, lifts in each block, three storeys high, and set in tropical landscaped gardens. Both one and two bedroom apartments are available, all fully self-catering with kitchenette and living areas. The apartments are fully serviced midway through our stay, with fresh towels and amenities available from reception daily.
Full breakfasts provisions will be supplied in your apartment for you to prepare at your leisure. Light lunches are included, except on day 8. We’ll enjoy dinners at a selection of local restaurants, most within walking distance. Trips will mostly be shorter than normal, departing around 9:45 a.m. and returning by 4:00 p.m. or a little earlier. This allows plenty of time for beach strolls, a swim, a latté or a cup of tea in your apartment prior to dinner.
Due to departures on different days of the week, for some departures this program may operate a different schedule of days to that printed here. If you are meeting friends you may wish to check this with Young at Heart before making these arrangements.
Day 1 (L,D) HOME, HERVEY BAY
Following metropolitan Melbourne home/hotel pickup, we transfer to Melbourne Airport for our flight to the Sunshine Coast Airport at Maroochydore. Interstate passengers may fly direct to the Sunshine Coast. Our Young at Heart coach awaits. Following lunch we travel north to Maryborough and Hervey Bay. Our home for nine nights, is the Shelly Bay Resort. The resort is set in tropical landscaped gardens and is centrally located on the Esplanade in Torquay, opposite the beach.
Day 2 (B,L,D) WHALE WATCHING CRUISE
A highlight today as we join a Whale Watching Cruise. Every year from July to October the amazing southern humpback whales play and rest in the sheltered waters of Hervey Bay. Mother whales come here to teach their new-born young survival and communication techniques such as breaching, fin and tail slapping, head lunging and feeding. These waters are also rich with dolphins and turtles which makes for a great day out on the water.
Day 3 (B,L,D) BROOKLYN HOUSE, REGIONAL GALLERY, NEPTUNE’S REEFWORLD
After a leisurely breakfast we enjoy a guided tour of Brooklyn House, the childhood home of Dame Annabel Rankin. She was the first female senator in Queensland and is recognised as a pioneer in Australian women’s politics. This historic home of 86 squares, located in the nearby town of Howard, is reported to have its own resident ghost! Devonshire morning tea here. We return to Hervey Bay and the Regional Gallery to view the Fraser Coast region’s cultural richness. Neptune’s Reefworld in Urangan is our lunch venue. Reefworld is an all-natural aquarium where a large variety of beautiful soft and hard corals, tropical and reef fish, sharks and large green sea turtles can be seen.
Day 4 (B,L,D) MARYBOROUGH
Time to explore this historic town with a Mary Heritage Town tour. The character of Maryborough’s early years is preserved in the collection of classic Queenslander homes, churches, commercial and public buildings. We also visit the Heritage Gateway and Bond Store Museum, follow the development of the city as one of Australia’s main immigration ports.
Day 5 (B,L,D) GREAT SANDY REGION BOTANIC GARDENS, HERVEY BAY HISTORICAL VILLAGE
After a leisurely breakfast we visit the Great Sandy Region Botanic Gardens situated on 6,000 year old foreshore dunes. The gardens were established to display plants of the Wide Bay and Great Sandy Regions and contain a rainforest area, bush chapel and orchid house. Light lunch followed by a visit to the Hervey Bay Historical Village and Museum. Wander amongst thousands of household items and implements used in business and homes and on farms in the 1800’s, along with clothes worn in that period, the wagons the pioneers drove and even the books they read!
Day 6 (B,D) IMBIL, GYMPIE
Travel to Imbil for lunch before boarding “The Valley Rattler” for a nostalgic rail journey to Gympie. This steam train journey takes us through the scenic Mary Valley where the railway line negotiates the steep slopes of the Mary River, offering us spectacular views. The Rattler’s journey takes us through a slice of rural life with commercial dairies, livestock enterprises and pineapple and macadamia farms on view. The Mary Valley line has an abundance of curves, gradients and bridges, all of which are evidence of the hard work that was needed to build the railway line before and during the First World War.
Day 7 (B,L,D) FRASER ISLAND
Enjoy a full day tour to World Heritage-listed Fraser Island. Travel in our air-conditioned purpose-built 4WD bus featuring luxury seats and panoramic windows, visiting the majestic Coloured Sands, the pristine waters of Lake Garawongera and beautiful Eli Creek. We encounter this island’s untamed wilderness and unique flora and fauna.
Day 8 (B,L,D) HERVEY BAY
A day at leisure today. Relax at the resort by the pool, stroll along the Esplanade, or browse in the shops or at the harbour. We meet for dinner at the end of the day. (Lunch today is not included in your fare.)
Day 9 (B,L,D) TIN CAN BAY, RAINBOW BEACH
Heading south today, we travel through Maryborough to Tin Can Bay for morning tea. We journey to Rainbow Beach where we embark on a tour of the Sandy Straits with views of Fraser Island and the Lighthouse and, hopefully, some encounters with the locals – dugongs, turtles, crabs, stingrays and dolphins. We enjoy a light lunch at Double Island Point before returning to Rainbow Beach and Hervey Bay.
Day 10 (B,L) HERVEY BAY, MAROOCHYDORE, MELBOURNE
Sadly we must depart Hervey Bay this morning. We return to Sunshine Coast Airport. Interstate passengers fly to their home port and Melbourne passengers fly on the midday flight to Melbourne.. On arrival in Melbourne, metropolitan home/hotel transfers complete our relaxing and most enjoyable stayput holiday at Hervey Bay.
Please note that one bedroom apartments only contain one queen size bed. For twin share passengers, there is a 2 bedroom surcharge.
