Water play and swimming for kids in Hervey Bay & the Fraser Coast

Things to doRainy dayPlaygroundsToiletsEat with kids
19 places to cool off across the region: water parks, pools, beaches, lakes and swimming spots, nearest first from Hervey Bay. Choose your suburb at the top to sort from where you are staying.

Everything on the map

Over the border

Bundaberg →Sunshine Coast →
Nearest first, from Hervey Bay

Beaches and islands

Beach illustration
Beach
Point Vernon
Point Vernon
about 5 min
Torquay Beach
Beach
Torquay Beach
Calm, shallow bay beach beside the Esplanade path.
about 5 min
Photo: L.Wadsworth at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Over 30 minutes
from Hervey Bay
SS Maheno Shipwreck
Beach
SS Maheno Shipwreck
K'gari, Great Sandy National Park
On the Eastern Beach scenic drive; reachable only 2 hrs either side of low tide.
about 45 min by ferry or barge from River Heads, then 4WD or a tour
Photo: UrbanDruid, CC BY-SA 4.0
Beach illustration
Beach
Orchid Beach
K'Gari
about 1 hr 15

Waterfalls, lakes and swimming

Water park illustration
Water park
WetSide Water Park
Pialba
under 5 min
Pool illustration
Pool
Hervey Bay Aquatic Centre
Wondunna
about 5 min
Over 30 minutes
from Hervey Bay
Pool illustration
Pool
Maryborough Aquatic Centre
Maryborough
about 40 min
Water park illustration
Water park
SplashSide
Maryborough
about 40 min
Lake illustration
Lake
Lake Lenthall
Picnic and fishing lake with BBQs, a picnic shelter, toilets, walking tracks and a small boat ramp. Open 6am to 8pm daily.
about 40 min
Lake illustration
Lake
Wongi Waterholes
Wongi State Forest
Tannin-stained waterholes with an easy trail along the water's edge. Picnic tables and flush toilets at the day-use area.
about 40 min
Boorangoora (Lake McKenzie)
Lake
Boorangoora (Lake McKenzie)
K'gari, Great Sandy National Park
Be dingo-safe: keep children within arm's reach. Drones are banned at the lake.
about 45 min by ferry or barge from River Heads, then 4WD or a tour
Photo: Sensenmann, Public domain
Champagne Pools
Swimming spot
Champagne Pools
about 45 min by ferry or barge from River Heads, then 4WD or a tour
Photo: John Robert McPherson, CC BY-SA 4.0
Eli Creek
Swimming spot
Eli Creek
0.4 km walk
Float down the clear creek from the end of the boardwalk; beach access only 2 hrs either side of low tide.
about 45 min by ferry or barge from River Heads, then 4WD or a tour
Photo: UrbanDruid, CC BY-SA 4.0
Lake illustration
Lake
Lake Birrabeen
K'gari, Great Sandy National Park
Quieter perched lake with a shady day-use area.
about 45 min by ferry or barge from River Heads, then 4WD or a tour
Lake Wabby
Lake
Lake Wabby
0.9 km walk
Lookout walk 900 m return; the Lake Wabby walk has maintenance works until 9 Nov 2026.
about 45 min by ferry or barge from River Heads, then 4WD or a tour
Photo: Ray Lightyear, CC BY-SA 3.0
Lake illustration
Lake
Lake Allom
1.4 km walk
A 1.4 km circuit around a rainforest lake with a viewing platform. Watch for Krefft's river turtles. Picnic tables at the day-use area.
about 45 min
Lake illustration
Lake
Lake Boomanjin
K'gari, Great Sandy National Park
Large perched lake on the Southern Lakes drive. Shady day-use area with picnic tables and flush toilets beside the water.
about 45 min

Big playgrounds

Big playground illustration
Big playground
Seafront All Abilities Playground
Pialba
One of 16 Queensland All Abilities Playgrounds: wheelchair-accessible trampolines and seesaws, hand water pumps, musical instruments, Butchulla totems with braille, Changing Places toilet; next to WetSide.
under 5 min
Over 30 minutes
from Hervey Bay
Big playground illustration
Big playground
Anzac Park playground
Maryborough
Maryborough's premier park: SplashSide water play, all-abilities playground with Liberty swing, adventure climbing for older kids, pump track, skate park and Changing Places.
about 40 min

Also in this region, more than 4 hours from Hervey Bay

K'gari, Great Sandy National Park (Jul-Oct: on a half-day whale-watching cruise from Hervey Bay): Platypus Bay
Drive times are estimated from the distance, so treat them as a guide. Tap a card for the full page.
Region boundary: ABS Tourism Regions 2021 (Tourism Research Australia), CC BY 4.0. Outings from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and venues' own listings; nature spots from OpenStreetMap and park services.