Skip to content

Urangan Pier

By jozontsich | August 14, 2020

Hervey Bay’s famous and historic Urangan Pier is a must see attraction.  It’s one of the longest in Australia and stretches for almost one kilometre into the ocean.

A walk to the end will reward with spectacular views of Hervey Bay and the chance to see schools of fish, stingrays or pods of dolphin.  Another must do is fishing off the Pier. It is one of the best fishing spots for people of all ages, and is the perfect place to catch whiting, one of Hervey Bay’s most sought after fish.

The water next to the pier is one of the Bay’s best locations for windsurfing or kite surfing with surfing conditions suitable for beginners to experts.

History of the Pier

Urangan Pier is a former deep-water, cargo-handling facility originally built to facilitate the export of sugar, timber and coal.  Construction began in 1913 and to reach the deep water channel, it was required to extend 1.1 kilometres out to sea.  The Urangan railway line also began construction in 1913 and branched off the main railway line at Pialba.  Once it was completed, the Pier served as one of the main ports of Queensland facilitating the transfer of cargo between rail and ships.

The Pier was closed after the last ship docked in 1985.  It was in serious need of repairs and a decision was made by the Queensland Government to dismantle the entire pier. 239 metres of it was demolished, however, due to large public outcry, rallying and petitions, the demolition was stopped. In late 1985, the Queensland Government handed the pier to the council, and the council pledged to restore the pier.  Restoration commenced in the late 1990s and included removing the rail tracks from the pier, encasing the wooden pylons with steel, repairing sleepers, repairing hand rails, and repairing lights.  In 1999, the pier was restored to a length of 868 meters and re-opened.