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Indulge by the sea at 9 of the best Hervey Bay restaurants

Kristie Lau-Adams Kristie Lau-Adams
Serving up authentic international flavours and absolute beachfront cocktails, the best Hervey Bay restaurants take you lightyears away from home.

An unassuming corner of calm amid Queensland’s Fraser Coast, Hervey Bay is one of my most long-loved holiday destinations. While whale watching steals the activity spotlight, chilled out waterfront restaurants and sleek diners serving up crafty cocktails have never failed to put me in holiday mood. From institutions that have impressed for decades to the newest kids on the block, here’s my pick of the best Hervey Bay restaurants.

The shortlist

Best for brunch: Enzo’s on the Beach
Fine dining gem: Odyssey Bistro
Casual eats: Maddigan’s

1. Enzo’s on the Beach

a close-up shot of food on the table at Enzo’s on the Beach, Hervey Bay restaurants
Enjoy a sunset dinner overlooking the ocean. (Image: Reuben Nutt/Tourism and Events Queensland)

Can’t get to Fiji this year? Don’t sweat it — idyllic beach hangs over snacks and cocktails is nailed at Enzo’s on the Beach. Featuring a buzzing deck outside and double-height ceiling inside, the timber-panelled Hervey Bay restaurant wouldn’t look out of place on an overseas island. I like every meal of the day at this spot, with breakfast and brunch featuring the legendary Enzo’s Eggs with romesco sauce, plus a chicken waffle benny with chipotle mayo. However, an early sunset dinner by the sand can’t be beat. Nonna’s chicken on creamy polenta is mouth-watering, as are the highball selections on the cocktail menu (go the lychee and mint with vodka for serious out-of-office swagger). My tip? Get there on Sunday for regular live music and early enough to wrangle a bean bag to catch Hervey Bay’s famed sunset spectacular.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Chilled out

Location: 351a Esplanade, Scarness, Hervey Bay

2. The Dock

It’s technically in the Mantra Resort at Hervey Bay’s well-populated marina but I walk into The Dock to find a totally energetic, entirely separate dining destination. The team are friendly, happily chatting to other diners as I slip into a table by the windows overlooking million-dollar catamarans. Within minutes, I’m greeted, and my wine is ordered. What I love about this Hervey Bay restaurant is its generous plating and enormous selection of Spanish-inspired tapas. My garlic and chilli prawns (there are four large bad boys in total) are slathered with a homemade relish while the corn ribs with a side of salsa verde are roasted to poppy perfection (there’s about half a dozen half cob ribs in total, which is plenty for one). The non-negotiable? Rough-cut potatoes with tomato relish, their take on patatas bravas, which is so huge I can’t finish it, but I give it a good nudge. Don’t miss the Baileys panna cotta when you drop in, too — teamed with berry compote and cream, it hits that sweet spot in style.

Cuisine: Spanish tapas

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Lively

Location: Mantra Resort, 2 Buccaneer Dr, Urangan

3. Odyssey Bistro

a full course meal at Odyssey Bistro, Hervey Bay restaurants
Odyssey Bistro dishes up locally sourced dishes.

A smidge fancier than most Hervey Bay restaurants, Odyssey Bistro is the place to book if you’re wanting something special (guests can walk in, but I’d recommend a guaranteed spot as the space can only hold 25 or so). While casual roadside tables encourage laidback bevvy sessions, the dining room is a dimly lit hub of locally charged culinary creativity. Owner and head chef Jason England, who’s worked under Rick Stein in the past, loves seasonal sourcing so expect an evolving collective of knockouts arriving as a three-course set menu. Locals love the Hervey Bay scallop, a mainstay that’s come with smoked capsicum butter and chives in the past, while proteins are plated with similar finesse including the winter 2025 smoked mackerel omelette with XO sauce, dashi and herbs.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Warm

Location: 4/341 Esplanade, Scarness, Hervey Bay

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4. Maddigan’s

See all those people standing out the front of that corner shop? They’re waiting on the best takeaway fish and chips in the region. Maddigan’s, which has fuelled locals for more than 40 years, is adored for its super-crispy fish batter, generous portions and value for money. Depending on the catch of the day, pick between the likes of local coral trout, snapper, barramundi, Pacific dory and whatever else is on the chalkboard menu. Kick it old school with Pluto Pops, banana and pineapple fritters and Chiko Rolls, too. Once your order’s called, a few chairs and tables are scattered around outside but I recommend taking your parcel to that beautiful strip of sand directly opposite, aka Torquay Beach.

Cuisine: Fish and chips

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: In and out

Location: 401 Esplanade, Torquay

5. Aquavue

avo on toast at Aquavue, Hervey Bay restaurants
Avo on toast at Aquavue. (Image: Jacinta Shackleton/Tourism and Events Queensland)

Speaking of the sand, Aquavue is another unmissable beachfront spot. While the Hervey Bay restaurant feels super casual, the views from its water-fronting deck are sensational. When I drop in, I even spot K’gari, a sight made even more magical when my pizza paddle and chicken wings combo lands. I go for the Pesto Chicken pizza because it’s got camembert, before washing it down with a Your Mates pale ale, brewed in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, because, well, holidays. Visitors should note that once the sun sinks, it’s lights out at this place, so time your visit to lunch during the week and sunset from Friday to Sunday.

Cuisine: Pub grub

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Relaxed

Location: 415a Esplanade, Torquay

6. Olive

Unveiled in July 2025, Olive is one of Hervey Bay’s newer restaurants and a much-welcomed foray into Turkish cuisine. Before we scan the food, however, we need to talk about Marta, Olive’s belly dancer and a total showstopper. She isn’t there every night but I highly recommend staying across the restaurant’s socials and Marta’s own Facebook page to time your visit to her hypnotising performances. Now, the food. The banquets take decision-making off your plate, arriving in $45 and $65 per person varieties and including dips with Turkish bread plus traditional dishes like a falafel and zucchini fritter platter and chargrilled meats with rice. A shot of Raki, Turkey’s famed cloudy spirit, washes everything down in true international sojourn style.

Cuisine: Turkish

Average price: $$-$$$

Atmosphere: Homely

Location: 1/470 Esplanade, Torquay

7. Banksia

cotton candy sky at sunset in Banksia, Hervey Bay restaurants
Banksia channels coastal charm.

You’re visiting the sea, so it’s high time for seafood. Banksia is a good-time go-to made for long lunching. It’s Hamptons-white with nautical-inspired interiors so I arrive in heels (quite un-Hervey Bay of me) to embrace its special occasion aesthetic. I know I’ve made the right choice when the team’s Flagship Seafood Platter arrives — a showstopping extravaganza you’ve got to lock in 24 hours prior. Once I snap its towering awesomeness of fresh oysters, crab claws, prawns and fresh fruit (the team stack it high for maximised photo-ready decadence), I sit back and soak up the shimmering beach right across the road. It’s a gorgeous meandering affair at this Hervey Bay restaurant, so clear your afternoon to make the most of it.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Festive

Location: Shop 4/381 Esplanade, Hervey Bay

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8. Cody’s Coffee Shack

Some of Hervey Bay’s best coffee is found at Cody’s Coffee Shack, a local institution. Character-filled from toe to tip, this Hervey Bay restaurant is built with a timber-lined patio dotted with beachy paraphernalia to instantly endear. A hollowed-out VW campervan, meanwhile, has also been fashioned into additional seating. But first, coffee, right? Wrap your lips around a cup of creamy Dimattina beans, roasted in Melbourne, before taking your pick from light meals like Dutch pancakes with whipped cream, toasties, savoury pastries, muffins, slices, scones and more.

Cuisine: Cafe classics

Average price: $-$$

Atmosphere: Local

Location: 400 Esplanade, Torquay

9. Thyme @ the Vinyard

dining at Thyme @ the Vinyard, Hervey Bay restaurants
Thyme @ the Vinyard celebrates local produce.

Across the road and down a bit from the famed Urangan Pier, one of the best things to explore in Hervey Bay, Thyme @ the Vinyard is a peaceful spot plating up elegant dishes that lean into local produce. It opened in August 2024, so it’s one of town’s newest dining destinations, taking total advantage of a waterfront location on the main strip. Grab a seat right by the expansive windows to spy soothing blue vistas as seafood, like local scallops with Nduja cream, starts you off and mains span grain-fed sirloin steaks, blackened chicken, barramundi with brown butter dashi and prawn linguini with lemon and herbs.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Refined

Location: 552 Esplanade, Urangan

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Kristie Lau-Adams
Kristie Lau-Adams is a Gold Coast-based freelance writer after working as a journalist and editorial director for almost 20 years across Australia's best-known media brands including The Sun-Herald, WHO and Woman's Day. She has spent significant time exploring the world with highlights including trekking Japan’s life-changing Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage and ziplining 140 metres above the vines of Mexico’s Puerto Villarta. She loves exploring her own backyard (quite literally, with her two young children who love bugs), but can also be found stalking remote corners globally for outstanding chilli margaritas and soul-stirring cultural experiences.
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Can’t handle the cold? Hamilton Island serves a slice of summer in winter

(Image: Hamilton Island)

    Eleanor Edström Eleanor Edström
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    When the winter chill settles in, an escape to Hamilton Island’s year-round tropical shores is the only acceptable coping mechanism.

    As a heliophile with the cold tolerance of a Mediterranean house cat, the arrival of winter tends to spark a particular panic. How will I survive? Must I really start layering? What do you mean, Aperol season is over? But there are far better ways to spend the cooler months than sulking in the depths of your doona.

    Enter, Hamilton Island. With its year-round sunshine and permanent on-holiday atmosphere, this Whitsundays favourite promises a veritable slice of summer in winter.

    Think salt-stiff hair and the smug pleasure of devouring seafood beside the water while friends back home are defogging their windscreens. Here’s why Hamilton Island should figure into your winter plans.

    1. Year-round summer weather

    A woman hiking along the Passage Peak trail on Hamilton Island.
    Hike under sunny winter skies on Hamilton Island. (Image: Andrew Caitens)

    In the crisper months, Hamilton Island offers perfectly mild, sunny weather (17-24°C) that lends itself to morning swims and afternoon spritzes. Better still, you can enjoy the island’s outdoor adventures – from hiking to mountain biking – without the humidity or rain you’ll often find in summertime. With direct flights from most major Australian cities offering ease of access, Hamilton Island is the ideal place to flee the cold.

    2. Getting active without the humidity

    A buggy parked overlooking Hamilton Island’s golf course, with sweeping views of the sea at Whitsundays in winter.
    Zip around Hamilton Island by buggy. (Image: Hamilton Island)

    Whether you’re hiking up to Passage Peak or exploring the island by buggy, tropical Queensland humidity is nobody’s friend. The one way to guarantee you will avoid the inevitable stickiness and fluffy hair? Visit during winter. There’s plenty to be enjoyed, from sunrise yoga at The Sundays (exclusive to guests of The Sundays) to playing golf on Dent Island.

    3. Hamilton Island Race Week

    Yachts racing across the sparkling Whitsundays during Hamilton Island Race Week.
    Feel the thrill of Hamilton Island Race Week. (Image: Salty Dingo)

    Taking place in August, Hamilton Island Race Week is a destination in its own right that attracts spectators and racers from around the globe. Boating enthusiasts and thrill-seeking holidaymakers flock to the island, which is palpably energetic as the first yachts set off for Dent Passage from Hamilton Island Yacht Club. The annual action-packed week, taking place from 15 to 22 August in 2026, offers an exciting calendar of on- and off-water events – spanning everything from celebrity chef dinners to golfing comps and wine tastings.

    4. Best time for snorkelling

    A woman snorkelling in the crystal-clear waters of the Great Barrier Reef.
    Explore Hamilton Island’s winter waters. (Image: Andrew Caitens)

    While the crowds on Hamilton Island may disperse with the cooler weather, the marine life certainly doesn’t. Winter is widely considered one of the best times to snorkel and dive in the Whitsundays.

    It’s down to a number of reasons: excellent water visibility, higher chances of seeing whales as they migrate north and – best of all – no nasty stingers. This means no need to wear those notoriously unflattering full-body wetsuits visitors have to wear in warmer months. On top of all this, you’ll find calm seas ideal for sailing and Great Barrier Reef tours.

    5. Fewer crowds

    People kayaking.
    Experience a quieter Hamilton Island on a kayaking adventure. (Image: Hamilton Island)

    Winter is often the quietest time to visit Hamilton Island, with the peak season crowds thinned to a relaxed trickle. You can snorkel or dive straight off the reef-laced waters of Catseye Beach, then swap fins for a buggy and zip between One Tree Hill, the marina and sunset cocktails without the usual summer queues. Active days stretch from kayaking, sailing and jet skiing to hopping over to famous Whitehaven Beach to witness those breathtaking white swirls of silica sand. You won’t have to elbow your way to the front of the crowd to get a good snap.

    6. Delicious dining

    The interiors of Bommie Restaurant, featuring modern coastal design with warm lighting and elegant detailing.
    Treat yourself to Bommie Restaurant’s fine dining featuring fresh, seasonal Aussie produce. (Image: Nikki To)

    The food on Hamilton Island tastes just as good any time of year, and winter is still perfect weather for sundowners. Start with an iced tea Negroni at harbourside Bommie Deck, before transitioning to Bommie Restaurant for a fine-dining feast centering on seasonal Aussie ingredients. Or perhaps enjoy a more casual poolside evening at Sails Restaurant, where plates of chermoula chicken skewers, baked cauliflower steak and crispy sumac squid come served with ocean views. From family-friendly pub meals to elevated wine tastings, there’s something for everyone.

    5. Clear skies for idyllic views

    The golden hour across the Whitsundays in winter.
    End your day with golden Hamilton Island sunsets over the water. (Image: Hamilton Island)

    Never let a cloud rain on the parade of Hamilton Island’s spectacular scenery. Winter brings clearer skies and more stable weather to the Whitsundays, meaning your picture-perfect sunset at One Tree Hill is likely to remain that way. And after putting in the legwork to hike to a scenic lookout, the last thing you want is a vista hidden behind low cloud and haze.

    To learn more about travelling to the Whitsundays in winter, visit hamitlonisland.com.au.