Escape Winter – Hervey Bay QPT

Hervey Bay is excited to host a leg of of the QPT. The weather in August is usually 22-25 degrees and sunny, the whales are out and it’s the perfect time to visit 🥰

Summary:

  • We have 20 courts: 14 dedicated outdoor Pickleball courts at the club, and PCYC next door with 6 indoor courts. We are in the middle of town so dozens of food outlets & main shopping centre within just one hundred metres
  • We will use the biggest pools possible, maximum game time > jamming max number of entries is a priority
  • Shade, seating and water will be provided. If you have comfy camp chairs you can BYO
  • Hervey Bay is a direct flight from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne; and a comfortable few hours drive for most of SE QLD

Brief Runsheet:

  • Thursday there is a group whale watching and optional K’gari (Fraser Island) tour, with morning (whales + K’Gari) + afternoon (just whales) departures
  • Friday singles start approx 10am. Free social play before, and approx 3-5pm as pools condense into finals and courts become available
  • Friday 6pm, group buffet dinner at the Clubhouse function room overlooking the 9th and 18th green (RSVP form)
  • Saturday is Gender Doubles, the biggest day
  • Sunday is Mixed Doubles, so can head home early when completed

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/herveybaypickleballtournaments/

Keep updated with the events and various related materials, along with other regional events we are hosting!


Complete your escape in 4 easy steps!

(1) Register Entry

Register on Pickleball Brackets, select up to 3 events. You can register without a partner, people will see and contact you

(2) Join Facebook Group

Receive up to the minute updates by joining our dedicated tournament Facebook group. During the event we’ll post event times, any rain delays etc.

(3) Whale Watching

Book ASAP to reserve your place on our group whale watching tour, directly with Hervey Bay Whale Watch.

(4) Clubhouse Dinner

Group buffer dinner in a private function room overlooking the 9th and 18th green at the golf course. Friday 6pm. RSVPs required.

Complete your escape in 4 easy steps!

(1) Register Entry

Register on Pickleball Brackets, select up to 3 events. You can register without a partner, people will see and contact you

(2) Join Facebook Group

Receive up to the minute updates by joining our dedicated tournament Facebook group. During the event we’ll post event times, any rain delays etc.

(3) Whale Watching

Book ASAP to reserve your place on our group whale watching tour, directly with Hervey Bay Whale Watch.

(4) Clubhouse Dinner

Group buffer dinner in a private function room overlooking the 9th and 18th green at the golf course. Friday 6pm. RSVPs required.


Our Courts and Location

Our courts are bang in the middle of town! Google “Hervey Bay Pickleball” for complete directions. Below is a little map. Most outdoor courts are individually fenced so very few balls come running through mid game and have permanent nets. The remaining courts have temporary nets, as done the PCYC.

Within 100m to 300m walk we have Red Rooster, McDonalds, KFC, Dominos, Pizza Hut, Natural Noodle, Hungry Jacks, Guzman y Gomez, Stocklands with over a hundred shops and more! It’s an amazing location. You can see the Comfort Inn just across the road a quick walk away, details are further down.

Food and Facilities

Given the tournament isn’t until August a full menu isn’t ready however the food options are couldn’t be better.
On site – We’ll have drinks, basic food items (burgers etc), and snacks available all day
Coffee – A coffee van will be on site from 7am Saturday & Sunday, until sales die off midday-ish
Delivery – We’ll have Domino’s delivered hourly
Nearby – Per the map above there are dozens of food outlets within 100m walk of the courts, so you can pop out and grab whatever you want very easily.

We’ll have shade, seating, water, toilets and on Saturday & Sunday when PCYC is being hired, showers.

Event Run Through

Please join our tournament Facebook group for more event details and updates as they come: https://www.facebook.com/groups/herveybaypickleballtournaments/

Thursday

Optional group activity, please book yourself ASAP to secure a spot (this is peak season, you will not be able to book a week or two out!), and RSVP on the Facebook event so everyone can see who is going 😀

Afternoon Whale Watching

  • View humpback whales during peak season with a 1pm departure. Because of the island protection and calm seas this area is full of breeding whales far more than down south
  • Complimentary tea, coffee and light nibbles
  • Informative commentary, local knowledge & history
  • Hydrophone equipped to listen to whale song underwater
  • Fully licensed bar for food and beverage purchases
  • 5pm return back to the marina
TICKETRETAILSPECIAL QPT
Adult$119$89.25
Senior/Student/Concession$109$81.75
Child (4-14)$70$52.50
Infant (0-3)FREEFREE
Family (2 Adults + 2 Children)$329$246.75
Family (2 Adults + 3 Children)$395$296.25
Use code PICKLE24

This leaves the harbour, sees whales, then comes back. The best option for those only interested in whale watching.

Morning Whale Watching and Lunch at Fraser Island

  • View humpback whales during peak season in the morning with a 7am departure. Because of the island protection and calm seas this area is full of breeding whales far more than down south
  • Be dropped off to K’gari (Fraser Island) at lunch time
  • Your choice of poolside lunch at The Sand Bar (menu: https://www.kingfisherbay.com/images/menus/sand-bar-menu.pdf)
  • Use of the island’s western beach, four lagoon-style swimming pools, and walking trails along with full access to all resort facilities.
  • Depart on the 2:30pm or 5:00pm barge back to River Heads where you’ll be greeted with a bus back to Great Sandy Straits Marina or your accommodation
TICKETNORMALSPECIAL QPT
Adult$169$126.75
Senior/Student/Concession$159$119.25
Child (4-14)$110$82.50
Infant (0-3)FREEFREE
Family (2 Adults + 2 Children)$509$381.75
Family (2 Adults + 3 Children)$619$464.25
Use code PICKLE24

Please only do the morning if you are also doing lunch at Fraser Island as capacity is limited. This tour also takes a bit longer given it goes to Fraser Island.


Friday

9am to 11am

PCYC Hervey Bay generic social session, $8. Useful for those who want practice on the indoor courts before the tournament

Free social play for all tournament players available before singles start from 8-10am.

10am to 5pm

Singles. Approx 3-5pm as pools finish and games condense to less courts for finals, social free-play available on free courts.

Evening

Dinner function at the Clubhouse Hervey Bay private function room overlooking the 9th and 18th greens. $60 per head for all you can eat buffet, veg option available. Drinks available for purchase at the bar. Please RSVP on the website, we’ll contact 3 weeks out to confirm and take payment so we can pre-pay the venue.


Saturday

8am to 5pm

Gender Doubles all day. Expecting older age groups to be first cab off the rank getting younger as the day goes on


Sunday

8am to 3pm

Mixed doubles. Will maximise amounts of courts used, knowing a lot of people will want to finish so they can make it home for work.


Venues

Hervey Bay Pickleball Club

14 outdoor dedicated courts with 2 practice courts (not taped tennis courts 🥳)

Food, coffee, drinks and main admin desk outside. Showers and toilets will be inside the PCYC.

8 courts have permanent nets, the remaining courts are mostly PickleNet temporary nets. Balls will be Franklin X40s.

Hervey Bay PCYC

Oddly the other venue for Pickleball in Hervey Bay is the building right door!

PCYC has 2 basketball courts we’re using, one is a multi-purpose court so we’ll tape over the badminton lines, the other we’ll tape the lines.

They are using PickleNet temporary nets, and the balls will be Onix Fuse Indoor Balls.

Being indoors it’s out of the elements. The toilets and showers are inside the PCYC. We will have another desk so you can check in, drop scorecards, and purchase some drinks inside.

Pools and semi finals will be played indoors. For gold/silver, bronze/fourth matches, the default location is inside for consistency, however if you wish to join the queue for the outside live streaming court for gold/silver, or outside for bronze/fourth, if both teams agree you are welcome to 😀 Because of the different conditions, lighting, balls some will prefer to keep the consistency. From an admin point of view it doesn’t matter, only thing is finals could be played immediately indoors, vs a queue for outdoors depending what other pools are ahead.

We’re investigating having a camera setup to stream to Facebook or Youtube so while no commentary, anyone at home can watch the 2x ‘show courts’ inside all day long.

Depending on the final number of entries, at the moment gender and mixed doubles 50s < 2.99, 60s < 2.99, 60s 3.0 – 3.5 are planned for the indoor courts. The younger kids can hike to the facilities from outside 😀 All singles matches on Friday will be outdoors.


Events

With 37 divisions there is a spot for everyone! We have aged divisions or all ages 4.0+ skill level division.

19 years +

Juniors are eligible to enter in the 19+ or Opens (4.0+) categories. If sufficient demand we’ll create a dedicated junior division.

2.99 and UnderMixed Doubles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s DoublesOutdoors
3.0+Mixed Doubles, Women’s Doubles, Men’s Doubles, Men’s Singles, Women’s SinglesOutdoors

35 years +

2.99 and UnderMixed Doubles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s DoublesOutdoors
3.0+Mixed Doubles, Women’s Doubles, Men’s Doubles, Men’s Singles, Women’s SinglesOutdoors

50 years +

2.99 and UnderMixed Doubles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s DoublesIndoors
3.0+Mixed Doubles, Women’s Doubles, Men’s Doubles, Men’s Singles, Women’s SinglesOutdoors

60 years +

2.99 and UnderMixed Doubles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s DoublesIndoors
3.0 – 3.5Mixed Doubles, Women’s Doubles, Men’s DoublesIndoors
3.5+Mixed Doubles, Women’s Doubles, Men’s DoublesOutdoors
3.0+Men’s Singles, Women’s SinglesOutdoors

4.0 skill +

Juniors are eligible to enter in the 19+ or Opens (4.0+) categories. If sufficient demand we’ll create a dedicated junior division.

Mixed Doubles, Women’s Doubles, Men’s Doubles, Men’s Singles, Women’s SinglesOutdoors

Attractions

Google exists so will keep this short and to the point, for all available options you can Google it 🙂Hervey Bay is fantastic this time of year.

Whale Watching

  • What: Witness humpback whales in their natural habitat.
  • Where: Tours depart from Hervey Bay Marina.
  • Tip: Book in advance as this is peak whale watching season.

Visit K’gari (Fraser Island)

  • What: Explore the world’s largest sand island, known for its unique wildlife and beautiful lakes
  • How to Get There: Ferry services from River Heads, a short drive from Hervey Bay. Accommodation pickup offered by some tour providers.
  • Must-See: Lake McKenzie, 75 Mile Beach, and the Maheno Shipwreck.

Enjoy the Esplanade

  • What: Stroll along the scenic waterfront, with cafes and shops.
  • Activity: Rent a bike or join a guided tour.

Botanic Gardens

  • What: Relax in the serene gardens featuring local flora.
  • Location: Elizabeth Street, Urangan.

Reef World Aquarium

  • What: See local marine life up close.
  • Location: On the Esplanade near Urangan Harbour.

Historical Village and Museum

  • What: Learn about the local history.
  • Location: Zephyr Street, Scarness.

Fishing and Water Sports

  • What: Enjoy fishing, kayaking, or jet skiing.
  • Where: Various locations along the beach.

Sunset at Urangan Pier

  • What: Experience a stunning sunset.
  • Where: The iconic Urangan Pier

Mini Golf Hervey Bay

https://minigolfherveybay.com.au

Partner Accommodation

If you are looking to stay for an extended period look at the Esplanade accommodation options. For weekend options we recommend:

Comfort Inn on Main

Walking distance to the courts!
https://comfortinnherveybay.com.au/
Phone (07) 4128 3666
Email: [email protected]

By staying at the Comfort Inn guests receive a 20% off discount of all meals at the Hervey Bay RSL and the Clubhouse Hervey Bay (excluding Friday pre-dinner function being a set menu function).

Hervey Bay Motel

Phone 4128 9377
518, Esplanade Urangan
www.theherveybaymotel.com.au
Email: [email protected]

Guests receive 20% discount off meals at the Bayswater Bar & Grill (just need to show room key)

Restaurants

Hervey Bay RSL

https://www.herveybayrsl.com.au/
Live music, restaurant, cafe. Very cheap drinks. Bookings recommended for weekend nights or large tables.

Bay Central Tavern

https://www.baycentraltavern.com.au/
Across the road from the courts. Large deck, meals, big screen sports.
Bookings recommended for weekend nights.

Tres Salsa

https://tressalsas.com.au/
Highly rated Mexican dining on the Esplanade. Bookings essential. 

Clubhouse Hervey Bay

https://www.theclubhouseherveybay.com.au/
At the golf club ~1km from our courts. Nice meals. Bookings recommended for weekend nights.

19XO

https://19xo.com.au
An intimate wine and cocktail bar on the esplanade with a small but tasty food menu

Enzo’s On The Beach

https://www.enzosonthebeach.com.au
On the beach overlooking the bay, a variety of meals and drinks in a great location.

Sea Bar 469

https://seabar469.com.au
Upmarket breakfast and lunch venue on the esplanade

Salt Cafe

https://saltcafe.com.au
On the esplanade overlooking the bay and pier, open for breakfast and lunch.