Guide to River Heads Queensland Australia

River Heads is a small settlement on a point of land about 20 minutes south of Hervey Bay, where the Mary and Susan rivers flow into the Great Sandy Strait. Most visitors know it for one reason: this is where the vehicle barges leave for K’gari (Fraser Island). But the point itself has fine views across the strait, good fishing and a quiet residential community that makes a handy overnight stop before an early crossing.

Known For

• Vehicle and passenger ferries to K’gari (Fraser Island)
• Views over the Great Sandy Strait and the river mouths
• Fishing from the rocks, the pontoon and the boat ramp

The settlement sits on a ridge with water on three sides. To the east, across a few kilometres of strait, is the long green line of K’gari; to the south and west are the wide estuaries of the two rivers, edged with mangroves. Dolphins, turtles and dugongs are often seen from the shore, and the sunsets over the Mary River are worth staying for.

Things To Do in River Heads

Catch the ferry to K’gari

SeaLink runs two barge services from the terminal at the end of Ariadne Street. One goes to Kingfisher Bay Resort on the island’s western shore, a crossing of about 50 minutes, and the other to Wanggoolba Creek, about 30 minutes, the quickest route to Central Station and the eastern beach. Both carry vehicles and foot passengers and run several times a day, with times that shift with the tides. Vehicle places must be booked ahead, check-in closes 30 minutes before departure, and a Queensland Parks vehicle permit is needed to drive on the island, which is four-wheel drive only.

Go as a day visitor

You do not need a four-wheel drive to see the island. Leave the car in the secure car park at the terminal and cross as a foot passenger to Kingfisher Bay, where you can walk the resort’s tracks, swim, have lunch and join a ranger-guided tour, or book a full-day coach tour to Lake McKenzie and the eastern beach.

Fishing and boating

The rocks at the point, the public pontoon and the nearby shoreline produce bream, flathead, whiting, cod and, in the cooler months, tailor. The boat ramp is one of the best in the district, with deep water at most tides and plenty of trailer parking, giving access to the strait, the rivers and the western side of K’gari.

Lookouts and birdlife

A lookout near the terminal has views up and down the strait, and the mangrove edges attract herons, egrets, ospreys and migratory waders. The Great Sandy Strait is listed as a wetland of international importance.

Where To Stay

River Heads has holiday houses, a few bed and breakfasts and self-contained units, convenient for travellers booked on the first barge of the day.

There are no large hotels or caravan parks at the point. For a full choice of resorts, apartments and holiday parks, see Hervey Bay accommodation, 15 to 20 minutes away.

Eat & Drink

A small shopping village on the way in has a general store, a bottle shop, takeaway food and a cafe, and a kiosk at the ferry terminal sells coffee and snacks around sailing times. Stock up on groceries and fuel in Hervey Bay or Maryborough before crossing, as supplies on the island are limited and expensive.

History

River Heads is in the country of the Butchulla people, for whom K’gari and the strait are of deep importance. The Mary River was the highway to Maryborough from the 1840s, and ships bound for the port passed the heads for more than a century. The point remained farmland and bush until the island barge service moved here, and housing followed from the 1980s.

Getting to River Heads

From Hervey Bay, follow Booral Road and River Heads Road south for about 17 kilometres. From Maryborough it is about 35 kilometres. Hervey Bay Airport is ten minutes from the terminal, and shuttle buses from Hervey Bay hotels connect with the Kingfisher Bay ferry.