Last year, when whale watching in Hervey Bay, I had a wonderful side trip to nearby Burrum Heads. I got some nice photos of the
Burrum River and beaches and town buildings to show for my willingness to try something different and after catching a very quiet and long bus trip to town. It was very interesting to use the public transport in Hervey Bay. I stayed near
Urangan Central Shopping Centre, so after a short stroll, I found the buses could take me past the harbour, onto the esplanade and over to Pialba Stockland, which is on the other side of the city. There along with very extensive shopping is some bus stops, some are for local buses, while others for coaches and rail connection buses.
Burrum Heads, photographed August 2019.
My route 711 bus to Burrum Heads can be found at
this link. The bus goes right around from Hervey Bay city to Burrum and back, with the trip being thirty minutes long from the centre of Burrum Heads to Hervey Bay as seen if you download the timetable at the provided link. Being so infrequent (the circular trip runs twice a day, once morning, once afternoon) it left me with a full day there plus that little hint of excitement about making sure I boarded my bus home, especially given I had a train to catch back to Brisbane the next day. Of course, Hervey Bay has a good taxi service which I used once while there but very few Ubers, and yes, to my knowledge, they will pick you up from Burrum Heads, but the fare is massive, hence the little hint of excitement and early wait at the bus stop.
Burrum River mid-morning photographed August 2019.
Of course, I had the time to be there early heading back, as I spent my day hiking and drinking coconut milk coffees (for hydration in fact, for me, I find coconut milk more hydrating than regular milk). The barista at the local cafe and takeaway shop does a very good job because the coconut milk is more challenging to froth, but she did a super job and I bought one several times on the day trip, where I would sit back and enjoy some winter sun.
Burrum Heads, photographed August 2019.
While it is a bit overwhelming somehow to have this brand new place with new faces and scenery, it somehow capped my Hervey Bay experience and was such a tranquil, serene yet positive place. I found out from my accommodation's host and some holiday brochures that Burrum Heads is popular with visitors within the local area, especially residents of Hervey Bay. It's got good hiking, nice beaches and nice people and just enough commerce to stay a while if feeling so inclined. The road there is good, (good enough for a large bus to drive at a good speed, yet done so comfortably and safely), while accommodation is limited and of course, the swimming is on beaches that are part of Hervey Bay, which is very calm water, the bay is shielded from surf, so it is more like swimming in a giant lake, yet is a beach on the ocean, as seen in photos.
Whale watching trip photo, taken in Hervey Bay, August, 2019.
What really made the trip is when I mentioned the experiences to a friend who compared them to visiting Byron Bay before it became famous and I really appreciated that quote! It was a really good way to sum it up despite the fact the two places have very little in common! Burrum Heads was serene and tranquil and a great conclusion for my Hervey Bay holiday, and the long trip back to Hervey Bay then back to Brisbane gave me plenty to reflect upon and plenty to talk about to relatives and friends upon coming home. As the old adage states that inevitably 'a picture tells a thousand words', I have left the remainder of this for you to see:
Historic Church Building Behind Trees - photographed afternoon August 2019.
Burrum Heads beach photographed August 2019.
