Tin Can Bay, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Tin Can Bay is a town in south east Queensland
, Australia
. The seaside town is located on a deep but narrow sheltered inlet in the Gympie Local Government Area, 218 kilometres north of the state capital, Brisbane
. At the 2006 census
, Tin Can Bay had a population of 1,918.
It is suggested that the town's name derives from the indigenous word, "Tuncanbar", thought to refer to the dugong
s that frequent the inlet. European settlement began in the 1870s as the point where logs would be floated to the timber mills at Maryborough
. Tin Can Bay later became, and still remains, an important fishing port, with a focus on prawn
s as well as recreational fishing. There is an excellent public boat ramp into Snapper Creek with boat-washing facilities and ample trailer parking.
Tin Can Bay is the nearest town to the Australian Army
's Wide Bay Training Area and a vehicular ferry
operates at nearby Inskip Point providing access to Fraser Island.
The seaside town is a popular holiday destination and launch pad to the aquatic playground of the Great Sandy Strait
- a pristine waterway protected by World Heritage listed Fraser Island. The area is a Ramsar Convention
Wetland
of International Importance. Other recreational facilities include hotels, holiday units and caravan parks, with houseboats and yachts for hire and a marina. Active sports facilities include an 18-hole golf course, two bowls clubs, tennis courts and an outdoor swimming pool. The Tin Can Bay Country Club http://www.tcbcc.com.au is the main recreational focus for residents and visitors serving Tin Can Bay, Cooloola Cove and Rainbow Beach areas of Cooloola Shire, Queensland, Australia.
An important tourist feature is the regular arrival of wild Indo-Pacific dolphin
s which usually appear early mornings next to the Norman Point boat ramp. These dolphins can be hand fed under close supervision.
Each September the town hosts the Tin Can Bay Seafood Festival http://www.tincanbaytourism.org.au/seafood/index.html, a day of family fun, with entertainment, novelty competitions such as mullet throwing and prawn eating, helicopter joy flights over the bay, seafood and market stalls. Other events throughout the year include the Bay to Bay Yacht Race, Dragonboat Regatta, Cooloola Coast Flower Show and the Foreshore Family Carnival from Boxing Day to New Year's Eve.
For more information visit the official tourism website for the Gympie Cooloola Region Gympie Cooloola Tourism
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The seaside town is located on a deep but narrow sheltered inlet in the Gympie Local Government Area, 218 kilometres north of the state capital, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Tin Can Bay had a population of 1,918.
It is suggested that the town's name derives from the indigenous word, "Tuncanbar", thought to refer to the dugong
Dugong
The dugong is a large marine mammal which, together with the manatees, is one of four living species of the order Sirenia. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's sea cow , was hunted to extinction in the 18th century...
s that frequent the inlet. European settlement began in the 1870s as the point where logs would be floated to the timber mills at Maryborough
Maryborough, Queensland
Maryborough is a city located on the Mary River in South East Queensland, Australia, approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city is serviced by the Bruce Highway, and has a population of approximately 22,000 . It is closely tied to its neighbour city Hervey Bay which is...
. Tin Can Bay later became, and still remains, an important fishing port, with a focus on prawn
Prawn
Prawns are decapod crustaceans of the sub-order Dendrobranchiata. There are 540 extant species, in seven families, and a fossil record extending back to the Devonian...
s as well as recreational fishing. There is an excellent public boat ramp into Snapper Creek with boat-washing facilities and ample trailer parking.
Tin Can Bay is the nearest town to the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
's Wide Bay Training Area and a vehicular ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
operates at nearby Inskip Point providing access to Fraser Island.
The seaside town is a popular holiday destination and launch pad to the aquatic playground of the Great Sandy Strait
Great Sandy Strait
The Great Sandy Strait is an 70 km Australian sand passage estuary separating mainland Queensland, from World Heritage listed Fraser Island.-Description:...
- a pristine waterway protected by World Heritage listed Fraser Island. The area is a Ramsar Convention
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
Wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
of International Importance. Other recreational facilities include hotels, holiday units and caravan parks, with houseboats and yachts for hire and a marina. Active sports facilities include an 18-hole golf course, two bowls clubs, tennis courts and an outdoor swimming pool. The Tin Can Bay Country Club http://www.tcbcc.com.au is the main recreational focus for residents and visitors serving Tin Can Bay, Cooloola Cove and Rainbow Beach areas of Cooloola Shire, Queensland, Australia.
An important tourist feature is the regular arrival of wild Indo-Pacific dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
s which usually appear early mornings next to the Norman Point boat ramp. These dolphins can be hand fed under close supervision.
Each September the town hosts the Tin Can Bay Seafood Festival http://www.tincanbaytourism.org.au/seafood/index.html, a day of family fun, with entertainment, novelty competitions such as mullet throwing and prawn eating, helicopter joy flights over the bay, seafood and market stalls. Other events throughout the year include the Bay to Bay Yacht Race, Dragonboat Regatta, Cooloola Coast Flower Show and the Foreshore Family Carnival from Boxing Day to New Year's Eve.
For more information visit the official tourism website for the Gympie Cooloola Region Gympie Cooloola Tourism