Torquay

Torquay, a coastal locality 34 km north-west of Maryborough, is part of the urban area of Hervey Bay. It adjoins the western side of Urangan. It is thought that the name originated from an Aboriginal expression, later altered to the sound and spelling of the English Torquay seaside resort.

In common with the foreshore between Pialba and Urangan, Torquay had a scattering of holiday houses during the 1880s. It also had a local promoter, James McPherson, who ran a steamer service from Maryborough and erected several buildings, one used as a church. His efforts were unrewarded.

After a railway line from Maryborough to Pialba was opened in 1896 Torquay was in closer reach, and when the line was extended through Torquay in 1913 there began the popular annual railway picnics. Before the coming of the railway, Torquay was described in 1903 in the Australian handbook:

By the early post World War II years Torquay's population was 700, with many hundreds more during holiday times. It later blended in with the Hervey Bay holiday and retiree culture, acquiring five camping/caravan grounds along with foreshore camping. There were numerous sports and youth facilities, and the Hervey Bay City Council built new offices there in 1990. There are also three churches, the Hervey Bay Sailing Club and a primary school (1901). Torquay's census populations have been: