Tin Can Bay is a coastal town and

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...

in the Wide Bay–Burnett region in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. The locality is split between the Fraser Coast Region (the northern part of the locality) and the Gympie Region (southern part of the locality), but the town itself is within Gympie Region. In the , Tin Can Bay had a population of 2,242 people.

Geography

The locality of Tin Can Bay is bounded on the east by the Great Sandy Strait, which separates mainland Queensland from Fraser Island. The area is a

Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It i ...

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

of International Importance and an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

of Australia. The town is located on a peninsula between Snapper Creek and the Great Sandy Strait. A vehicular

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

operates at nearby

Inskip Point Inskip Point is a peninsula in the north of the locality of Inskip to the north of the town of Rainbow Beach in south-east Queensland, Australia. It is the vehicular gateway to Fraser Island (also known as K'Gari and Gari), a popular recreationa ...

providing access to Fraser Island.

History

The town was originally called Wallu, but was changed to Tin Can Bay in 1937. The origins of "Tin Can" are uncertain, but is believed to be derived from an indigenous name, possibly ''tinchin'' meaning ''mangrove'' in the Yugarabul dialect of the Yuggera language, or ''tinken'' meaning ''vine with large ribbed leaves'' from Doombarah Clan, Dulinbara dialect, Kabi language. 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 prawns as well as recreational fishing. Wallu State School opened on 1 February 1934 and was renamed Tin Can Bay State School in 1937. The Tin Can Bay Library opened in 1985 and underwent a major refurbishment in 2005. Tin Can Bay was formerly in the

Shire of Cooloola The Shire of Cooloola was a local government area located about north of Brisbane – the state capital of Queensland, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and was the product of a merger in 1993 between the City of Gympie and the Shire of ...

until its amalgamation in 2008 into the Gympie Region. In the , the locality of Tin Can Bay had a population of 1,994 people. In the , the locality of Tin Can Bay had a population of 2,242 people.

Heritage listings

Tin Can Bay has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Cod Street: Tin Can Bay Picnic Shelter * Gympie Road: Tin Can Bay Memorial Hall * 22 – 24 Gympie Road: Tin Can Bay Church * Tin Can Bay Road: Wide Bay Military Reserve

Education

Tin Can Bay State School is a government primary and secondary (Prep-10) school for boys and girls at 2 Schnapper Creek Road (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 271 students with 26 teachers (24 full-time equivalent) and 22 non-teaching staff (15 full-time equivalent). It includes a

special education Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

program. For secondary schooling to Year 12, the nearest government secondary school is

Gympie State High School Gympie State High School is a coeducational public secondary school located in Gympie in the Wide Bay–Burnett region in Queensland, Australia. The school has a total enrolment of more than 900 students per year, with an official count of 922 s ...

in Gympie to the south-west.

Amenities

Norman Point public boat ramp, Tin Can Bay, Queensland, 2016

The Gympie Regional Council operate a public library at the park on Tin Can Bay Road (). The Tin Can Bay branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at 18 Whiting Street. Tin Can Bay Country Club is at 222 Tin Can Bay Road. Cooloola Coast Bowls Club is at 4463 Gympie Road. There are boat ramps in the locality, located at: * Norman Park boat ramp (), managed by the Transport and Main Roads * Toolara Road on the north bank of Teewah Creek (), managed by the Gympie Regional Council

Attractions

The seaside town is a popular holiday destination. 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. An important tourist feature is the regular arrival of wild

Australian humpback dolphin The Australian humpback dolphin (''Sousa sahulensis'') is a species of humpback dolphin and the fourth recognized humpback dolphin species chronologically. The specific name ''sahulensis'' is derived from the Sahul Shelf, located between northe ...

s which usually appear early mornings next to the Norman Point boat ramp. These dolphins can be hand fed under close supervision. Bird watching is another popular activity as Tin Can Bay is home to a wide variety of birds.

Events

Each September the town hosts the Tin Can Bay Seafood Festival, 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.

References

External links

University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Tin Can Bay
{{authority control Towns in Queensland Bays of Queensland Gympie Region Fraser Coast Region Localities in Queensland