Tin Can Bay is a coastal town and

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

in the

Wide Bay–Burnett Wide Bay–Burnett is a region of the Australian state of Queensland, located between north of the state capital, Brisbane. The area's population growth has exceeded the state average over the past 20 years, and it is forecast to grow to more ...

region in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. The locality is split between the

Fraser Coast Region The Fraser Coast Region is a local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, the state capital. It is centred on the twin cities of Hervey Bay and Maryborough and also contains K'gari. ...

(the northern part of the locality) and the

Gympie Region The Gympie Region is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, the state capital. It is between the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Sunshine Coast and ...

(southern part of the locality), but the town itself is within Gympie Region. In the , the locality of Tin Can Bay had a population of 2,293 people.

Geography

The locality of Tin Can Bay is bounded on the east by the

Great Sandy Strait The Great Sandy Strait is a strait in the Australian state of Queensland of length which separates mainland Queensland from K'gari. It is also a locality in the Fraser Coast Region local government area. To the north of the strait is Hervey Bay ...

, which separates mainland Queensland from

Fraser Island K'gari ( , ), also known by its former name Fraser Island, is a World Heritage-listed sand island along the south-eastern coast in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. The island lies approximately north of the state capi ...

. 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 site, Ramsar sites (wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on We ...

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

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.

History

European settlement began in the 1870s as the point where logs would be floated to the timber mills at Maryborough. It later became, and still remains, an important fishing port, with a focus on

prawn Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton An exoskeleton () . is a skeleton that is on the exterior of an animal in the form of hardened integument, which both supports the body's shape and protects the intern ...

s as well as recreational fishing. In July 1932, town and suburban land sales occurred in the Town of Wallu. The town's name was officially changed to Tin Can Bay in 1937. The origins of "Tin Can" are uncertain, but is believed to be derived from an

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

name, possibly ''tinchin'' meaning ''mangrove'' in the Yugarabul dialect of the

Yuggera language Turrbal is an Aboriginal Australian language of the Turrbal people of the Brisbane area of Queensland. Alternate spellings include Turubul, Turrubal, Turrabul, Toorbal, and Tarabul. Classification The four dialects listed in Dixon (2002) are ...

, or ''tinken'' meaning ''vine with large ribbed leaves'' from Doombarah Clan, Dulinbara dialect,

Kabi language Gubbi Gubbi, also spelt Kabi Kabi, is a language of Queensland in Australia, formerly spoken by the Kabi Kabi people of South-east Queensland. The main dialect, Gubbi Gubbi, is extinct, but there are still 24 people with knowledge of the Butc ...

. In 1934, the Wallu post office was opened in Mr V. G. Mason's premises, noting the name Tin Can Bay was already in use at this time. Arrangements were also made for a telephone connection. Mason also erected a hall. Wallu State School opened on 1 February 1934 in a school building which had been relocated from the Wolvi area. It was renamed Tin Can Bay State School on 21 April 1937, reflecting the town's name change on 25 February 1937. In 1939, the first Catholic mass was held in the public hall. In 1945, a house on of land was converted to become St John Vianney's Catholic Church. In 1952, the Baptists constructed a timber church using volunteer labour. The Baptist Church was opened on 16 February 1952. 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 until its amalgamation in 2008 into the Gympie Region.

Demographics

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. In the , the locality of Tin Can Bay had a population of 2,293 people.

Heritage listings

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

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 (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

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 ...

Gympie Gympie ( ) is a city and a Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. Located in the Greater Sunshine Coast, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River ( ...

to the south-west.

Amenities

The

Gympie Regional Council The Gympie Region is a local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, the state capital. It is between the Sunshine Coast and Hervey Bay and centred on the town of Gympie. It was creat ...

operate a public library at the park on Tin Can Bay Road (). The Tin Can Bay branch of the

Queensland Country Women's Association The Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) is the Queensland chapter of the Country Women's Association in Australia. The association seeks to serve the interests of women and children in rural areas in Australia through a network of loca ...

meets at 18 Whiting Street. Tin Can Bay Community Baptist Church is at 2 Buchanan Street (). St John Vianney's Catholic Church is at 24 Bream Street (). It is also used by Anglican Church and Lutheran Church. 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 Point boat ramp (), managed by Transport and Main Roads * Toolara Road on the north bank of Teewah Creek (), managed by the

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 dolphins which usually appear early mornings next to the Norman Point boat ramp. These dolphins can be hand fed under close supervision.

Bird watching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...

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, Although the last elected council leader had since cancelled the Seafood festival and the town Falk haven't forgiven her since. 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