Butchulla (also known as Batjala, Badtjala, Badjela, and Badjala) is the language of the Fraser Coast region, including
K’gari. Butchulla language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the
Fraser Coast Regional Council, particularly the towns of
Maryborough and Hervey Bay extending south towards
Double Island Point and north to
Burrum Heads. The indigenous
Batjala people including the
Kabi Kabi are the
traditional owners of Hervey Bay. Batjala means Bat-No and Jala-tongu. The first recorded European sighting of
Hervey Bay was made by
James Cook while carrying out his
running survey of the
east coast of Australia, on 22 May 1770. By noon Cook's ship was in a position a little over half-way across the opening of Hervey Bay heading for
Bundaberg. When Cook first discovered Hervey Bay, he did not realise that Fraser Island was separated from mainland Australia; Cook did not travel far enough south due to the shallow depths of the waters in the Bay. Cook named the bay "Hervey's Bay" after
Augustus John Hervey (1724–1779), later Third
Earl of Bristol, a naval officer who became a
Lord of the Admiralty the year
Endeavour returned. Until around the mid-1980s the area was serviced by a
rail link from the main
North Coast line that diverted from
Aldershot and went through
Takura,
Walligan, and
Nikenbah, before continuing on to
Pialba and
Urangan. The line was a major freight point for the
Port of Maryborough and for the sugar cane industry until road transport assumed the role. On 18 February 1984, the
Town of Hervey Bay was officially proclaimed as the "City of Hervey Bay", due to its increasing population and growth in its business sector and tourism industry. Despite this, many of the local residents still saw it as a small seaside village. Along with the
City of Maryborough and the
Shire of Woocoo, as well as parts of the
Shire of Tiaro, it was amalgamated into the
Fraser Coast Region on 15 March 2008. The Hervey Bay Library opened in 1997 and had a major refurbishment in 2014. A new library is under construction with an expected completion date of mid 2026. The new library and community hub are part of the Hinkler Regional Deal. == Demographics ==