Tin Can Bay is a coastal town and locality in the Wide Bay–Burnett region in Queensland, 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 2021 census, the locality of Tin Can Bay had a population of 2,293 people.
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 prawns as well as recreational fishing.
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.
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 (although the name Tin Can Bay was in informal use prior to the official name change).
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 2011 census, the locality of Tin Can Bay had a population of 1,994 people.
In the 2016 census, the locality of Tin Can Bay had a population of 2,242 people.
In the 2021 census, 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:
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 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.
^"BirdLife Data Zone". datazone.birdlife.org. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
^"Tin Can Bay". Walkabout Australian Travel Guide. Fairfax. Archived from the original on 8 June 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2007.
^"ANTIGUA". The Courier-mail. No. 1097. Queensland, Australia. 6 March 1937. p. 7. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
^"North Coast". The Telegraph. Queensland, Australia. 22 September 1932. p. 10 (FIRST EDITION). Retrieved 10 November 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
^"COORAN". The Brisbane Courier. No. 23, 292. Queensland, Australia. 23 September 1932. p. 16. Retrieved 10 November 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
^"TIN CAN BAY". The Courier-mail. No. 63. Queensland, Australia. 8 November 1933. p. 7. Retrieved 10 November 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
^"TIN CAN BAY". The Courier-mail. No. 104. Queensland, Australia. 27 December 1933. p. 13. Retrieved 10 November 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
^Queensland Family History Society (2010), Queensland schools past and present (Version 1.01 ed.), Queensland Family History Society, ISBN978-1-921171-26-0
^"TIN CAN BAY". The Telegraph. Queensland, Australia. 4 September 1934. p. 2 (CITY FINAL LAST MINUTE NEWS). Retrieved 10 November 2024 – via National Library of Australia.