Activities
Self-Drive Day Trips
Gympie
It’s a 35 minute drive to Gympie, the gold mining capital of Queensland. Gympie has an important and colourful history and is known as the town that saved Queensland from bankruptcy. The Gympie Gold Mining Museum houses a vast collection of documentation, artefacts and photographs from the discovery of gold in 1867 by James Nash to the current operations of the Gympie Eldorado Goldmine, the eighth greatest gold producing mine in Australia today. Gympie has shops, clubs and cinemas. http://www.cooloola.org.au/
Maryborough
The heritage city of Maryborough is just 45 minutes’ drive from Tin Can Bay. Maryborough was settled in 1847 and is one of Queensland's oldest provincial cities. Maryborough is also the birthplace of Mary Poppins author, Pamela Travers. You can follow the Magical Mary Discovery Trail to learn all about Maryborough, which nearly became the capital of Queensland. The Maryborough Heritage markets are on Thursdays. http://www.visitmaryborough.info/
Rainbow Beach
Just 35 minutes’ drive from the Sandcastle Motel is Rainbow Beach, the southern gateway to Fraser Island and the Coloured Sands. If you’d like to tour Fraser Island and you don’t have a four wheel drive vehicle, you can hire one at Rainbow Beach or take one of the regular 1, 2 or 3 day tours. Rainbow has http://www.rainbowbeach.info/
Bundaberg
Home of the famous Bundy Rum Distillery and gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, Bundaberg is a two hour drive from Tin Can Bay. Just 15 minutes from Bundaberg is Mon Repos Beach, which has the largest concentration of nesting marine turtles on the Eastern Australian mainland and is one of the two largest Loggerhead turtle rookeries in the South Pacific Ocean. You can see Nesting turtles from mid-November to February and turtle hatchlings from January until the end of March. http://www.bundabergregion.info/
Fraser Island
If you have a four wheel drive vehicle, you can catch a barge to Fraser Island just 40 minutes’ drive from Tin Can Bay. If you don't have a four wheel drive vehicle, ask us to recommend a bus tour of Fraser Island and the Coloured Sands. http://www.seefraserisland.com/
Sport and Recreation
Golf
Tin Can Bay Country Club has a championship 18 hole golf course open from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm seven days a week. Motorised buggies are available for hire. Phone (07) 5486 4231.
Bowls
Tin Can Bay has two bowling greens at the Tin Can Bay Country Club and guests are welcome.
Tennis
If you fancy a game of tennis, Tin Can Bay Tennis Association has two all-weather courts available for hire from 7:00 am until late. Prices are $10.00 per hour in the daytime and $20.00 per hour at night. We can make bookings for you and we have the keys, just ask at Reception.
Other Activities
Tin Can Bay has two multi-purpose courts for basketball, netball and tennis on the town oval. There is a variety of walking and cycle tracks around town, just ask Reception for directions.
Local Information
Tin Can Bay is a tidal inlet fed by Schnapper and Crab Creeks. The name comes from the Aboriginal word for the dugong or sea cow, Tuncanbar. Land was first made available for sale in 1918 and an early survey of the township was made by 1922.
Tin Can Bay became a holiday destination for keen fisherman and had enough local residents to require a school by the early 1930s. Professional fishermen began using the port as their base in the 1950s. In 1962 scallop catches increased the work of the Tin Can Bay trawlers and today there are several dozen trawlers catching prawns as well, with Tin Can Bay as their home port.
Electricity was connected in 1959 and in the 1960s there was an increase in population due to the sand mining at Rainbow Beach. As the towns facilities improved, the population grew with many retired people settling in the area. Today the population is around 2500, including the fast growing Cooloola Cove.
The Sandcastle Motel is situated just 25 minutes s from the vehicular ferry to the World Heritage listed Fraser Island. Today there are many fine homes in the area and it is a popular holiday destination for couples seeking a quite getaway and families looking for fun and adventure.
Churches
Catholic: Sunday 6:00 pm
Baptist: Sunday 9:00am
Anglican: 2nd and 4th Sunday at 7:00 am
Lutheran 2nd and 4th Sunday at 11:00 am
CWA
Meetings start at 9:00 am every second Monday of each month in the CWA Meeting Room located in Whiting Street.
Library Hours
Mon: 10:00 am - 1:30 pm
Tuesday: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Wednesday: 10:00 am - 1:30 pm
Thursday: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Friday: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday: 8:30 am - 11:30 am
Boat Ramps
There are two boat ramps in town and they are located at the Coastguard and at Crab Creek. Please ask Reception for directions.
Post Office
The Tin Can Bay Post Office is open on week days only from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. You’ll find the Post Office opposite the IGA Supermarket, just a two minute walk downtown.
Banks
The National Bank is located in the shopping centre and is open from Monday to Thursday from 9:30 am until 4:00 pm and 9:30 am to 5:00 pm on Fridays.
The Post Office is an agency for the Commonwealth Bank.
Taxi
Tin Can Bay’s Taxi Service us available 24 hours, just phone 0427 695 538.