MARKET INTELLIGENCE / OBSERVED HISTORY

Hervey Bay regional childcare history

Your suburb search opens the wider Hervey Bay region. These figures describe that whole area; suburb-only history is not available in this release.

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Hervey Bay regional history

Childcare services across this region

32What does this count include?

What is counted?

Government-approved services that reported at least one session of subsidised care during January–March 2026.

The total covers centre-based day care, outside school hours care, family day care and in-home care services. It is not a count of long day care centres alone.

Can I see the service names?

This government release publishes an area total, not the individual service names or IDs. We do not have a verified list of the 32 services behind this figure. A directory of services today would not establish which services were counted in this historical quarter.

Check the original government workbook ↗

Hervey Bay region · January–March 2026

Includes school-age and home-based care. Individual service names are not supplied in this release.

Change in service count

+3

29 services in July–September 2019, compared with 32 in January–March 2026. 10.3% more. This does not identify individual openings or closures.

Average centre-based day care fee

$13.70 per hour

Per child, before the government Child Care Subsidy is deducted. This is the hourly fee, not a daily fee or the amount a family pays after subsidy.

Average across 21 centre-based day care services in the whole region. That is the fee sample, not a list of all services in the total above.

63.9% higher than October–December 2018. Prices are not adjusted for inflation; the services in the sample can change.

How service numbers changed across Hervey Bay

Published regional activity

Each bar is the number of services reporting care in that quarter. Scroll sideways to see all quarters. A missing bar means no published figure, not zero services. These counts do not measure available childcare places.

Quarterly figures and original sources

June 2020 is missing because of temporary COVID-19 relief arrangements. The service total and fee sample cover different groups. Early quarters have fees but no regional service count.

Hervey Bay. Service totals cover all approved care types; fees cover centre-based day care only. Fees are per hour before subsidy.
QuarterServicesHourly feeServices in fee sampleEvidence
2018-Q3UnavailableUnavailableUnavailableOriginal workbook ↗
2018-Q4Unavailable$8.3617Original workbook ↗
2019-Q1Unavailable$8.4517Original workbook ↗
2019-Q2Unavailable$8.5916Original workbook ↗
2019-Q329$8.9616Original workbook ↗
2019-Q429$8.9516Original workbook ↗
2020-Q129$9.1817Original workbook ↗
2020-Q328$9.1816Original workbook ↗
2020-Q428$9.2816Original workbook ↗
2021-Q131$9.4318Original workbook ↗
2021-Q231$9.5118Original workbook ↗
2021-Q331$9.7218Original workbook ↗
2021-Q431$9.7418Original workbook ↗
2022-Q132$9.9618Original workbook ↗
2022-Q232$10.0018Original workbook ↗
2022-Q330$10.4818Original workbook ↗
2022-Q430$10.5318Original workbook ↗
2023-Q130$10.8418Original workbook ↗
2023-Q231$11.0420Original workbook ↗
2023-Q331$11.7820Original workbook ↗
2023-Q432$11.9321Original workbook ↗
2024-Q133$12.4422Original workbook ↗
2024-Q232$12.3621Original workbook ↗
2024-Q332$13.0521Original workbook ↗
2024-Q432$13.0221Original workbook ↗
2025-Q132$13.1421Original workbook ↗
2025-Q233$13.1622Original workbook ↗
2025-Q333$13.5922Original workbook ↗
2025-Q433$13.6522Original workbook ↗
2026-Q132$13.7021Original workbook ↗

Understanding the Hervey Bay childcare market

How many childcare services are reported in Hervey Bay?

The Department of Education reported 32 childcare services across the whole region in January–March 2026. These services reported at least one subsidised session of care during the quarter. The count includes centre-based day care, outside school hours care, family day care and in home care. It is not a suburb-only centre count.

Check the Department of Education source ↗

What is the average childcare fee in Hervey Bay?

The published centre-based day care average is $13.70 per child per hour in January–March 2026, before Child Care Subsidy. The fee sample contains 21 services. This is an average across the source population, not a quote for a particular centre or a daily rate.

Check the Department of Education source ↗

Has the number of services changed?

The published count increased by 3 between July–September 2019 and January–March 2026. This compares reporting service totals. It does not identify individual openings or closures, or tell us how many childcare places were added. Fees and service counts may cover different sets of services.

Check the Department of Education source ↗

Does this tell me whether a particular site is viable?

Regional history helps frame a decision, but a site assessment needs an exact address and a defined catchment. Use a detailed report to investigate nearby competitors, child-age population, available local fees and development evidence. Confirm occupancy, staffing, planning and financial assumptions separately.

Prepared by Child Care Demand for operators, developers and childcare buyers. Read the methodology and coverage. Contact support@childcaredemand.com with a source correction.

THE NEXT STEP / CHILD CARE DEMAND

Before you commit to a site, see the whole catchment.

You’ve explored Hervey Bay. Now assess an exact address: the families around it, the services competing for them and the developments that could change the picture.

Child Care Demand brings that evidence into one report for operators, developers and childcare buyers.

What you’ll find inside your report

Who would you compete with?

Nearby service names, locations and published capacity, with care types and available quality evidence.

Understand the alternatives families already have.

Find it in: Map · Demand & supply

What does local demand look like?

Child-age population, demand measures and supply comparisons for your selected drive-time or radius catchment.

Screen the demand case before commissioning deeper diligence.

Find it in: Demand & supply

What are nearby centres charging?

Published local fees, their dates and the services included in the sample, where available.

Test your pricing assumptions against local evidence.

Find it in: Commercials

What could change the market?

Recorded childcare development applications, published stages and proposed places where the source provides them.

Investigate future competition before committing to a site.

Find it in: Pipeline

How has the wider market changed?

Dated state and matched regional service and fee history, saved with your report.

Put today’s conditions in context for your investment case.

Find it in: Demand & supply

Can you check and share the evidence?

Source references, collection dates and coverage notes, with a shareable and printable report.

Give partners and decision-makers evidence they can inspect.

Find it in: Sources · Share · Print

Free market research

Published regional service counts and fee history. Useful for exploring an area and comparing how it has changed.

Your detailed site report

An exact address and your selected catchment, with named nearby services, local demand, available fees and development evidence. Broader historical context is included separately.

Coverage varies by location and source. Missing fees, capacity or development details are labelled. A report supports your due diligence; it does not verify occupancy, guarantee demand or replace planning advice. The historical aggregate does not identify every service counted in earlier quarters.

From research to a site decision

  1. Create your account. Set up your workspace and review the subscription terms.
  2. Choose your site. Enter a street address and choose a drive-time or radius catchment.
  3. Run and review your report. Explore the evidence, share it with your team and identify what needs further investigation.

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