Hervey Bay land valuations and rates: the 2023 date still in use
Every Hervey Bay rates notice starts from a land valuation issued by the Queensland Valuer-General. In the Fraser Coast Regional Council area that figure is older than many owners expect, and it was never meant to say what the house is worth.
When the Fraser Coast was last valued
The Valuer-General does not revalue every council area each year. Its table of past land valuation trends shows the Fraser Coast valued in 2022, with an overall change of 20 per cent, and again in 2024, with an overall change of 37.2 per cent. The same table records no Fraser Coast valuation in 2023, 2025 or 2026.
The Department's 2024 valuation page, which survives as an archived copy, says the Valuer-General issued valuations to 20 council areas, the Fraser Coast among them, on 26 March 2024. They reflect land values at 1 October 2023 and took effect from 30 June 2024. The 60-day objection period closed on 27 May 2024.
The 2026 program, issued on 11 March 2026, covered 15 council areas and did not include the Fraser Coast, as the 2026 valuations page shows. The list for 2027, announced on 5 August 2026, does not include it either. Unless that changes, a Hervey Bay land value on a 2026/27 notice still describes the land as it stood on 1 October 2023.
What the land value covers
For land outside rural zoning, the Valuer-General assesses site value. Its explanation of its methods says houses, fences and other structures are not included, and that values are set for many properties at a common date by mass appraisal.
That is a different question from a market valuation. A brick home in Kawungan and a vacant block of similar size and position nearby may carry similar land values, because the building is left out. A valuation for tax or super has to cover the land and the house together, as at the date the obligation arises.
How the council turns it into rates
Fraser Coast Regional Council's general ratepayer information for 2026/27 says the general rate is the land valuation multiplied by the cents in the dollar for the property's rating category, with a minimum rate where that sum is lower. For an owner-occupied urban home, category 1a, the figures are 0.8658 cents in the dollar and a minimum of $1,410. For a non-owner-occupied urban home, category 2a, they are 0.9956 cents and $1,620. The same document says the result is a yearly amount, divided into three to be billed across the financial year.
Hypothetical example: an owner-occupied urban lot with a land value of $250,000 would produce a general rate of $250,000 multiplied by 0.008658, or $2,164.50 for the year, before any capping. Water, waste and other charges are separate, and a $45 Disaster Management and Resilience Levy applies to each rateable property.
The council also limits how far the general rate can rise from one year to the next. For the residential categories the limitation is 10.5 per cent for 2026/27, measured from the previous year's Cycle 3 general rate. The same document says the limitation stops applying after a transfer of ownership, among other changes. A buyer should therefore read the full general rate on page 2 of the seller's notice, not only the capped amount being paid.
Land tax uses the same figure
Queensland Revenue Office uses land valuations to calculate state land tax, according to the Valuer-General's page on how valuations are used. That page also notes that rates can change even when the land value has not, because the valuation is only one of the factors a council weighs.
Objections and the 60-day window
An objection must be lodged within 60 days of the issue date on the valuation notice, the same page says. For the 2024 Fraser Coast valuations that window closed on 27 May 2024. There is no open objection period for a Hervey Bay owner until the Valuer-General issues a new valuation for the area. The objections, reviews and appeals pages set out the process for when one does arrive, and you can check the current figure for any lot through Find your land valuation.
When you need a market value instead
A land value struck at 1 October 2023 cannot answer what a property was worth at a settlement, a date of death, the first day it was let or 30 June for a super fund. Those questions need the land and buildings valued together, from sales in the same locality, at the date that matters.
A certified Hervey Bay valuation with inspection covers the whole property. If you are not sure which report a purpose calls for, send the address and the date through the contact page, or read the Hervey Bay valuation FAQ.