| Name | Court Room | Time |
|---|---|---|
| BLAIR N** J** | Court 3 | 9:00 AM |
| FRESCON L** A** | Court 3 | 9:00 AM |
| NICHOLS I** D** | Court 3 | 9:00 AM |
| REID D** G** | Court 3 | 10:00 AM |
Last updated: 26 Jul 2026, 3:12 pm. Names are partially masked for privacy. Details may change — always check with the Registry.
The Hervey Bay Supreme and District Court operates as a circuit registry within the Queensland court system, serving the Fraser Coast and the wider Wide Bay-Burnett region from its courthouse on Queens Road. Unlike the permanent higher-court registries in Brisbane, Cairns, Rockhampton and Townsville, Hervey Bay functions on a circuit basis, meaning Supreme and District Court judges travel to the city for scheduled criminal and civil sittings rather than sitting continuously all year. This page provides the current daily law list for the Hervey Bay Supreme and District Court, alongside verified information about how the court works, when it sits, and where it fits within the state judicial hierarchy.
Hervey Bay is one of the fastest-growing regional cities in Queensland. The 2021 Census recorded a usual resident population of 59,964 people living in 28,382 dwellings, with an average household size of 2.29. The broader Fraser Coast local government area, which includes the twin city of Maryborough and K'gari (formerly Fraser Island), was home to 111,032 residents at the 2021 Census across an area of 7,105 square kilometres. This concentration of population roughly 250 kilometres north of Brisbane is precisely why the higher courts maintain a regular circuit presence here, ensuring residents of Pialba, Urangan, Scarness, Urraween and surrounding localities can access serious criminal and civil justice without travelling to the capital.
What the Hervey Bay Supreme and District Court Handles
The Supreme Court of Queensland is the highest court in the state. On circuit at Hervey Bay it deals with the most serious indictable offences, including murder and manslaughter, and exercises unlimited civil jurisdiction over the largest and most complex disputes. The District Court is the intermediate tier and carries the bulk of the serious criminal trial workload in regional Queensland. It hears indictable offences such as armed robbery, sexual offences, grievous bodily harm and large-scale fraud, and holds civil jurisdiction for claims generally between $150,000 and $750,000.
When a matter is too serious to be finalised in the local Magistrates Court, it is committed upward to the District or Supreme Court for trial or sentence. This is why the Hervey Bay circuit list frequently features callovers, arraignments, jury trials, sentencing hearings and civil directions on the same sitting calendar. The court's published notices confirm that criminal sittings, civil trials and hearings are managed together during each circuit block, with judges holding callovers and reviews to keep the regional caseload moving efficiently.
Court Location and Contact Details
- Address: Queens Road, Hervey Bay QLD 4655 (PO Box 321)
- Phone: (07) 4120 6500
- Email: courthouse.herveybay@justice.qld.gov.au
- Business hours: 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday, Wednesday to Friday; 8:30am to 4:00pm Tuesday
- Facilities: Wi-Fi, videoconferencing and a remote witness room
The same Queens Road complex houses the local Magistrates Court, so many court users will find both jurisdictions operating from the one precinct. If your matter is a summary offence, a bail application or a committal proceeding, you may need the Hervey Bay Magistrates Court list rather than the higher-court circuit list shown on this page.
When Does the Hervey Bay Circuit Sit?
Because Hervey Bay is a circuit location, sittings occur in defined blocks across the year rather than daily. Court notices published by Queensland Courts confirm upcoming sitting dates in advance, and the daily law list is only populated when a circuit block is active. Between circuit blocks, matters may be listed for chorus-call directions by telephone, allowing legal representatives to appear remotely without attending in person. This hybrid arrangement is common across regional Queensland registries and reduces the cost and delay of travelling to distant courthouses for procedural steps.
Hervey Bay sits within the same District Court circuit grouping as several nearby centres. The Chief Judge's reporting has historically listed Kingaroy, Maryborough, Hervey Bay, Mackay, Toowoomba, Mount Isa and Bundaberg together as circuit destinations where careful case management is applied. If a matter cannot be reached during a Hervey Bay block, it may be relisted to a following circuit or transferred to a neighbouring centre, which is why checking the current list daily during sitting weeks is important.
Nearby Higher-Court Circuits
Court users on the Fraser Coast frequently need listings for adjoining registries. The Maryborough court list covers the twin city just 34 kilometres to the south-west, while the Bundaberg court list serves the next major centre to the north. Matters originating in the Gympie region are handled through the Gympie court list, which sits further south along the Bruce Highway corridor. Having all of these regional lists accessible in one place saves practitioners, defendants, witnesses and family members from navigating multiple government portals.
Queensland Higher-Court Workload in Numbers
The scale of the higher courts that service Hervey Bay is best understood through the most recent official reporting. According to the District Court of Queensland Annual Report 2024-2025, the Court received 6,373 criminal lodgements statewide, down from 6,659 the previous year, and recorded 3,928 civil lodgements, a decrease of 4.1 percent. The number of trials commenced fell from 664 to 630, with an average trial duration of 3.6 days. At year's end 3,065 matters remained outstanding, and the criminal clearance rate reached 100 percent.
The Supreme Court of Queensland Annual Report 2023-2024 recorded 1,604 criminal lodgements in the Trial Division and 3,526 civil lodgements, a rise of just over 10 percent on the prior year. The Court of Appeal disposed of 274 criminal appeals at a clearance rate of 90.4 percent and 139 civil appeals during the same period. These figures illustrate why the Chief Judge continues to describe the District Court of Queensland as one of the largest and busiest higher courts in Australia, a workload distributed across circuit centres like Hervey Bay rather than concentrated solely in Brisbane.
For context on the volume entering the system at the entry level, the Magistrates Courts of Queensland dealt with 163,197 adult defendants on 371,644 charges during 2023-2024. The overwhelming majority of criminal matters are finalised summarily, but the most serious are committed upward, feeding the District and Supreme Court trial lists that reach circuit locations such as Hervey Bay.
Why Regional Circuit Access Matters
Queensland spans roughly 1.85 million square kilometres, and District Court judges sit at up to 32 centres across the state. Maintaining a circuit at Hervey Bay means that a rapidly expanding coastal population, one that has grown from around 41,225 residents in 2006 to close to 60,000 in the city proper, does not have to travel almost 300 kilometres to Brisbane to have serious matters heard. This access is a core principle of the Queensland justice system, balancing the efficiency of centralised registries with the fairness of bringing higher courts to the communities they serve.
How to Read and Use the Daily Law List
The Hervey Bay Supreme and District Court daily law list sets out the matters scheduled for each sitting day during an active circuit block. Each entry typically identifies the courtroom, the presiding judge, the parties or defendant, the type of appearance, and the time. Criminal listings are separated from civil trials and hearings, and telephone or chorus-call arrangements are flagged where a matter is being managed remotely.
A few practical points help court users interpret the list correctly:
- Confirm the sitting dates first. If no circuit block is running, the higher-court list will be empty even though the Magistrates Court may still be sitting.
- Check the courtroom allocation. Trials, sentences and directions may run in different rooms simultaneously during a busy block.
- Note remote-appearance flags. Chorus-call and videoconference details indicate you may not need to attend the courthouse in person.
- Watch for relistings. Matters not reached within a block are commonly carried to the next circuit or an adjoining centre.
- Verify suppression orders. Non-publication orders may restrict what can be disclosed about certain matters.
For a complete picture of every tier in the state system, from summary offences through to the most serious indictable crimes, the Queensland court list hub brings together listings for all Supreme, District and Magistrates Court locations across Queensland.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Hervey Bay Supreme and District Court open every day?
No. Hervey Bay is a circuit registry, so Supreme and District Court judges attend in scheduled blocks rather than sitting continuously. The courthouse on Queens Road is open for registry business during standard hours, but higher-court hearings only occur when a circuit is listed. The local Magistrates Court, by contrast, sits far more regularly.
What is the difference between the Supreme, District and Magistrates courts at Hervey Bay?
The Magistrates Court handles summary offences, committals and less serious civil claims and is where most matters begin. The District Court hears serious indictable offences and civil claims generally between $150,000 and $750,000. The Supreme Court deals with the most serious crimes, including murder and manslaughter, and has unlimited civil jurisdiction. Serious matters are committed upward from the Magistrates Court to the District or Supreme Court circuit.
How do I find out when the next Hervey Bay circuit sitting is?
Sitting dates are published in advance through Queensland Courts notices and appear alongside the daily law list once a circuit block is scheduled. During non-sitting periods, procedural matters are often handled by telephone chorus call, so it is worth checking the list and the court notices ahead of any expected appearance.
Can I appear remotely at the Hervey Bay higher court?
In many procedural matters, yes. The courthouse is equipped with videoconferencing and a remote witness room, and directions hearings are frequently conducted by chorus call. Whether remote appearance is permitted for your specific matter depends on the type of hearing and any directions made by the presiding judge.
Where is the Hervey Bay courthouse located?
The court is on Queens Road, Hervey Bay QLD 4655, within the Fraser Coast region approximately 250 kilometres north of Brisbane. The same complex accommodates both the higher-court circuit and the local Magistrates Court, and can be contacted on (07) 4120 6500.
