Historic Hervey Bay shark museum site seeks new tenant after gym closure

One of Hervey Bay’s most recognisable locations is back on the rental market, while the remnants of its once famous and controversial shark show sits in a nearby driveway.

The site of Vic Hislop’s shark museum is seeking a new tenant.

One of Hervey Bay’s most famous sites is back on the rental market only eight months after a new business opened and closed its doors.

The property at 553 The Esplanade, Urangan, was once the home of Vic Hislop’s Shark Show, a famous, sometimes controversial, exhibit that housed frozen sharks as part of Mr Hislop’s quest to educate the public on sharks.

The property was sold for $1.2 million in 2021 before finally being leased in late 2024, where a trailblazing idea hoped to capitalise on the prime location.

MumMe Time, a fitness and self-care centre for pregnant and postpartum mothers took the site over on November 2, 2024, aiming to provide Hervey Bay mothers with fitness classes and private workshops, while also providing in-house childcare.

Features of the space included a gymnasium area, a kitchenette and changing station, ‘The Sanctuary’, a space for mothers to relax where a 5m, frozen great white shark used to lay, and the children’s play area, which included a sensory tent for neurodivergent children.

'The Sanctuary', an area that mothers used to relax, housed Vic Hislop's great white shark carcass

Unfortunately, the gym was forced into liquidation on March 25 of this year, with the building being re-listed for lease a few months later.

Real Estate GC Hervey Bay is advertising the lease on its website, saying the business centre is “a rare opportunity to secure an outstanding location”.

Sitting on 934sq m, other key features highlighted by the agents include its high exposure to the Esplanade and an off-road car park with 8-10 spaces.

The history of the location’s former shark exhibit lives on, however, as the large shark mouth that visitors walked through to enter has found a new home for itself outside of Hervey Bay.

The shark exhibit's main entrance now sits proudly on the driveway of a River Heads property.

The shark mouth can be seen standing tall and proud on the driveway of a River Heads home.

Now with a few less teeth and some discolouration to its body, the spirit of one of Hervey Bay’s original tourist attractions lives on 20 minutes down the road.

Originally published as Historic Hervey Bay shark museum site seeks new tenant after gym closure