Two sympatric dolphin species occur in Hervey Bay, Queensland; the Australian humpback dolphin and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin. These are listed by the IUCN as “Vulnerable” and “Near Threated” respectively, yet there is little information regarding the anthropogenic threats they face throughout their range. Recreational vessels, tourism, and commercial and recreational fishing are all present in Hervey Bay and much is concentrated within areas where dolphins are frequently encountered. To develop efficient management strategies, it is important to understand how dolphins use an area and the degree of anthropogenic threats they face. We present findings from surveys conducted in Hervey Bay over six years between 2013 and 2024 where we encountered 439 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin groups and 67 Australian humpback dolphin groups. We used MaxEnt models to predict habitat suitability and assessed the degree of human activity. Australian humpback dolphins were predicted in shallow coastal regions making them particularly susceptible to the threats from recreational vessels and fishing, while the more cosmopolitan predictions of the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins highlight the increased risk from commercial vessels. Establishing distribution patterns, distinguishing important habitats, and identifying anthropogenic threats will aid in understanding the conservation needs of both species and help guide management strategies.