The Australian herring has a streamlined, moderately deep and slightly elongate body which is somewhat compressed and has a relatively thin caudal peduncle.

The whole of the head and body, except for the lower jaw, snout and over the eyes is covered in small, finely ctenoid scales.

This species is silver in colour with black tips on tail and gold spots along the upper body.

[4] Australian herring form large schools in sea-grass meadows, off beaches, over reefs, in coastal bays and in estuaries.

They are predators feeding on smaller fishes and some invertebrates which live among the weed beds and sea grass meadows.

At 30–60 millimetres (1.2–2.4 in) length the juveniles settle in the winter and spring using nursery sites along the south coast.

[4] The Australian herring was first formally described as Centropristes georgianus in 1831 by Achille Valenciennes with the type locality given as King George Sound in Western Australia.