If you are anything like me you probably associate Bundaberg with sugar cane and it’s more famous by-product Bundaberg Rum. Until recently I didn’t really think of it as a tourist destination or a place that I would like to spend a long weekend. Turns out I was wrong, very, very wrong!
Bundaberg is an easy 4-hour drive or 45-minute flight from Brisbane and I am about to show you how this unassuming regional hub is going to become your new favourite place!
Bundaberg and it’s surrounds have so much to offer from fantastic local food and drink, world-leading eco-tourism experiences, glistening beaches and a stunning day out on the southernmost tip of the Great Barrier Reef.
We recently spent three nights there checking out all the great stuff on offer. Here’s what we got up to:
Pitstop @ The Big Matilda
In November 2020, Noel and I went on a "Big Things" road trip around Queensland.
Our first stop was supposed to be at the Big Matilda. However, she has recently been relocated to the brand new Traveston service centre and it was a few days away from its grand opening when we arrived. We only got to see her from the road and she was partially obstructed by a fence. We were determined to get back once the centre opened and this trip seemed like the perfect excuse.
For those of you who don't know, The Big Matilda was the mascot for the 1982 Commonwealth Games that were held in Brisbane. The Traveston Service Centre is located just under halfway to Bundaberg, so it is a perfect pitstop for a leg stretch and a photo with this kitschy piece of Queensland history. It is just off the highway, so won't add too much time to your trip.
Pro tip: The car park and inside toilets can get quite busy, especially around school and public holidays. There is another car park just behind the park and a clean and well-maintained toilet block right near this. If you don’t need fuel and are just stopping for a quick toilet break and photo with Matilda, then this car park will work best for you.
Read more about our "Big Things" road trip here: https://www.adventureswithemj.com/post/2020-roadtrip
Read more about The Big Matilda here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matilda_(mascot)
Lunch @ Mollydookers Cafe & Bar - Apple Tree Creek
On our November road trip, we drove past Mollydookers but we didn't have time to stop. I lived in Canada for just over 12 months in 2011/2012 and will go to great lengths to find real Canadian food here at home. I was so excited to know it existed and knew I needed to find a way to check it out.
Mollydookers call their food "Canadian inspired Australian Cuisine" but I can confirm this was the most authentic Perogies and Poutine I have had since being in Canada! I was too excited about the food that I forgot to take photos but can assure you the poutine was perfect with big, pillowy cheese curds and the perogies were to die for.
They also had a full Canadian drink menu, including a traditional caesar and their own maple bacon-infused caesar! The decor is super authentic and an NHL game was playing on multiple screens. If it wasn't 30+ degrees outside I would have almost believed I was back in Canada!
Pro tip: Order the classic poutine for a true taste of Canada
You can check out the delicious food & drink available at Mollydookers here: https://www.mollydookerscafe.com/
Kalki Moon Distillery - let the adventure be-Gin!
Our first stop In Bundaberg was at the Kalki Moon distillery. Kalki Moon has only been around for a few years but the owner Rick is no newcomer to the drink making scene. He used to be a master distiller at the Bundaberg Rum Factory and he really knows how to make a tasty drop!
We were lucky enough to have Rick himself host our tasting experience and he explained how the gins, liqueurs, vodka and the other drinks are made. The first two tastings were free and the rest available for a small fee. Between us, we tried the Standard, Pink and Navy gins and the Choc Mint, Chilli Choc & Choc, Vanilla & Hazelnut liqueurs.
Neither of us had really ever considered gin to be the drink for us and Rick explained that most people have only ever tried it as a Gin & Tonic and that tonic is not the best mixer. Rick showed us a few different mixers that work great and we both really enjoyed them. We left with 5 bottles, so we are now officially gin drinkers! Thanks Rick!
Pro tip: Try the standard gin with Bundaberg ginger beer, lime and mint served over ice.
Check out the Kalki Moon distillery here: https://kalkimoon.com/
Bundaberg Rum Distillery / Bundaberg Brewed Drinks
When most people think of Bundaberg, they think of Bundaberg Rum, which is not too surprising when you consider that it has been around since 1888!
The rum distillery offers tours to show you around the working distillery so you can see exactly how it is made. Pre COVID they also offered a “brew your own rum” experience that is currently on hiatus but hopefully will be back one day soon.
In addition to the tours, they also have a large store that sells some products that can only be purchased here as well as a large range of merchandise. Noel loves the Coffee & Chocolate liqueur and I think the Banana & Toffee one is the clear winner, especially when poured over ice cream!
Out the front of the distillery is “The Big Bundy Rum Bottle”, so don’t forget to get a touristy snap with it before you leave.
Although we didn’t visit on this trip, the Bundaberg Brewed Drinks brewery is just down the road where you can see and taste all the different soft drinks and do a tour of the factory. This is definitely worth it if you haven’t done it before. Noel and I love the Tropical Mango flavour the most.
Pro tip: If you want to do either tour you will need to book ahead, as they are very popular. Also, make sure you wear closed in shoes or you won’t be able to participate.
Check out the Bundaberg Rum Distillery here: https://www.bundabergrum.com.au/
Check out Bundaberg Brewed Drinks website here: https://www.bundaberg.com/our-history/
Ohana Cider House & Tropical Winery
Just around the corner from the Bundaberg Rum Distillery is the Ohana Cider House & Tropical Winery. Here we met owners Josh & Zoe and heard their story about how (with no winemaking experience and on a whim) they purchased a run-down winery in Childers in 2014.
They have done great things since then and now produce several different ciders, two different wines, a port and a liqueur. The apple cider is made with fresh apples from Queensland’s apple capital Stanthorpe and the wine is fruit wine made with strawberries and pineapple (yum!).
I sampled several ciders and both the Strawberry and Pineapple Moscato. While the ciders were nice, the wine was excellent! In fact, it was so excellent that I ended up buying 12 bottles of it!
Noel tried and purchased the coffee liqueur. They also do a cheese board to accompany your tastings that includes Kenilworth cheeses, so grab yourself one of these and settle in for a great afternoon!
Pro tip: Get yourself a designated driver and grab yourself the $18 tasting paddle that allows you to try six different drinks of your choice.
Check out Ohana here: https://www.ohanawinery.com.au/
The Point Resort Bargara
Rather than staying in Bundaberg itself, we headed out to the beachside town of Bargara, which is only about 15 minutes from central Bundaberg. Bargara is a holiday town and has a number of great beaches and accommodation options to suit all travel styles and budgets.
We stayed at The Point Resort in a one-bedroom apartment. It was great to have a well-equipped kitchen so we could make some of our own meals and our bathroom had a spa (which I definitely enjoyed) and a washing machine and dryer, which would be awesome to have on a longer trip.
We got a deal through Luxury Escapes that included 3 nights accommodation, parking, a bottle of wine and a late checkout for $349. I was super impressed that there was no surcharge to stay on a public holiday long weekend in the school holidays! What a bargain!
The resort also has 2 and 3 bedroom apartments as well as a pool, spa, games room, BBQ area and 6 hole mini putt putt course! It definitely isn’t 5 star and some of the furniture and decor is a bit dated and showing signs of wear and tear but it is a good value option that is close to both the shops and restaurants and across the road from the beach.
Check out The Point Resort here: https://www.thepointbargarabeach.com.au/
Pro tip: The BBQ area is quite popular, so if you are planning on using it you might want to plan for either an early or late dinner to avoid the peak time when the area is very busy.
Dinner
We needed to find a fairly quick and early dinner tonight, as we had to check-in for our next activity at 6.45 pm and it was about a 15-minute drive away. After realising that the restaurant I wanted to try for dinner was completely booked out (oops) we decided on grabbing some fish and chips to enjoy at the beach. There are plenty of picnic tables and benches right along the beachfront and it’s a great spot to enjoy some dinner.
There are a number of fish and chip shops close to the beach, so you haven’t any trouble finding one that is open when you want it.
Mon Repos Turtle Encounter
I had heard about the turtle encounters offered at Mon Repos years ago but never had been able to get tickets. This year I had the accommodation booked in and I knew the dates I would be in town and I was signed up to the mailing list and ready for the ticket release. I managed to snap up some tickets on the day they were released and it’s lucky I did. The entire season sold out in record time and there are over 700 people on the waiting list for cancellations.
If you want to do this, you are going to have to plan ahead and get tickets the day they are released. Turtle season runs from November to March. From November to January the big turtles arrive to lay their eggs and from January - March the hatchlings emerge. There are a few weeks where both events cross over and it’s a bit of a lucky dip as to what you will get to see.
We arrived at our designated time of 6.45 pm and checked in. The people attending were placed into five different groups (we were group one) and given stickers to wear showing our group numbers. Being in group one we got first access to the interactive turtle centre and theatre experience which was pretty cool. The current centre was only built in 2019 and is really impressive.
After returning to our designated seats for the night (thanks COVID) a ranger briefed us and let us know that we were now on “turtle time”. This meant that we could be waiting until 2 am for turtles to show up, and even then there was no guarantee that they would. Being in group one, we would be the first ones on the beach should any turtle activity be spotted.
After close to two hours waiting, our group was called to head down to the beach. As it was an exceptionally quiet night for turtle activity, we were being taken to a ranger who was on the beach preparing to do a “nest dig” The ranger explained to us that 24 hours after a group of turtles hatch they conduct a dig of the nest to check for any little hatchlings who have gotten stuck in their shells or in a hard pocket of sand and they also retrieve the eggs for their research.
We found seven little hatchlings who were alive but needed some help to get out of the nest. After the ranger had checked that we had all the little hatchlings we moved down the beach to release them. The ranger explained to us, that even though we may want to pick the turtles up and take them down to the water to help them out this is actually very bad for them for two reasons. The first is that during the walk down the sand they are learning how to swim and building up the muscles in their fins so they don’t drown when they get in the water. The second reason is that turtles always return to where they were born to lay their eggs. In order to do this, they need to “imprint” during the trek down the sand to get this memory so they know where to return to.
The twenty people in our group cheered the seven tiny little turtles on as they made the trek down the beach and all seven safely reached the water. We wished the little guys good luck and returned to the ranger who had counted all the eggs and found some hatchlings who didn’t make it. She showed us these (it was a bit gross and smelly) and explained why they record the outcome of each nest and the importance of tracking the activity of the same turtle over time.
As we headed back up to the turtle centre the ranger noticed tracks on the beach. Whilst we were watching our little hatchlings head into the ocean to start their journeys a full nest had hatched about 50 metres from where we were and more little turtles had made their way to the sea. We returned to the centre and the rest of the groups were still waiting for their turn. It was about 11 pm at this stage. You definitely want to be in group 1 so I stress again sign up for the mailing list so you are notified as soon as tickets are available.
We returned to our hotel after dodging a few kangaroos who were using the road as their own personal playground and jumped into bed happy that we had been able to have such a cool experience.
Pro tip: This is not an activity for kids under 6 or those who are easily upset. The rangers don’t interfere with nature and if you are watching turtles hatch there will undoubtedly be some who don’t make it. If your kid will not cope with this or is not capable of sitting still, following directions and being quiet for long periods as is needed for these activities or if they are scared of the dark, then for the sake of the turtles wait until they are older and able to enjoy this experience more.
Check out Mon Repos Turtle Encounters here: https://www.bundabergregion.org/mon-repos-nightly-turtle-encounter
Brunch @ Windmill Cafe Bargara
After a Sunday morning sleep in, we got dressed and headed out to find some brunch. We went to the Windmill Cafe where we both thoroughly enjoyed our food and drinks. The Windmill Cafe is located under the Big Windmill in See Street and is hard to miss.
Pro tip: call ahead to book - we were lucky to get a table and lots of people were being turned away as they were booked out
Check out the Windmill Cafe here: https://windmillbargara.com.au/
Paradise Sunday Markets
We went to check out the paradise markets that are held each Sunday on Hughes Road. These markets are a strange mix of flea market, craft market and retired people selling weird things they have made (soy candle in a used shoe kind of weird). It was a small market and it really wasn’t either of our kind of thing, so we didn’t stay very long.
Pro tip: Prioritise other things over these markets if you are on a time budget.
Hummock Lookout
Just outside of Bargara there is a big, brown sign that points to a lookout. We followed these signs and wound up at the top of Hummock lookout. You will notice on the drive into Bargara that there is a lot of farm land and everything is really flat. So even though this lookout is not up very high you get a great 360 view of Bargara and Bundaberg from the top.
Pro tip: There’s a picnic table up the top, so if it’s a nice day grab some takeaway lunch and bring it up here to enjoy.
Alexandra Park Zoo
Located with Alexandra Park is a free zoo that is run by the local council. Whilst the zoo is quite small there is a great assortment of interesting birds including a couple of emus, kangaroos, wallabies, dingos, snakes and our favourite the Cotton Top Tamarind. The tamarinds are these cute little monkey things from South America and very entertaining to watch.
Pro tip: The zoo is currently closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and the hours seem to change seasonally. Make sure you check the website to see the current hours/days when planning your trip to avoid disappointment.
Check out the Alexandra Park zoo here: https://www.discoverbundaberg.com.au/alexandra-park-zoo
Riverfeast Bundaberg
Riverfeast is Bundabergs answer to Eat Street. Set on the Burnett River there is a large warehouse that hosts two bars and a rotating assortment of food trucks and other local vendors. There is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating and live music keeps everyone entertained.
I don’t believe that Riverfeast has regular hours, so check their website to see what’s on and if it will be open while you are in town.
Pro tip: If you are looking for a table in the shade, be sure to check the backroom behind the stage and the courtyard out to the side, as these are less busy than the main area.
Check out RiverFeast here: https://www.riverfeast.com.au/
Dinner at Red Chilli Thai
TripAdvisor told me that the number one rated restaurant in Bargara was Red Chiili Thai restaurant. We ordered the vegetarian spring rolls, Beef Massaman curry, Penang Chicken Curry and a bowl of coconut rice and it was all delicious. So delicious I didn’t take any photos! It was very reasonably priced also!
We enjoyed our dinner on the beach the night before so much that we got our food to go and went back down to the beach to enjoy the sunset.
Pro tip: Phone your order in so you don’t have to wait
Check out the menu here: https://www.redchillithaibargara.com.au/
Lady Musgrave Experience
Would you be surprised if I told you that you could be snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef right out of Bundaberg? Well, you 100% can and the friendly folk at the Lady Musgrave Experience are the people that can get you there.
Lady Musgrave Island is located a 2 hour and 15-minute boat ride from the port of Bundaberg and Lady Musgrave Experience operates daily tours to let you experience both the island and the waters that surround it. The island is the second most south island of the Great Barrier Reef.
After a fairly gnarly ride out in rougher than normal seas, we arrived just before 10 am. At this point we were divided into our 4 groups that they use to coordinate rotating through the activities on offer to ensure everyone gets a chance to try everything and to make sure there is enough staff with each group to give you a personal experience.
Our first activity was a 45-minute glass-bottom boat tour. The driver took us out over the coral and pointed out the different types of coral we were seeing as well as identifying the many different types of colourful fish (we didn’t find Nemo).
The best part of the glass bottom boat tour was when we hovered right over the top of a big coral that was a “turtle cleaning station”. The turtles use this station like a carwash. They pull up, settle into a comfy spot and a number of little fish come and clean off its shell so it is sparkly and new looking. Once they are all clean, the turtles continue on their merry way. We saw four turtles in the station being cleaned. The guide told us these were Green Turtles, which were different from the Loggerhead turtles we had seen at Mon Repos a couple of days ago.
The glass-bottom boat then dropped us on Lady Musgrave Island for our 45-minute walking tour of the island. The guide that took us around the island was friendly and entertaining. The island is home to lots of birdlife as well as being a big breeding ground for turtles.
Whilst walking through the forest, we discovered one of the members of our group was terrified of birds, which made quite for quite an entertaining commentary coming out of her mouth when the many birds we saw got close to us. We left the forest and walked back along the beach where the guide pointed out multiple turtle nests.
The glass-bottom boat picked us up and took us back to the boat for lunch, which was salad, ham, chicken, prawns and the freshest sourdough bread I have ever had. During lunch, the snorkel guide came in and gave us our safety briefing so we were ready to get in the water as soon as we finished our lunch.
After being fitted for our snorkel gear, we jumped in the water which was the perfect temperature! The first thing I noticed was the excellent visibility and all the colourful fish swimming right off the back of the boat. It was incredible!
I have been snorkelling in several spots in the Whitsundays as well as out of Cairns and Port Douglas and can confirm that the coral, marine life and scenery is 100% on par with each of these. In fact, I saw more turtles on this trip than I have ever seen on any of the other trips I had done. Another big perk is that there is no “stinger season” like there is further north, so we were perfectly safe in the water and didn’t need to wear a wetsuit/stinger suit.
Pro tip: Lady Musgrave Island is a coral cay and home to a poisonous snail that hides along the waterline. You will need to have shoes on the entire time you are on the island, including when you are walking in the water to get on/off the glass bottom boat. Whilst thongs will do, reef shoes would be best for this activity. Remember to bring them along if you have a pair and if you don’t have any they do sell them onboard for $25 if you decide you want them.
Check out Lady Musgrave Experience here: https://ladymusgraveexperience.com.au/
As not many restaurants were open in Bargara on Monday nights and we were a bit over eating out, we pulled into the grocery store and grabbed a hot roast chicken, some salad and some wraps to make dinner back at our apartment.
After dinner, we went for a swim and had a spa before having showers and going to bed pretty early as we were pretty tired from our early start and a big day out.
Splitters Farm tour & picnic
After checking out of the hotel and finding some breakfast in Bundaberg, we headed out to Splitters Farm in Sharon, which is about 10 minutes north of Bundaberg.
We were booked in for a farm tour and picnic package. When we arrived we checked in and were told to stay close by for the safety briefing that would happen soon and we were also given a map of the farm with information about the animals we were about to meet. The owner Carly also told me I could get a guinea pig out of the cage and give it a cuddle while we waited for the briefing to begin. I went straight for the cage and found a cuddly little buddy to keep me entertained while I waited. He was so sweet!
Carly came out and gave everyone a briefing so we all understood where to go to find the animals. She also took us into the baby goat enclosure and I got to feed a baby goat from a bottle. Once this was over we then we set out to make our way around the farm and feed all the hungry animals that were waiting for us. We fed mini horses, ponies, big horses, alpacas, goats, sheep, pigs, cows, chickens and ducks.
We also met Shadow, who is the farms working dog and an 11/10 good boy. We also saw a cat inside the house who seemed very jealous that everyone else was getting all the attention.
Our picnic pack included sandwiches, muffins and slices, yoghurt and granola, chocolate mousse and two well earned cold drinks. It was all very tasty. There are plenty of shady picnic tables and nice green lawn to set up a picnic rug on.
Splitters farm also offer a farm stay experience that is either BYO tent or caravan or you can choose to stay in their new glamping tents. The facilities block is brand new and very clean and nice. It looked really nice and we resolved to definitely come back and stay at some point in the not too distant future.
Pro tip: choose the 10am tour if you can. This is the first tour of the day and the animals are hungry and waiting for you to feed them. They were super interactive and happy to see us and all of them were happy to eat out of our hands. I am not sure they would be the same for the last tour group of the day.
Check out all Splitters Farm has to offer here: www.splittersfarm.com.au
And just like that our little holiday was over. When I think of Bundaberg now I will definitely no longer think of just rum!
I would love to hear from you about what your favourite things to do in Bundaberg and it’s surrounds are. Leave me a comment below and I will check it out on my next trip!
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