Best of Bundaberg

We stopped into the Bundaberg Port Marina thinking it would only be for a weekend. We had work to do, which took so long, we spent over a week in Bundaberg. The good news is we got important boat jobs done, and experienced the best of Bundaberg, Australia.

About Bundaberg

Bundaberg, or “Bundy” for short, is an industrial town of about 100,000 people. Located up the Burnett River, north of Hervey Bay, it was our stop after K’Gari. Upon arriving, we noticed a lot of smokestacks and water tanks. Famous for making rum, the land is primarily sugar cane farms, with little trains moving the supplies between.

The downtown is surprising, though, with boarded up buildings interspersed with lovely churches and heritage architecture. It’s nowhere near as exciting as Brisbane, but we had some fun finding the best of Bundaberg.

“Stuck” in the Marina

As happens when you’re living on a boat, things break. Our engine has been giving us trouble since the sail to Australia. Fortunately, the Bundaberg Port Marina has a good mechanic. Unfortunately, the work we needed took more than a week. The marina was full of friendly people and we took advantage of the many amenities, including hot showers and laundry.

The marina even throws a weekly party, providing meat for a Friday evening barbecue at the outdoor kitchen. We attended and brought our side for the pot luck our first night in the marina, and then again the following week. We encountered the friendliest crowd we’d yet found in the country, lots of Aussies with good tips for stops on the way north. It’s funny, because we have an Aussie friend who says Americans love pot lucks, but this was all Aussies, the only ‘Merican was me!

Getting around bundy

If you do get stuck in Bundy on a boat, the marina is a good place to be stuck. While it’s more than 15km from town, a public bus transits a couple of times a day, except Sunday. The marina also offers a free shuttle service every weekday morning (you have to get yourself back). On Sundays, the shuttle goes to the farmers market with stops at the supermarket and liquor store on the way back.

cruiser reunion

A friend of ours, Hugh from Sea Change, sailed to Australia and landed in Bundaberg while we were stuck there. So we got to spend some time catching up with him. So far we’ve hung out with Hugh in Panama, the Marquesas, New Zealand, and Australia. We love meetups with cruising friends.

Getting Go Going

As I said, our bum engine has been working off and on since we sailed from New Zealand. The mechanic at the marina quickly jumped in to help. He removed and cleaned the fuel injectors, which took a couple tries, giving us time to discover the best of Bundaberg. We also worked on other projects to fill the time, including replacing pot lights, and general provisioning and maintenance.

Best of Bundaberg

Bundaberg is not that big a place, and I think most people would be able to see all the highlights in a weekend. We were happy with the marina experience, but we don’t plan to return. Domino loved being in the marina. Both the boat across from us and the neighbor boat had dogs on them, yet she still would jump onto the dock and roll around on the concrete in full view of the dogs. She’s a tease!

RUM Distillery

We went on a couple of tours while we were in Bundaberg, none more touted than the rum distillery. One of the biggest businesses in the region, the rum distillery runs tours four days a week for $30. It includes a guided walk around the grounds and your choice of two tasters at the end.

The tour runs hourly and is the most popular tourist attraction in Bundy. Our tour had at least 50 people on it, some on big tour buses. It’s not the most distinctive distillery tour we’ve been on. It’s pretty typical, taking you through the whole process, only here it includes a lot of “dad jokes” which seems to be the voice of the company as seen in its ads.

One of the most interesting things about the tour were all the rainbow lorikeets feasting on the spilled sugar nectar in the road. Unfortunately, before the tour they make you lock up your belongings, including phones, in lockers, so no lorikeet photos. They’re beautiful and so colorful!

Bundaberg Rum Distillery, Hills Street, Bundaberg East

The barrel

We have long enjoyed the Bundaberg brand lemonade and ginger beer, well before we heard of the rum. After we ran out of things to do, we visited the Bundaberg Barrel.

For $20, you get a guided tasting of all the flavors of juice and a 6 pack of bottles to bring with you. Considering each bottle costs approximately $5, it’s worth it. We tried lots of new flavors like blood orange and sarsaparilla, and stocked up on our favorites.

The Bundaberg Barrel, 147 Bargara Road, Bundaberg East

Brewery

In our ten days in the region, we visited a few bars and restaurants, and most of them were pretty generic. We really enjoyed the Ballistic Bargara Brewery, and visited twice. If they were open beyond just Wednesday to Saturday, we likely would have gone again. Mondays are exceptionally dire!

Ballistic Brewery made us feel like home. With darts and video games, a good food menu, and lots of craft beers on tap, it was a good spot right in the heart of downtown.

Ballistic Bargara Brewhouse, 10 Tanthitha Street, Bundaberg Central

Botanic Gardens and Hinkler Museum

Bundaberg’s botanic gardens, across the river from the CBD (Central Business District), are beautiful and free to visit.

Bundaberg Botanic Gardens, 6 Mount Perry Road, Bundaberg North

Also, within the gardens are several historic sites and the Hinkler Hall of Aviation, an homage to one of Bundaberg’s most famous sons. We spent a rainy morning at Bert Hinkler’s museum, learning about this pioneering airplane builder and pilot, who flew the first solo flight from England to Australia in 1928. It even included some old planes, which they would have liked at the Omaka Aviation Centre.

Hinkler Hall of Aviation, 6 Mount Perry Road, Bundaberg North

mon repos turtle encounter

If we return, we’ll want to do the turtle encounter at Mon Repos. This was the one must do in Bundaberg we missed because of bad timing. They offer guided night time tours to the beach where you can watch the turtles either lay their eggs, nest, or hatch, depending on the date. This is available from November to March.

Beyond Bundaberg

From the marina, Bundaberg Central is about 16km west. After a few days, we depleted the attractions, and hired a rental car to explore beyond Bundaberg.

Biking Trails

On nice days, we hopped on our bikes and used the excellent waterfront and park trails south of the port.

Conveniently, the multi-use trail runs directly outside the marina south along the coast. Our most common destination were the cafes and parks of Bargara, including the turtle trail through Mon Repos. On a few sunny days, we took our time completing the 20K out and back ride.

While we could safely bike south to the cute seafront town of Bargara, there’s no bike trail to Bundy.

bundaberg’s hinterlands

If you’re in Bundaberg long enough, you will run out of things to do, like we did. We used the car to explore beyond the city, but to be honest, even Bundy’s hinterlands were a bit of a let down compared to other Queensland hinterland attractions.

The highlight of our drive were the kangaroos lounging on private property along the road back to Bundy from Childers. Unfortunately it was fenced off land, so even though Brian turned around for a better look, we couldn’t even get photos. Kangaroos are not as easy to spot in the wild as we hoped.

Bye Bye Bundaberg

We’ve waited for boat parts in many places over five years, so we know how to maximize the time. Waiting in Bundaberg was a lot better than being stuck in Tonga, and we stocked up on lemonade and ginger beer. Our plans in Australia are not solid, but we probably won’t return to Bundy. If we do, we’ll hope to see turtles. What would you do if you had a weekend in Bundy?