Bundaberg Australia Info

Bundaberg Australia

The coral atolls, Lady Elliot and Lady Musgrave, are circled on the "must-see" list. The turtle rookery Nov-Feb . . . migrating humpbacks Aug-Oct. You can't see em' both though!!
The Bundaberg Rum Distillery or Bert Hinkler's Aviation Memorial . . . your choice.

The resort pool . . . the ocean lagoon. Dunk yourself in either!!

Quick tips/suggestions Bargara, 15 minutes drive from Bundaberg, is a relaxing resort town.
The local beer gardens are a good spot to have a counter-lunch and talk over the day's outings.
The unspoilt beaches stretch north and south with Queensland's most northern surfin' spot one hour up the road.
Be VERY early for the turtle viewing unless you want to spend two hours waiting in the Turtle Rookery Info Centre.
Best Way to Get Around (i.e. walking, driving, taxis, public transportation etc.) A 4-wheel-drive to scrunch up the beach highway would be a lot of fun . . . Behave though!! This is an eco-sensitive area. Having your own transport enables you to access most of the sights without having to use a tour operator.
Founded in 1867 Bundaberg is a prime example of small town in Queensland and is home to a number of architectural curiosities; it’s well worth a quick wander around town. Bundy's main landmark (with the possible exception of the distillery) is the Central Post Office on Bourbong St. Built in 1890, this classic colonial brick building features a ground floor of pillars and arches, a first floor of verandas and balustrades, and a 30-meter clock tower. Coloured lighting gives the building a fairy-tale feel after dark and you can even mail your postcards here. Out front in the middle of the small traffic island, the Soldiers Monument stands guard. Unveiled in 1921 as a memorial to the servicemen of Bundy who died drawing World War I, the tall red granite base is topped by a 2.28 meter Italian marble figure of an Aussie digger.
Another fine example of 19th-century colonial architecture is the Old Police Station on Quay St. originally built in 1882 as Bundy's first courthouse this became the main police station in 1958 when the courthouse was transferred to a new building further up the street. Also look out for the 1887 Payne Butler Lang Solicitors Building also on Quay St., the 1889 School of the Arts and the imposing 1891 National Australia Bank Building both on Bourbong St.
Bundy’s first church was opened in 1875 on Woongara St., the site is now occupied by the Holy Rosary Catholic Church. The church built in 1888 and reconstructed in 1926 is based on the design of a Roman temple and features some fine stained glass windows. Other churches also found along Woongara St. include St Andrews Uniting Church built in 1882 and reconstructed in 1932 with a 22-meter Carillion bell tower, Christ Church Anglican Church built in 1927 in English Gothic Style complete with 34-meter spire, lichgate and wayside cross, and the curious Church of Christ, a rather unpleasant cement-brick building built in 1927 around the edifice of an old wooden Baptist church relocated here from nearby Gympie.
The 20th century was ushered into Bundy by the opening of the traffic bridge in 1900 to replace the old ferry service across the Burnett River. Other turn of the century architectural wonders around town include the Old Customs House built in 1903, the brightly painted building now houses the Bundaberg Arts Centre and features regular exhibitions by local artists, and the Old Bank Building built in 1910 both on Quay St.
Later additions to the town’s heritage include Buss Park opened in the early 1930's, it features a 40 ton granite memorial to Bundy's favourite son pioneering aviator Bert Hinkler who died in 1933, the ugly Suncorp Building, Bundy's first high rise office block built in 1974 and the "Whaling Wall", a 6 storey mural by Robert Wyland unveiled in 1990, all of which can be found along Bourbong St.

It is a long-standing tradition among visitors to Bundaberg to go on a tour of the Bundaberg Rum Distillery and like most traditions it is tedious and ultimately pointless. The tour starts with visitors being stripped of cameras, mobile phones, walkmans, electronic games, diaries and translators, car keys, lighters, matches and anything else that could ignite the 70% proof air inside the distillery. Visitors are then numbed into a state of acquiescence by being forced to watch a truly tedious video, the only highlight of which is some old TV ads for Bundy Rum, before being lead into the distillery itself.
First stop is the molasses store, a giant vat of the sticky black gloop that is the bases of the rum; you are even given a chance to sample its sickly sweet taste. Next is fermentation and distillation, where great vats of bubbling raw alcohol give off a truly charming aroma. Then comes a brief glimpse of the magnificent maturation vats, which tower several stories and are filled with aging rum. Finally there is the bottling plant, which was closed for lunch at the time of my visit, but I’m sure is equally as boring at any time of day.
Visitors are the revived from their stupor with a couple of free drinks of rum and coke, rum and ginger beer, rum liquor or soft drinks for those stupid enough to bring their car or cruel enough to bring their kids. Fully revived visitors are then ushered into the gift shop to purchase overpriced branded merchandise or slightly discounted booze.
The tour takes around half an hour costs around $10 and is worth neither the time nor the money, but like I said if you’re in town you’ll go anyway because it is a tradition.

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