Bundaberg Coast: Bundaberg tourist information

Bundaberg

Bundaberg is a progressive city of 45,000 people servicing a district of 70,000. Bundaberg was named in 1867, the name coming from the linking of Bunda, the name of an Aboriginal elder and berg being a variation of an old Saxon word for town. These days a more familiar version has surfaced with the name being shortened to Bundy for use in conversation. With the Great Barrier Reef just off our shores and a host of things to see and do, Bundaberg is a great place to visit.

Bourbong Street has been transfomed into a tropical streetscape with the bright colours of flowers blending with fountains and leafy green trees. A central pavilion provides a venue for entertainers. There is plenty of free parking in the area but please observe the time restrictions. The Whaling Wall is a dominant landmark in the city providing a year round reminder of our marine friends.

The Burnett River flows through the city and divides Bundaberg in two. A road bridge, restored in heritage colours and rail bridge, cross the river from the centre of the city to North Bundaberg. An additional road bridge crosses the river from Bourbong Street near the Tourist Information Centre to Hinkler Avenue.The Tallon Bridge was named after a notable Bundaberg cricketing family. The river is a place for recreation, catering for fishing, boating, rowing, skiing upriver at Sandy Hook and sailing downstream near the port. Parks grace the river banks; on the city side are Anzac, Alexandra and Queens Parks and on the north side, Lion's Park is under the bridges.

The river also has commercial uses with trawlers, dive and charter craft using Bundaberg as a base. Bundaberg ranks with Cairns and Coffs Harbour as one of the three principal clearing ports for visiting yachts on the east coast. Midtown Marina is a facility of international standard prividing berths and moorings for commercial and pleasure craft.

There are plenty of attractions, both natural and man made in Bundagerg. For a city its size, Bundaberg really has a lot to offer. There are over 500 hectares of parkland. Alexandra Park with its Victorian era rotunda (1910) has the added attraction of a free zoo, a great place to take the children. Buss Park is always full of colour and you'll notice that the city's roundabouts are filled with greenery and seasonal flowers. Bundaberg is proud of its sub-tropical gardens and celebrates Bundy in Bloom in early September.

Situated in East Bundaberg, the Baldwin Swamp environment park is home to many species of birds and wildlife. Walking tracks, including boardwalks, enable visitors to view the paper barked tea tree forest, vine scrub and eucalypt forest. A relatively new attraction, the Bundaberg Botanical Garden is in North Bundaberg. The centrepiece of the gardens are the lagoons where the young Bert Hinkler studied ibis in flight. These are now filled with water lilies and can be crossed on a boardwalk. The gardens have a mix of native and exotic plants and also feature the Bundaberg and District Historical Museum. A fascinating record of the district's pioneers and their lives awaits visitors to the museum. Fairymead House, now home to the Sugar Museum, also makes an imposing sight in the Gardens.

Take in the finer things in life at the Bundaberg Arts Centre. There are several specialty stores, attractions and markets in the district which feature locally made products. Taking a ride with Vintage Flights will give you a bird's eye view of the picturesque countryside.

Without a doubt, Bundaberg's favourite sone is Bert Hinkler. In a brief lifetime of forty years, Bert Hinkler became one of the world's greatest pioneer aviators. His achievements are honoured throughout Bundaberg including models of his aircraft and a replica glider in the Tourist Information Centre, monuments, Hinkler House in the Botanical Gardens and The Hinkler House Memorial Museum.

Enhance your visit to Bundaberg by visiting Poseidon's Seashells at Burnett Heads. They have coral, sea shells and shell craft on display and for sale. Dreamtime Reptile Reserve will safely show you all kinds of reptiles - snakes, lizards, crocodiles, tortoises and giant cane toads. Try the fishing in our river estuaries with Peter Jovic or a 4WD camping safari to Middle Creek.

While in Bundy, bowl into the Bowl and Leisure Complex, the largest in regional Queensland for lots of family fun and entertainment. Visit Zone 3, where you can step into a futuristic labyrinth of different worlds or try your hand at mini golf, a Water Slide or join in the fun at the Coral Isles Kart Track. Golf and family skating at our large undercover skating rink are also popular pastimes.

The Bundaberg district produces one fifth of Queensland's sugar crop. Throughout the year the green mosaic of fields changes as the crop matures and is harvested. There are four mills in the region. Bundaberg Sugar operates three sugar mills near Bundaberg and Isis Central near Childers has tours for visitors. Most of the sugar produced in the district is raw sugar and Bundaberg is unique in Australia as it is the only place where the entire range of sugar production activities occur; growing, milling, refining, research and distilling. The Bundaberg Distilling Company produces the famous Bundaberg Rum from a sugar by-product called molasses. Bundaberg Rum today, is by far Australia's best selling spirit. Visitors are shown the entire process from the molasses pit through to bottling. The pride of Bundaberg Rum's visitor operation, however, is Spring House which houses a museum, souvenir store and bar where day visitors can taste the Bundy product right on site!

Bundaberg is a thriving city with strong growth in population and commerce. As a major provincial city, it is the largest single retail centre between Brisbane and Rockhampton. Our restaurants should be good as they have access to some of the best ingredients mothernature can provide. Lychees and melons are summer treats and locally grown pineaplles are really sweet. Valuable macadamia nuts are grown north of Bundaberg and our avocado is ideal with freshly caught seafood.

Bundaberg's attractions are endless for the holidaymaker. Visit us soon and discover this wonderful city for yourself!