I love it when you stumble upon a place that was never on your radar and yet it should be. Bundaberg is just that place. My DIL mentioned in conversation that there was lot to see and do in the Bundaberg area and she had that on good advice from family members. So when we decided to stay for Marco's 40th birthday we found we had time on our hands and I started searching for a place to put up camp for a few days. Wikicamps once again was invaluable and after many glowing reviews we booked into the Burnett Heads Lighthouse Caravan Park. This is a council run park so daily rates are a lot less than the privately owned parks. But the undeniable beauty of his park was that it was small with only 50 sites and most of these were large drive through sites. It is shady but not enough to stop you getting good satellite reception and most of the sites are quite private. We had a hedge between us and the site next door. And of course the biggest bonus is that it is close to the ocean with a lovely coastal walk that stretches for many kilometres. It is perfect.
So how did we fill in our days. We arrived on a Sunday afternoon around 3pm so apart from setting up camp and going for a leisurely stroll that was the sum total of Day 1.
Day 2 we drove the 12kms into Bundaberg as it was recommended to us to visit the Bundaberg Rum distillery. This hour long tour is so much fun and it is all down to the fantastic tour guide that we had. She told lots of jokes and her story telling was fun and no we didn't see any drop bears! We visited various sections of the distillery that have been limited since Covid restrictions came into place last year. The culmination of our tour was a rum tasting. We were given two samples and we chose a smooth rum and a rum liqueur. We ended up purchasing the liqueur that will be delicious either in a Tiramisu or drunk straight over ice. It is a tour I would recommend with a 4/5 stars.
Day 3 we purchased rail tickets to Brisbane. It is a four hour journey into Brisbane but as we both enjoy rail travel the time passed very quickly. We boarded the Spirit of the Outback in Bundaberg at the very early hour of 5.30am. As we boarded we were greeted by our hostess who guided us to our very large comfortable seats. The dining car opened for breakfast at 6.30 so we made our way there and enjoyed a cup of tea for me and coffee for Philip. The hot breakfast of sausages and frittata was quite delicious. The train was slightly delayed but we were standing outside Roma Street Station by 11.00 am. We made our way along the very windy George Street and headed towards the Queen Street Mall. I commented to Philip that this was my regular route when I worked in one of the Government departments in my youth. Once we reached the mall we found the Apple Shop where I purchased an Apple Watch. Philip received a free apple watch from his surgeon when he had his knee operation and I had been wearing if for the past six months but it was now time to return it to him. After we had completed the transaction at the Apple Store it was time for lunch and we found a restaurant in Queens Plaza that served up quite a respectable meal. We lingered over our meal and after a brief shop in Queens Plaza to buy some necessities we once again headed back to Roma Street for our return journey to Bundaberg. The return journey was on the Spirit of Queensland that was not as comfortable as the Outback. The seats were leather as opposed to the fully upholstered on the Outback. We arrived back into Bundaberg around 8.00pm a little weary but glad we made the journey.
Day 4 we decided to visit the Mon Repos Turtle Centre. Turtle laying season is from October to April so we didn't get to see that sadly, but Mon Repos has a fantastic interpretive centre. Each group is allocated a guide to talk about the turtles life cycle. (Did you know that once the turtle is hatched and makes her way into the ocean to South America, she does not return to Mon Repos to lay her eggs for 30 years! How earth does she remember where to go!) After the talk we were lead into a theatre. The movies that were shown were not exactly 3D but certainly give you the impression that you were swimming with the turtles. I can't wait to return in the turtle laying season.
Day 5 was our exploring day. We drove from Burnett Heads south to Bagara Beach and on to Elliot Heads. It took the best part of the morning as we stopped at lookouts and beaches to explore each area. It really is a lovely coastline. Elliott Heads was impressive with its miles and miles of white sand whereas Bagara is very touristy with its high-rise apartment blocks running the length of the esplanade. Burnett Heads was still hands down the best. This was our last full day at Burnett Heads and we treated ourselves to fish and chips for lunch. The proprietor assured me the fish was fresh and local. It was delicious.
So that was our time at Burnett Heads. We walked/cycled every day along the extensive pathways and decided to have a healthy eating and no alcohol week. After 10 weeks of doing the exact opposite we certainly felt a lot better for it.
We are now in Hervey Bay and enjoying some lovely warm weather. Cheers for now.
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