Burnett Heads and Bundaberg, Qld

Even though school holidays are over, vacancies in caravan parks across Queensland were difficult to find. Some places we couldn’t get into at all, others for less time than we wanted. Our first stop was Burnett Heads Lighthouse Holiday Park, just outside Bundaberg. The park was quiet, clean, and the staff were helpful and pleasant. Its a 20 minute drive to the Bundaberg airport where we left for Lady Elliot Island.

Some photos around Burnett Heads

Places we visited nearby.

The local fruit stall

Bundaberg Rum Distillery

Our tour was lead by two very animated staff members, which made it lots of fun as well as informative. One unexpected requirement was … ‘Flammable devices; matches and lighters, as well as any item with a battery including; watches, cameras, and mobile phones, pose a fire hazard to the Distillery and cannot be taken on tour. Lockers are provided free of charge to store these items whilst inside the Distillery on tour. If you have a medically required device such as a hearing aid, give us a call in advance so we can make arrangements for you to bring those items with you.’

The tour visits the massive molasses storage vat, the distillation and maturation tanks and the bond warehouses, however it does not visit the bottling plant or other places with moving parts. The fee includes two samples from the extensive list of rums and liqueurs, neat or with mixers to your liking.

Grunske’s Seafood Market

An amazing selection of fresh and frozen local seafood. They have plenty of off street parking and easy drive through for caravans.

Situated on the Burnett River, the views from their restaurant are stunning.

Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery

A small gallery with mostly local artists’ work.

We were intrigue with the ‘encaustic wax’ medium as we hadn’t heard of it before. The technique dates back to the ancient Greeks around 1st Century AD.

Kalki Moon Gin Distillery

Originally started as a small batch rum distillery, Kaki Moon has gained fame for its gins. Visitors are offered two free tastings from their list of various gins and rums. They also have a cocktail menu with such delights as a fig jam martini. If you take the time to tell the server what you usually like to drink, they will recommend a gin and mixer to suit your palate.

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

‘Mon Repos supports the largest concentration of nesting marine turtles on the eastern Australian mainland and has the most significant loggerhead turtle nesting population in the South Pacific region.’

‘Every year, from November to late March, you can join Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service Rangers at the Mon Repos Turtle Centre on a night-time guided Turtle Encounter tour to watch nesting (November to January) and hatching (January to March) marine turtles.’

Bundaberg Ginger Beer Factory

The tour is of a display area rather than the actual factory. The fee includes tasting their full list of brewed soft drinks and a mixed six pack of your choosing to take away.

Elliot Heads and Coral Cove Coastline

Although the coast line is rocky, it is home to the “Great Sandy Marine Park’ which runs from Double Island Point in the south, to Baffle Creek in the north. The reef can be accessed from the shore. Getting to the water over the rocks would be a challenge. We will be back to explore the area in summer.

Ohana Winery and Cider House, home of Cheeky Tiki Cider

A young couple run this small craft cider house. They have no staff, just the two of them making a fantastic range of ciders as well as a few fortified wines. Check them out if you’re in the area. Ohana Winery.

Bundaberg Sugar Terminal Port

Sugar cane has been grown in the Bundaberg area since 1880. There are approx 8,000 hectares of cane fields in the area. At the bulk sugar terminal, processed sugar is loaded onto ships for transportation.

Click here for recipes from the Bundaberg Sugar Company

Bike Paths

Due to the flat terrain there are lots of excellent bike paths along the coast and around Bundaberg. The Turtle Trail runs for several kilometres past our park and is well utilised. We did not bring our bikes on this trip due to a broken toe but will next time. This is a map of all the bike paths in the area. Here’s the link.

In the town of Bundaberg, the bike paths run along the Burnett River with lovely views. The electric e-scooters were popular, we saw them all through the town.