Visit Bundaberg
Bundaberg is famous for its rum, but it is also a major departure point for both Lady Elliot and Lady Musgrave Islands; you can see turtles nest from November to February and humpback whales pass along the coast between July and mid-October.
By Ian Armitage
Bundaberg. I know that name. Where do I know it? Where? Where?
It dawns on me.
The flashbacks are intense.
Sunshine, a heavy drinking session, and my local pub.
It’s not the answer, but I’m getting there.
So, I ventured down to my local to find out more. What was it? (Yes, I could have Googled it, but that’s not half as much fun as going out and actually learning about things).
“RUM!,” the barman/my friend Matt said.
“Oh dear,” I replied.
Rum is the bad boy of booze. Pirates drank it. And I had a mighty hangover the next day.
“I discovered this when I was travelling through Queensland a few years ago and happened to stop off at the Bundaberg Rum Distillery,” Matt continued. “We did a tour. I did some tasting - I know how brutal the hangover is - and I fell in love with it. So we sell it.”
This is when Google came in. I wanted to verify this.
“People go to Bundaberg, or Bundy as it’s affectionately known, for two reasons: either to pick fruit at nearby orchids or to drink rum,” one hit said. “A trip to Bundaberg is a wonderful way to experience several of Australia’s greatest natural gifts,” said another.
What started off with rum, debauchery and a mighty hangover, quickly lead to a world of natural beauty… there is an awful lot more to Bundaberg than just rum, it seems. Indeed it is. The town sits at the edge of a coral-fringed coast and is a major departure point for both Lady Elliot and Lady Musgrave Islands; you can see turtles nest from November to February and every year from July to mid-October, humpback whales pass close to Bundaberg’s coastline en route to the northern end of Fraser Island.
LADY ELLIOT ISLAND
Easily accessible from Bundaberg, Lady Elliot Island is on the Great Barrier Reef. A truly beautiful place, you can step off the beach and snorkel, swim or dive (it is teeming with marine life and live corals), or you can just simply relax and soak in the natural island atmosphere. Lady Elliot Island is one two ‘ladies of the reef’ and one of only three island resorts on the Great Barrier Reef. It is famous for a resident population of 40 Manta Rays, which form the iconic logo of the island.
1770
Back in 1770, after first discovering Botany Bay, Captain (he may have been Lieutenant at the time, come to think of it) James Cook and the crew of the Endeavour landed on a stretch of sub-tropical coastline between Bundaberg and Gladstone - he named it 1770 (as you would). Known as the 'Birthplace of Queensland', 1770 nestles into the western side of Rodds peninsula and is surrounded on three sides by the Coral Sea and Bustard Bay. It is the closest southern access point to the Great Barrier Reef, and there are a number of frequent, and relatively cheap day reef cruises.
www.townof1770-agneswater.com.au
MON REPOS BEACH
From January to the end of March, tiny turtle hatchlings can be seen emerging from their shells at Mon Repos Beach.
Just 14km from Bundaberg, Mon Repos is the largest and most accessible turtle rookery in mainland Australia. Loggerhead, green, leatherback and flatback turtles come ashore from November to lay their eggs. The tiny hatchlings can be seen from early January until mid-March.
Mon Repos is an environmental park designed to protect the turtles, ensure their ongoing use of the area and provide opportunities for turtle watching. Access to the beach is limited during the season and rangers conduct guided walks each night.
LADY MUSGRAVE ISLAND
Lady Musgrave Island, off the coast of Bundaberg, is a 14-hectare national park with 2930 hectares of surrounding reef. It is a coral cay and the second island in the Great Barrier Reef, Lady Elliot being the first.
Lady Musgrave Island has no natural fresh water supply and is a famous turtle nesting spot. You can camp on the Island but booking is required.
It's also a busy spot for migratory birds, with the likes of terns, oystercatchers, tattlers, rails and godwits.
There is fantastic diving with the chance to see green, leatherhead and loggerhead turtles, whitetip reef sharks and leopard sharks.
Issue 7, Australia & New Zealand Outlook
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