Bundaberg is a city in Queensland, located halfway between Maryborough and Agnes Water. Home to just under 75,000 people and known for its prime access to the Southern Great Barrier Reef, we visited Bundaberg as it is home to the Bundaberg Barrel where our favourite drinks are brewed up!
We're currently living full-time in our campervan, a 2018 Mercedes Sprinter, and exploring Australia, with a plan of "driving the lap" (completing the entire perimeter of the country). I first visited Australia in 2019, following the classic backpacker route, mostly visiting big cities, staying in hostels and traveling by public transport. This time, with the freedom of our campervan, we're trying to hit the lesser known spots and go slower.
For over 60,000 years, the Taribelang Bunda people have lived on this land, long before any Europeans arrived.
The first Europeans arrived in 1867 for timber logging but swiftly adjusted to sugar mills in the 1970s. Later, Great Barrier Reef tourism developed around Bundaberg thanks to the many loggerhead and green sea turtles that live here as well as access to the Lady Elliot and Lady Musgrave Islands.
While we primarily visited Bundaberg to visit the Bundaberg Barrel, I have also included a few other things to do in the area:
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Below is some useful information for preparing for your trip to Bundaberg. In all cases, please be sure to check with the relevant local authorities for the latest and accurate information.
Language: The official language of Australia is English. In Bundaberg, the traditional language of the Taribelang Bunda people is Taribelang.
→ Learn more about the language of the Taribelang Bunda people.
Currency: The currency used in Australia is the Australian dollar, denoted as AUD $. I use a Wise account when I travel which allows me to have a single, free account with multiple currencies. I only have to pay once to convert my money in the app and then I can pay in AUD $!
→ Check the latest currency conversion between AUD $ and your local currency.
Data/WiFi: Before you arrive, I recommend purchasing an eSim on your phone so that you can access data the moment you land. eSims are much more convenient as it means you don't have to put a separate physical Sim into your phone. AirAlo offers great deals for eSims of various data sizes and time lengths with Optus.
→ Load an international eSim on your phone with AirAlo.
If you are visiting Australia long term, you might wish to put a physical Sim in your phone as AirAlo is geared more towards short term visitors on holiday. This way you can access a local phone plan. There are three main mobile phone network providers in Australia: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Telstra has the best coverage across the country whereas Optus and Vodafone are good within cities. I recommend Telstra as it means you have the best coverage while you travel around the country, especially in rural areas.
As part of a #loveBundy campaign (Bundy being a local nickname for Bundaberg), free WiFi was rolled out in many places across the city.
→ Find free WiFi in Bundaberg.
Visa: All passport holders except New Zealand require a visa to visit Australia. All arrivals must fill out an Australian arrival card before landing.
→ Check which visa you need for Australia.
Time of year to visit: Australia can be visited all year-round, including Bundaberg, north of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. You might wish to time your visit around the turtle egg-laying and hatching season from November to March or to see the Southern Great Barrier Reef and islands from May to August.
Length of stay: One day is plenty to visit the main highlights of Bundaberg, unless you'd like to add days on to see the turtles or explore the Great Barrier Reef, depending on what time of year you visit.
By flight: The closest major international airport to Bundaberg is in Brisbane, just under four hours south by car.
Bundaberg does have its own regional airport which connects only with Brisbane, a flight of about an hour, operated by Qantas, so you could fly into Brisbane and then catch a smaller flight to Bundaberg.
There is also a small airport in Hervey Bay, which is the primary airport to access the Fraser Coast and K'Gari/Fraser Island, connecting domestically with Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. From Hervey Bay Airport, it's a one-and-a-half-hour drive to Bundaberg, with connections also available with Flixbus and Greyhound.
By car: If you're driving around the country as we are in our campervan, then the easiest way to get to Bundaberg is with your own wheels. The most popular way of exploring Australia is by camping - whether with a motorhome, campervan, caravan or a roof tent on top of a car. This gives you the ultimate freedom of going as fast or as slow as you like.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Brisbane.
By train: The Tilt Train runs between Brisbane and Bundaberg, departing a few times a week in either direction. The total train journey takes about four and a half hours.
By coach: You can catch a Greyhound or a Flixbus to Bundaberg from 19 different cities along the east coast.
Queensland Rail Network Map
By Aboriginal cultural tour: The Taribelang Bunda people offer a three-hour cultural tour of their lands sharing their history of over 60,000 years including visits to key sites, tasting native foods and learning about traditional tools.
By car: If you have your own wheels, of course you can drive yourself around. There are over 4000 parking spots in Bundaberg, about half of which are free.
By bus: Kinetic runs a number of local buses around Bundaberg helping you get where you need to go.
By Uber: Uber is readily available in Bundaberg and can be a convenient way of getting around the city.
Driving our van towards Bundaberg
Most people will visit Bundaberg as a day trip as the main highlights can all be seen in a day, unless you'd like to add on days to see the turtles or visit the Southern Great Barrier Reef, depending on what time of year you're here. If you want to spend more time exploring the area or need a place to stay as you travel through, here are my tips.
Hotel: Not traveling by campervan? Driving in a car? Whatever your reason for needing a place to stay, there are some great accommodation options in Bundaberg to suit any budget.
→ Check out all the accommodation options in Bundaberg.
Camping: We are driving "the lap" around Australia, exploring the country in our campervan. As with the rest of Australia, Queensland permits freedom camping on designated sites. These sites can vary greatly; some offer a variety of facilities such as toilets, trash bins, picnic tables, outdoor cooking stations and others have none of this and might simply be a pull-out on the side of the road.
The best way to find legal freedom camping spots is to use an app. We use Wikicamps Australia, a cheap app that has every single amenity listed (both free and paid) that you might need on the road. This includes things like where to fill up fresh water, where to dump grey water, where to empty toilets, where to stay, gas stations, information points and also has suggestions for things to do as you go.
→ Download the Wikicamps Australia app.
There is a great free camping spot just outside Bundaberg at Sharon Gorge Nature Park. It's near a river alongside subtropical rainforest and is a great place to stop over for the night. They offer picnic tables and toilets, too.
Before our visit to the Bundaberg Barrel, we popped in next door at the One Little Farm which is a simply delightful cafe, brunch spot, florist and deli all wrapped up in one. You can buy gourmet groceries and fresh flowers, drink amazing coffee and have a delicious bite to eat all in their beautifully decorated space.
We primarily went to Bundaberg in order to visit the Bundaberg Barrel. However, you may also wish to come here to see the turtle egg-laying and hatching season from November to March or to visit the Southern Great Barrier Reef and islands from May to August.
Visit the Bundaberg Barrel
We absolutely adore Bundaberg brewed drinks, especially their world famous ginger beer (all their drinks are non-alcoholic). It all is brewed right here in Bundaberg. You can visit The Barrel where they show how their drinks are brewed in a free on-site museum. For $23 per person, you can join a tasting of every single flavour of drinks - the perfect way to discover new favourites. The price also includes a six-pack to take home of whichever flavours you liked best.
Drive through the Boolboonda Tunnel
Not really in Bundaberg, but just a short drive inland, the Boolboonda Tunnel is a fun side quest if you're on a roadtrip driving through Queensland.
The Boolboonda Tunnel is a former railway tunnel which used to be part of the Railway Line between North Bundaberg and Mount Perry. Primarily used to transport minerals and agriculture around the area, it was opened in 1883 at 192 metres long. It is the longest unsupported manmade tunnel in Queensland. Today, the tracks have been taken out and you can self-drive through the tunnel.
The best reason to visit? You might get to spot the wild bats who live inside!
Say hi to the cows on the other end!
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
