Bundaberg, QLD

Elegant regional city in the heart of Queensland's sugar growing country.

Bundaberg is one of Queensland's gracious coastal cities. It is essentially a sugar town (although it is now large enough to be a major service centre) and it is characterised by tropical parks and gardens, a lazy green-brown tropical river (the Burnett), handsome Classical Revival buildings with solid Doric and Corinthian columns, wide streets, palm and fig trees and the heady scent of bougainvillea and jasmin. In summer it quietly swelters under the hot, subtropical sun. In winter it is close to balmy perfection. It is a city rich in attractions where a visitor could easily spend a week visiting the famous Bundaberg Rum Distillery, the beautiful Botanic Gardens with the bizarre incongruity of Bert Hinkler's stucco-and-brick English suburban home, the Lutheran Church with its huge Biblical text facade and the handsome historic buildings in the city centre. Only minutes away, through fields of sugar cane, is Bargara with the unforgettable black basalt on the beaches and the loggerhead turtles who come to lay their eggs at Mon Repos.

Location

Bundaberg is located 365 km north of Brisbane via the Bruce Highway on the Burnett River and it is 14 m above sea-level. It is located 13 km west from Bargara, the nearest coastal township.

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Origin of Name

Bundaberg is an odd mixture of the local Aboriginal language and an ancient European term. 'Bunda' was the name of the local Aboriginal group and 'burg' is an ancient Saxon word meaning 'town'. Thus 'town of the Bunda tribe'.

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Things to See and Do

City Heritage Walk
There is an easy, relatively short (ie a total of six blocks) City Heritage Walk which includes Quay Street, Bourbong Street and Woongarra Street and runs from Maryborough Street to Targo Street. It looks at twelve significant buildings:

1. School of Arts
The School of Arts building (1888-1889) is located at 184 Bourbong Street. It was designed by Anton Hettrich who was a teacher at the institution and a long time member of the School of Arts Committee. The Queensland Heritage Register explains that it is : "a substantial 2 storey rendered brick building in classical revival style ... rectangular in plan and has a hipped roof clad in corrugated iron with cast iron cresting. It is concealed from the street by a parapet with Italianate balusters topped by cement urns. The most striking feature of the building is a 2 storey arcaded verandah along the street elevation which returns for 3 bays on each side. The arcades are constructed of rendered brick and consist on both levels of a central arch topped by a small triangular pediment and flanked by large arches. These are formed of pilasters with Corinthian capitals on masonry plinths supporting a semicircular arch with a cental key and edge mould. Cast iron balustrading links the plinths. The panels between arch, cornice and pilaster are decorated with a wreath and ribbon design in render. For a more detailed description check out https://environment.ehp.qld.gov.au/heritage-register/detail/?id=600362.

2. Post Office and War Memorial
The 30 metre high post office clock tower dominates the town and the Post Office is one of the most impressive buildings on Bourbong Street. It was completed in 1891. Note the impressive cast iron balustrades and distinctive colonial verandas.

3. Soldiers Monument
In the middle of the corner of Bourbong and Barolin Streets is an impressive Soldiers Monument of a World War I soldier. The soldier was carved in Italy in 1921 and stands 38 feet (11.58 m). The War Memorial, completed in 1920-1921 and designed by local architect, F. H. Fairclough, recalls both the Boer War and World War I.

4. Holy Rosary Church
Located on the corner of Woongarra Street and Barolin Street, this is an unusual adaptation of a Roman Temple. It is built in the shape of a cross and erected in 1888 after a design by Francis Stanley, a notable Queensland architect. It replaced a small wooden church and was designed so that it could be extended which it was in 1925-1926. For a photographic record check out http://bundabergcatholic.net.au/?page_id=14.

5. Queensland National Bank
Located on the corner of Quay Street and Targo Street, the Queensland National Bank, built in 1887, "is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a major nineteenth century bank building, which, through its classical architecture, was designed to present an image of wealth and solidity. Its position on a prominent corner is also consistent with the preferred location of bank buildings in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries."

6. Union Bank
Formally the Union Bank, this building has a unique exterior architectural design with columns. It is currently an Indian and Thai restaurant but it is impossible not to be impressed by the columns and the ornateness of this unusual single storey building.

7. Customs Building
The original Customs Buildings, it is now the home to the Bundaberg Art Gallery. It boasts an impressive artistic makeover. It was completed in 1902 and is an indication of how important Bundaberg was as both a port and the centre of the sugar industry at the time. It was designed by John Smith Murdoch and cost £4,398 to build. The Bundaberg Council website notes: "The prominence and high quality of the design of the building, although now substantially modified, provides evidence of the importance of the customs service in Queensland." For a more detailed description check out http://www.bundaberg.qld.gov.au/files/HM_Customs_House_former.pdf.

8. Burnett River Bridge
This historic structure was built in 1899 and opened in 1900 replacing the ferry transport system. It was designed by Alfred Barton Brady, a noted Queensland public architect. The Queensland Heritage Register notes that the bridge "has a single metal truss span of 48.8 metres and metal lattice trusses with a curved upper chord. It carries a 7.3 metre roadway and a footpath. The metal deck spans between the lower chords of the trusses. Flanking the entrances to the bridge and rising above the trusses are 'L' shaped concrete pylons, square in appearance from the roadway. They are neo-classical in influence and have a Doric style entablature on a rusticated base. There are lights on decorative metal brackets facing the approaches." For a more detailed description check out https://environment.ehp.qld.gov.au/heritage-register/detail/?id=600367.

9. Commercial Bank
The superb Commercial Bank building, on the corner of Maryborough and Bourbong Streets, was completed to a design by George Allen Mansfield in 1891. Now listed on the National Estate its colonnades, cast-iron balustrade, French windows, excellent cedar joinery and elaborate staircase all highlight the importance of Bundaberg at the time. The Queensland Heritage Register notes of its significance that it is "architecturally significant as a surviving, substantially intact example of 1880s boom-era architecture. It is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of its type: a substantial two-storeyed brick building which combined banking chamber and offices and bank manager's residence; which is designed to accommodate the warm Queensland climate, as illustrated by the wide surrounding verandahs to both levels and numerous windows and french doors; and which is designed to impress." For a more detailed description check out https://environment.ehp.qld.gov.au/heritage-register/detail/?id=600363.

10. St Andrews Church
Located on the corner of Maryborough and Woongarra Street, St Andrews Church, built in 1932 to replace an earlier Presbyterian Church built in 1882, was designed by prominent Brisbane architect, Lange L. Powell. The Queensland Heritage Register records that it is "Designed in the Gothic style, the body of the church is cruciform in shape and is positioned north-south such that the sanctuary faces north. The building is constructed of variegated and multi-coloured bricks, with decorative cement dressings on the external walls. The roof is clad with fibrous-cement tiles. The building is laid on a cement foundation and its maximum overall dimensions are 115 feet by 41 feet. A carillon tower of 'battlement design', attached to the eastern side of the building, dominates the building. The tower measures 71 feet in height and slightly tapers toward the top. Each face of the tower has decorative arched openings and is crowned with the cross of St Andrew on the middle battlement. The tower contains a carillon, or set of bells, one of which bears the emblem of the burning bush and a dedication to the memory of members of the Pierson family. A First World War Honour Board is located in the Tower entry and later memorials have been added." For more detailed information check out https://environment.ehp.qld.gov.au/heritage-register/detail/?id=602489.

11. Christ Church
Located on the corner of Maryborough and Woongarra Street, opposite St Andrews Church, is Christ Church, a handsome sandstone building with a distinct Norman flavour. The Bundaberg Council website notes that "The church building is particularly large and visually dominant in its corner location; its size is clearly intended to reflect the importance of the Anglican faith and community in Bundaberg. The employment of the distinctive English Gothic architectural design reflects aesthetic ideals associated with rural English towns, which is consistent with the agricultural significance of Bundaberg at the time and throughout its later history ... The church consists of a large red brick building with tiled gable roof. It is designed in English Gothic style and it displays the characteristic features of pointed arched arcades and architraves, narrow lancet windows, buttresses and vaulted ceiling." For more detail check out http://www.bundaberg.qld.gov.au/files/Christ_Church_Bundaberg.pdf.

12. Bert Hinkler Memorial
Buss Park Gardens adjoin Christ Church and are home to one of the city's many memorials to the pioneer aviator, and local boy who became a hero, Bert Hinkler.

Beyond the CBD
The Water Tower
The water tower in Sussex Street is an unusual eight-storey building which is listed by the National Trust. It is notable for the fact that: "On each storey the brick work is punctuated by eight round arched windows, four blind and four glazed, and each with stone sills. The tower is a landmark in East Bundaberg and a structure of industrial archaeological significance."

St John's Lutheran Church
Located at 30 George Street is St John's Lutheran Church. It was built in 1960 and is notable for the texts from The Bible which appear on the facade in huge letters. The Queensland Heritage Register records: "The church entrance is a simple, open, painted concrete portico. Above the portico the north elevation of the tower is treated to suggest an open bible with raised, white cement rendered letters two feet high on dark grey textured concrete pages reading:
GOD
SO LOVED THE WORLD,
THAT HE GAVE HIS
ONLY BEGOTTEN SON,
THAT WHOSOEVER
BELIEVETH IN HIM
SHOULD NOT PERISH,
BUT HAVE
EVERLASTING LIFE.
JOHN III.16

and

BELOVED
IF GOD SO LOVED US,
WE OUGHT ALSO
TO LOVE
ONE ANOTHER,
IF WE LOVE
ONE ANOTHER.
GOD DWELLETH IN US
AND HIS LOVE IS
PERFECTED IN US.
1. JOHN IV,11-12

The portico floor is unpainted concrete and on the painted and rendered portico walls are two circular panels of mosaics approximately one metre in diameter. One depicts St John's eagle and the other Luther's Seal." There is a more detailed description of the construction of the church at https://environment.ehp.qld.gov.au/heritage-register/detail/?id=602815. It points out that "The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics and qualities of a Modernist church in Queensland. Highly intact, the building is a simple arrangement of forms and spaces using a restrained palette of fine quality materials and finishes. The church is notable for including a dominant bell tower, a large, well-lit nave focussed on an impressive sanctuary, a choir loft, a crying room, and a vestry. The place is a fine example of the work of architect, Dr Karl Langer, featuring characteristic simplified forms and spatial arrangements, incorporation of natural light and ventilation and employing a restrained use of good quality materials."

Schmeider's Cooperage and Craft Centre
Located close to the famous Bundaberg Rum Distillery, at 5 Alexandra Road, the Schmeider's Cooperage is a barrel-making operation where, literally, dozens of different sizes and shapes of barrel, kegs and casks are made and sold. The 100-year-old building features an extensive range of barrels and gifts; a video explaining the art of cooperage; and demonstrations of the craft. For more information check out http://www.bundykegs.com/index.php/18-tour-cooperage/6-schmeiders-cooperage-and-craft-centre or tel: (07) 4151 8233.

Bundaberg Rum Distillery
There was a time when it was mandatory for anyone visiting Bundaberg to take a tour of the city's famous Bundaberg Rum Distillery. The Distillery is located on Hills Street and is open from 10.00 am - 5.00 pm Monday to Friday and 10.00 am - 4.00 pm Saturday and Sunday. There are three tours available (https://www.bundabergrum.com.au/distillery/book-a-tour) -

* The Bundaberg Rum Museum Experience
Located in a retired Bondstore this is an "immersive Distillery Museum Experience. Here you'll be greeted by a forest of 75,000 litre vats, that have been emptied allowing for you to walk through and explore the rich history of Bundaberg Rum. Get to know our history in as little or as much detail as you like in this self-paced, self guided museum tour." There is no time limit. The usual time is around 45 minutes and adults receive two tastings at the conclusion of the tour. The tours are open to visitors from 9.30 am - 3.30 pm Monday to Friday, 9.30 am - 2.30 pm weekends.

* The Bundaberg Rum Distillery Experience
The Distillery experience is an extension of the Museum Experience. "Start by visiting our Molasses well – which holds up to 5 million litres of molasses, fresh from our neighbours at Millaquin Sugar Mills. Then learn about how we ferment and distil our liquids. And finally on to our grand Barrel House, where you’ll learn about how we age and mature our rum for a minimum of two years before our liquid makes it’s way into a bottle. Once you’ve experienced the sights and smells of our distillery, you’ll return to our Bundaberg Rum Tasting Bar, where you can sample any of the top shelf rums from our range." The tour takes about an hour and runs on the hour, every hour from 10.00 am - 3.00 pm Monday to Friday and 10.00 am - 2.00 pm Saturday and Sunday.

* Blend Your Own Rum Experience
Spend an hour with two experts who will teach you the art of tasting rum and blending rum. At the end you will have two bottles of your own uniquely blended rum. The tours are typically held on a Saturday. Check https://www.bundabergrum.com.au/distillery/book-a-tour for details. There are lots of songs, ditties and poems celebrating the qualities of Bundaberg Rum but none has the wry, very Australian, quality of William Neville Scott's:
Bundaberg rum, overproof rum
will tan your insides and grow hair on your bum
Let the blue ribbon beat on his empty old drum
or his waterlogged belly, we'll stick to our rum.

The Botanic Gardens
Located on the Mount Perry Road is the Botanical Gardens Complex which includes Fairymead House, Hinkler House, the Hinkler Hall of Aviation, the Bundaberg & District Historical Museum, a railway line and railway station, an impressive Chinese Tea House and Gardens and extensive paths through the verdant subtropical gardens. The setting is delightful with lots of subtropical plants and a number of lagoons with waterlilies.

The Gardens
The Botanic Gardens cover over 27 ha and feature 10,000 trees and shrubs. 114 bird species are attracted to the lakes. There are also shaded picnic areas, themed boardwalks, Japanese and Chinese gardens. The gardens are open from 5,30 am - 6.45 pm during the months September to April, and from 6.30 am - 6.00 pm during the months May to August. For more information check out http://www.bundaberg.qld.gov.au/discover/local-visitor-attractions/botanic-gardens.

Hinkler Hall of Aviation
Owned and operated by the Bundaberg Regional Council, the Hinkler Hall of Aviation is a modern complex located inside the Botanic Gardens. It is a celebration of the region's favourite son, pioneer aviator Bert Hinkler. It is very much 21st century State of the Art and, as the website explains: " Much more than a museum, the Hinkler Hall of Aviation celebrates pioneering aviation in all forms, and seeks to enrich our lives as a living storybook. The facility houses original documents and photos plus restored replicas and an original version of the five key aircraft associated with Bert Hinkler’s aviation history. Interactive displays, touch screens, an aircraft simulator, atmospherically controlled display gallery, lecture theatre, artefact work preservation and restoration facility and archival area all feature in the modern complex, designed to replicate the sleek and dynamic design of an aircraft wing." For more information check out http://www.hinklerhallofaviation.com. Tel: (07) 4130 4400.

Bert Hinkler House
Late in 1982 the house in which Bert Hinkler lived and planned his daring solo flights was under immediate threat of demolition. This unique piece of aviation history, located in 29 Lydgate Road, Thornhill, Southampton, was saved through the efforts of a small band of dedicated Bundaberg residents ... In mid-1983, a group of three ... travelled to Southampton and with the help of British Aerospace and officers of the British, Dutch and Australian Navies training at the time in Southampton, dismantled the house brick-by-brick, marked every segment and packed it in two 20 tonne containers...[it has been] painstakingly ... restored as a fitting memorial to Bundaberg's most famous son.

The Story of Bert Hinkler - A Local Hero and Internationally Renowned Aviator
Herbert John Louis Hinkler was born in Bundaberg on 8 December 1892. His flying career lasted twenty years (he successfully built a glider at the age of twenty) and during that time he achieved an impressive array of records and 'firsts'.
Following training with the Sopwith Aviation Co. in England, Hinkler served with the Royal Naval Air Service in the First World War and was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. He joined A. V. Roe & Co. and in 1920, in an Avro Baby bought from them, made a non-stop flight from London to Turin, Italy, covering 1046 km in 9 hours 30 minutes. At the time this was a world record.
In Australia the next year he flew the plane from Sydney to Bundaberg, 1207 km in 8 hours 40 minutes, establishing the world's non-stop record for a light plane. He was now chief test pilot for A. V. Roe and in 1928, flying an Avro Avian, he made the first successful solo flight from England to Australia in 15 days plus two and three-quarter hours, clipping 12 days from the time set for the journey by Ross and Keith Smith in 1919.
Hinkler designed and built the 'Ibis', a two-seater monoplane, in 1930, but lack of financial support in either England or Canada prevented its production. However, in 1931, in a Puss Moth he bought in Canada, he made the first non-stop flight from New York to Jamaica. He then went on to Venezuela and Trinidad, crossed the South Atlantic from Brazil to Africa, and journeyed on to London. He thus became the first to fly the South Atlantic from west to east and the first to cross the Atlantic in a light aircraft. In January 1933, in the same plane, he was attempting a new record for the England-to-Australia run when he crashed in Italy. He was buried in Florence with full military honours.

Bundaberg & District Historical Museum
Located in the Botanic Gardens and open seven day from 10.00 am - 4.00 pm, the museum is primarily concerned with information about the local area - the people, businesses, buildings and schools. It has over 3,000 photographs, a research facility and extensive displays. Of particular interest are a horse drawn milk cart dating from the 1940s and a remarkable quilt dating from 1933. The museum has been operating since 1967 and has been located within the Botanic Gardens since 1988. For more information check out http://www.bundaberghistoricmuseum.info, tel: (07) 4152 0101.

Fairymead House & Sugar History Museum
Located off Thornhill Street at the far side of the Botanic Gardens is Fairymead House which was built in 1890 for the Young family, owners of the Fairymead Sugar Mill and Plantation. It was given to the City of Bundaberg in 1988 and subsequently relocated to the Botanic Gardens. It is now a popular wedding and function centre as well as home to the Sugar History Museum - from cane to crystal. The Museum is open from 10.30 am - noon Sunday to Friday (closed Saturdays). Check out http://www.fairymeadhouse.com.au/Sugar-History-Museum for ticket prices and additional details or tel: (07) 4130 4400.

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Other Attractions in the Area

The Hummock
Just off Bargara Road between Bargara and Bundaberg is a distinctive volcanic outcrop (a remnant of a volcanic cylinder cone) which Matthew Flinders named the 'Sloping Hummock'. It is now known simply as 'The Hummock'. It offers a panoramic view with the ocean and Bargara to the east and sugar cane fields and Bundaberg to the west.
The Geocaching site (https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC2RH6J_the-hummock?guid=ad2072c7-dcad-4774-a874-7a3424306807) explains: "Hummocks are rounded or conical mounds within a volcanic landslide or debris avalanche deposit. Hummocks contain a wide range of rock debris, reflecting the variation of deposits that previously formed the flanks of the volcano ... The Hummock for this earth cache is a low volcanic hill ... The area surrounding The Hummock has a high agricultural productivity, with sugar cane making up most of the farmland. The land on either side of the river is made up of alluvial soil. Closer to the Hummock, the fields are derived from basalt (a rock formed from cooling lava).
Past volcanic activity has left basalt rocks, rounded by wave action, scattered along much of the coastline, especially headlands. As well, the Hummock, clearly visible from sea, is the centre of an area of rich, red soil, clothed in fields of sugar cane ...
The hummock is close to the river mouth, the sugar mill is located to receive sugar cane from surrounding farm land, and to transport products out by ship ... The eruption for this hummock occurred about 1 million to 900,000 years ago. The erupted basalt lava flowed west to Bundaberg, south to the Elliot river and east to the Bargara coast then eventually flowing out to sea.
Looking out to the east the volcanic crater rim is the highest, water reservoirs and radio towers can be viewed when you look in that direction. Around the hummock area fragments of lava, which were possibly erupted bombs can be seen. These show versicles (gas bubbles) and ropy surfaces (pahoehoe lava). Pahoehoe lava is caused by partially consolidated lava on the top of a flow being dragged along by liquid lava beneath."

Great Sandy Marine Park
The area off the coast between Bundaberg Port and Point Vernon has been designated the Great Sandy Marine Park. The waters are sheltered by Fraser Island and are fringed by coral reefs, mudflats and mangroves. It is a sanctuary for the dugong, loggerhead turtle, humpback whales, grey nurse shark and water mouse. It also contains a number of Aboriginal middens, fish traps and scar trees and, during the summer months, it is home to over 30,000 birds including pied oystercatchers and greenshanks.

The Mystery Craters
Located 28 km from Bundaberg on the Gin Gin Highway (15 Lines Road, South Kolan) are the Mystery Craters. The are a strange phenomenon. The secrets of the 35 craters formed in a massive slab of sandstone have baffled teams of international geologists. Discovered beneath a layer of silt and sand by a local farmer in 1971, 27 holes were exposed, another 8 remain in their pre-discovered state. An interesting feature is the extremely even distribution of red ochre through the coloured sandstone as if it was once churned in a giant cauldron. Some experts think the craters are part of a large meteorite while Australian geologists say the area is the roof a subterranean lake that was caused by oil pressure underground, or that it was once the edge of the ocean and is the result of sea action. In 1979 an article published in the Queensland Government Mining Journal claimed "A geological investigation of the 'Mystery Craters" adjacent to Lines Road, South Kolan, indicates that these structures are sinkholes in a laterite profile. The sinkholes have been caused by the collapse of overlying strata into underground voids produced by tunnel erosion." It is probably impossible to know the exact manner of formation. One thing is certain, they are at least 25 million years old. The craters are, on average, only a few metres across. They can be viewed at close quarters and there is a viewing tower which allows people to get an overview of the whole area. The craters are open from 9.00 am - 5.00 pm, seven days a week. Further information can be gained by contacting (07) 4157 7291. Check out http://www.mysterycraters.com.au for more details.

Lady Musgrave Island National Park
Lady Musgrave Island is an 14 ha coral cay of the Bunker Group. Surrounded by a coral reef with a circumference of 8 km, it is noted for its brilliantly coloured tropical fish, its hard and soft corals, casuarina and pisonia forest, white sandy beaches, and its nesting turtles and seabirds, particularly the terns which nest on a seasonal basis. Bush camping is permitted on the island but there are no shops and no facilities and spaces are limited so bookings are required. Bushwalking, nature study, reef walking, diving and snorkelling can all be enjoyed. Bookings can be made on (07) 4971 6500. There are a number of day trips to Lady Musgrave. Check out https://www.reeffree.com.au/great-barrier-reef-tour/1-day-lady-musgrave-island-reef-experience-tour-from-bundaberg, https://ladymusgraveexperience.com.au and http://www.lmcruises.com.au.

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History

* Prior to the arrival of Europeans the area was occupied by the Gureng Gureng Aborigines and a subgroup known as the Taribelang people.

* In 1802 Matthew Flinders sailed along the coast and named the prominent outcrop, Sloping Hummock.

* The first European explorer in the area was Henry Russell in 1842.

* In 1847 the government surveyor James C. Burnett reached the area. His report on the agricultural potential of the area was unfavourable.

* By the 1850s there was some grazing of cattle in the district.

* In 1866 the first white settlers, the Steuart brothers, moved into the area. J. and G. Steuart were timbercutters determined to exploit the stands of hardwood in the hinterland.

* In 1868 John Thompson, the district surveyor, marked out a town on the south bank of the Burnett River.

* By the 1870s German and Danish migrants had selected and cleared land in the area, cultivating the fertile river soils.

* By the 1880s stores, hotels, sawmills and factories began to appear along the banks of the Burnett River.

* In 1876 the town's second newspaper, the Bundaberg and Mount Perry Mail, was published.

* By 1876 there were two sugar mills in the district.

* In 1879, a schooner sailed up the Burnett River with the first group of South Seas Islanders/Kanakas, recruited as indentured labourers for the sugar cane industry. They were engaged for three years at a small yearly wage, plantation owners and farmers having to provide living accommodation and food.

* For the next 30 years Melanesian and Polynesian Islanders provided the field labour for cane plantations and farms. At one stage, 3000 lived in the district.

* This labour trade stopped in 1901 when the Commonwealth Government of Australia was created. Some Islanders chose to stay in the Bundaberg district.

* By 1881 Bundaberg was producing 3% of Queensland's sugar. That same year it was incorporated as a municipality and a hospital was built.

* In 1882, 80 Ceylonese labourers were brought to Bundaberg under a work contract.

* A brewery commenced operations in 1883. By this time it was producing 20% of Queensland's sugar.

* The railway reached the town in 1888. That same year the rum distillery beside the Millaquin refinery started operating.

* In 1891 the superb Commercial Bank building was completed. Its architectural quality is indicative of the importance Bundaberg had achieved.

* In 1897 the Bundaberg Dairy Co-op was formed.

* In 1900 a steel bridge to South Bundaberg was opened.

* By 1901 the population exceeded 5,000.

* In 1912 the railway line to Bargara was opened.

* A railway branch line to Wallaville was opened in 1920.

* Bert Hinkler died in the Italian Alps in 1933.

* The New Bundaberg port was opened near Burnett Heads in 1962.

* By 1967 most of the city was on sewerage.

* In 2010 the city was hit by a flood with the water reached 7.92 metres on 29 December.

* In 2013 Cyclone Oswald caused widespread damage and destroyed parts of the marina.

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Visitor Information

Bundaberg Visitor Information Centre, 36 Avenue Street, Bundaberg, tel: (07) 4153 8888 or 1300 722 099. Open 9.00 am - 5.00 pm seven days a week.

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Useful Websites

The Regional Council website - http://www.bundaberg.qld.gov.au - is useful and detailed.

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