ginger beer bundaberg tour

🍻GUIDE to Bundaberg Barrel Ginger Beer Tour (Brewed Drinks Factory), QLD

Bundaberg is not only the home of Bundy Rum, but also the iconic Bundaberg Barrel Brewed Drinks. Most Australians are aware of the famous Bundaberg Ginger Beer, but did you know that there are another 17 soft drink flavours?

You can’t pass through Bundaberg without doing at least one brewery tour! For spirit drinkers and over 18s, the Bundaberg Rum Distillery Tour is popular. However, for those who are looking for a more affordable factory tour, which even the kids can go on, the Bundaberg Brewed Drinks Tour is perfect.

Inside the Bundaberg Barrel you’ll find a colourful and interactive self-guided gallery tour, which includes taste testing and a FREE 6-pack at the end (for each adult paying ticket).

Here’s the full guide to the Bundaberg Ginger Beer & Brewed Drinks Tour.

We are a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to ebay.com and other affiliated sites. We may earn a commission from your purchases at no extra cost to you. For more information, see our disclosures here .

Bundaberg Ginger Beer Factory History

The Company was Born

The original Bundaberg Barrel Soft Drinks company was established.

Electra Breweries was Purchased

Neville and Gladys Flemming bought Electra Breweries (a bottling and fermenting business) with their son Cliff and daughter-in-law Lee.

Moved to Current Location

From 1968 to 1973 they operated from the Electra Street premises, before moving to its current location at 147 Bargara Road.

Hit the Supermarket Shelves

It was in the 1980s that production really kicked off as the company secured a slot throughout Australian and New Zealand supermarkets.

Original Owners Retired

Neville and Gladys retired in 1985, handing the business down to Cliff and Lee.

“Bundaberg Brewed Drinks”

It wasn’t until 1995 that the Bundaberg Brewed Drinks name, which we’ve all gown up to know and love, was developed.

First TV Ad

The year of their first television advertising campaign.

First Ginger Crops

Started growing their own ginger crops to ensure high quality and steady supply.

The Barrel was Built

The Bundaberg Barrel was built next to the ginger beer factory to attract tourists.

Claiming the International Market

Now exporting to over 30 countries worldwide.

Record Sales!

Highest recorded sales to date.

Hitting Costco Shelves

Now selling in Costco stores in the US.

Iconic Stubbies

All flavours now available in the iconic Bundaberg Brewed Drinks stubbie bottles.

Bundaberg Barrel Brewed Drinks Tour

Visitors can enjoy a fully interactive self-guided tour through the barrel. Enjoy taste testing at the end with a free 6-pack to take home.

Book Your Tour

The first step is to book your Bundaberg Barrel Brewed Drinks Tour.

As it’s a self-guided tour with only a small amount of space in the gallery, bookings are required to ensure that visitors are spread out with allocated time slots.

Here’s where you can book your Bundaberg soft drink tour .

What’s Included in the Bundaberg Brewed Drinks Tour?

The Bundaberg Brewed Drinks Tour offers a very interactive, fun and colourful experience for all ages.

Bundaberg Brewed Drinks Tour INCLUSIONS:

Self-guided Gallery Tour

• Smellography Wall – play ‘Guess the flavour’
• Touch screens with a live feed of the warehouse next door – shows different parts of the bottling & packing process
• Lots of information behind the flavours, history & creation process
• Conveyor belt transporting bottles
• Machine demonstration
• Viewfinder window into a vat to watch the brew passing through
• Taste Testing Bar with 18 flavours
• 6-pack of Bundaberg soft drinks of your choice to take home
• Huge selection of drinks available for purchase

Be sure to arrive 10 minutes before your Bundaberg Brewed Drinks Tour and check in with the staff.

You will be shown to the entry door of the Self-guided Gallery Tour. From there, you can spend the next half an hour or so wandering through at your own leisure.

See if you can guess the different Bundaberg soft drink flavours at the smellography wall.

Use the touchscreens to swap between 8 different cameras throughout the soft drink factory next door, giving a 360º view of the packing and distribution process.

Watch the production line of bottles as they pass you by along the conveyor belt, ready for boxing and delivery.

Learn about the step-by-step process, from grinding the ginger to brewing the soft drinks. Have a look at the vats and machines used along the way to create the various flavours.

Taste Testing Bar

Once you’ve wandered through and finished the Self-guided Gallery Tour, you will exit through a door which will land you at the Taste Testing Bar.

You’ll find a friendly staff member behind the bar with the entire range of Bundaberg Brewed Drinks flavours lined up and ready to go.

Everyone will get the chance to sample all 18 Bundaberg Brewed Drinks flavours!

Once all visitors have gathered around the Taste Testing Bar, the staff member will take everyone through each soft drink flavour, one by one. Along the way, guests are encouraged to try a sample of each flavour to see if you like it or not.

At the end of the taste testing, an empty 6-pack box is handed out to each adult who paid for the tour. You will be shown to the fridge filled with Bundaberg Brewed Drinks where you can mix your own complementary 6-pack of flavours to take home with you.

You can also purchase as many soft drinks as you like from the store, as well as pick up some merchandise (key rings, bar runners, stubby coolers etc.)

Bundaberg Brewed Drinks Tour Prices

Getting to the Bundaberg Barrel

From the Bruce Highway:

• Take the Bundaberg Gin Gin Road exit & follow for 49.5 km
• At the roundabout turn left onto Bourbong Street and follow for 1 km
• Turn left onto Princess Street (which becomes Bargara Road)
• Drive for 1.6 km and look for the Big Barrel on the left

Parking at Bundaberg Barrel

There is some parking on-site for visitors to the Bundaberg Barrel.

For those who are towing a trailer or caravan, there is one long spot to cater for that. However, all other parking is along the street.

More Things to do in Bundaberg

Big bundaberg rum bottle.

While you’re visiting Bundaberg, you must head over to the famous Bundaberg Rum Distillery and get the obligatory photo of/ with the BIG Bundy Rum Bottle.

As a tribe, we love to see how many Aussie BIG Things we can tick off as we travel the country. It’s lots of fun and feels like the biggest treasure hunt we’ve ever been on!

HINT: There are 3 Big Things in the Bundaberg area to tick off the list! Download yours below.

QLD Big Things Checklist

With over 150 Big Things to find around Queensland!

• 17-page checklist
• Pre-filled with 150+ items
• Categorised into 6 regions
• QLD Regional Map
• Full street addresses
• Record finds & dates
• DIGITAL & PRINTABLE

Bundaberg Rum Distillery

The Bundaberg Rum Distillery is Australia’s most awarded distillery and is world famous for its flavour and polar bear logo. The brand has been around for 135 years and is completely home grown using local ingredients.

It all started in 1888 when seven Bundaberg locals came up with a brilliant way of using a by-product of the sugar cane industry and opened a rum distillery.

Visit the distillery and take a tour to discover the entire history and how this world-famous rum is made.

Go here to book Bundaberg Rum Distillery tours .

Mon Repos Turtle Encounter

Mon Repos is home to the largest concentration of nesting turtles on the Australian East Coast. Here you will find the only Ranger-guided tour of its kind on this side of the country.

Watch as majestic sea turtles make their journey to the shore to lay their eggs. Then see their young, hatching weeks later and making the dangerous journey down the beach and into the ocean.

Go here to book a Mon Repos Turtle Encounter .

Lady Musgrave Experience

Take a full-day cruise from Bundaberg to Lady Musgrave Island and explore the Great Barrier Reef. Enjoy snorkelling, a glass-bottom boat tour, fish feeding and a guided walking tour of the island.

Go here to book Lady Musgrave Day Cruises .

Free Camping in Bundaberg

While in Bundaberg we stayed at Hinkler Lions Park in Branyan, which offers Free Camping for 24 hours.

The rest area is in a great location, just 11 km from the Bundaberg Barrel and close to shops, which is handy for restocking your supplies.

Hinkler Lions Park Features:

💲 Cost – FREE ⏰ 24 hour stay limit 🐶 Pet friendly 🚽 Flushing toilets 💧 Drinking water ⬇️ Dump point 🍞 Covered picnic shelters ⚽️ Playground 📶 Telstra reception 🚗 2WD access ⛺️ Campers, Caravans, Motorhomes, Big Rigs ❌ NO: tents or generators allowed

Click below to see the full review with photos and a video walk-around tour.

Travel Planning Tools

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Join our E-news

1300 722 099

Start your journey with us...

• Chalet Motor Inn
• BIG4 Breeze Holiday Park - Cania Gorge
• Agnes Water Beach Club
• Absolute Oceanfront Tourist Park
• BIG4 Breeze Holiday Park - Bargara
• Bargara Gardens Motel and Holiday Villas
• C Bargara Resort
• Kellys Beach Resort
• Burnett Riverside Hotel
• Villa Mirasol Motor Inn
• Woodgate Beach First National Real Estate
• Norval Park Campground
• Koola Beach Apartments Bargara
• Alexandra Park Motor Inn
• Matilda Motel
• Great Keppel Island Hideaway
• Burnett Heads Lighthouse Holiday Park
• Eidsvold Caravan Park
• Elliott Heads Holiday Park
• Lake Redbrook Holiday Retreat
• Mingo Crossing Caravan and Recreation Park
• Alexandra Apartments
• AAOK Riverdale Caravan Park
• Childers Tourist Park
• Glenlodge Caravan Village
• Lighthouse Hotel Motel
• Miara Holiday Park
• Moore Park Beach Holiday Park
• Mountain View Caravan Park
• Rockpool No 4
• The Point Resort (Dreamtime)
• NRMA Woodgate Beach Holiday Park
• Rocky Point Retreat
• Takalvan Motel
• Mon Repos House
• Coastline Realty
• Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia
• Travellers Rest 1770 Campground
• Midskinrick Lodge and Camping
• Don Pancho Beach Resort
• Rules Beach Holiday Park

Visit Bundaberg Brewed Drinks

Bundaberg brewed drinks.

Age Suitability: Family friendly

Visit the Bundaberg Brewed Drinks Barrel for a one-of-a-kind experience.

Sample each one of the brews through the fun and informative guided Tastings then select 6 of your favourites for a mix-it-yourself take home pack.

Take a self-guided walk through the Gallery to learn about how they craft and bottle their brews including the iconic Bundaberg Ginger Beer. You’ll play ‘guess the flavour’ with the smellography wall, learn more about the real ingredients used in their brews, unlock the secret to the great taste and see the brewery in action via the 360 degree cameras.

Browse the great range of merchandise to take home as a memento of your visit or the perfect gift. The full range of Brews are also available for purchase.

CLOSED: Good Friday, ANZAC Day, Christmas Day & Boxing Day

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Tasting + self-guided gallery tours run daily. For more information and bookings click here .

EXPLORE DEEPER

BOOK YOUR BUNDABERG BREWED DRINKS EXPERIENCE

BUNDABERG BREWED DRINKS BLOGS

Book your experience with a trusted local today...

• Central QLD
• Fraser Coast
• Great Barrier Reef
• Moreton Bay
• New South Wales
• Outback QLD
• Redlands Coast
• Southern QLD Country
• Sunshine Coast
• Tropical North QLD
• Whitsundays
• Food & Drink
• Concerts & Musicals
• Watersports
• Pet-Friendly
• Animals & Marine Life
• QBD Book Club
• Bed & Breakfasts
• Camping & Glamping
• Hotels & Motels
• Caravan Parks
• Resorts & Retreats
• Alana Lowes
• Alastair McLeod
• Chris Parsons
• Duane Strauss
• Jess Skarratt
• Jillian Whiting
• Kay McGrath
• Kimberley Busteed
• Kip Wightman
• Laurel Edwards
• Lee Carseldine
• Sammie O’Brien
• Victoria Carthew

• Food & Wine
• Things to do

The Bundaberg Barrel

The Bundaberg Barrel takes visitors behind the scenes of Bundaberg Brewed Drinks and the famous ginger beer we all know and love.

The self-guided tour starts with the family gallery that tells the story of that first brew in 1968 to today’s range of 14 flavours.

Ranging from traditional lemonade to passionfruit and sarsaparilla, the drinks are made with real ingredients that are mostly locally sourced like ginger and sugar cane from Bundaberg, lemons from the Central Burnett region and mangoes from northern Australia.

“They can be brewed for around one day like the peach right up to seven days like our lemon, lime and bitters.,” said Tammy Fisher from The Barrel.

As for the brewing process, you can see how it all comes together in a bubbling hot pot of flavour infusion.

“It’s extracting maximum flavour out of our real ingredients,” Tammy said.

Speaking of flavour, you can’t go past the taste test where you can sample all the brews including the limited edition spiced ginger beer, which comes out just in time for Christmas each year.

147 Bargara Road, Bundaberg East

bundaberg.com/the-barrel/

Opening Hours

Monday to Saturday 9am – 4.30pm

Sunday 10am – 3pm

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

Chocolate, pear & orange cake

Antarctica… in a day!

Sri Lankan Chicken Curry Bake

Tropical North Queensland EV Road Trip!

A Feast for the Senses

Ancient Encounters in the Outback

EVEN MORE NEWS

POPULAR CATEGORY

• Things to do 467
• Food & Wine 385
• Accommodation 315
• QBD Reviews 295
• Lee & Vic's Book Club 286
• Brisbane 273
• Family Fun 265

• Sydney Beer Keg Wooden Barrel Wine Cask
• Perth Beer Keg Wooden Barrel Wine Cask
• Melbourne Beer Keg Wooden Barrel Wine Cask
• Hobart Beer Keg Wooden Barrel Wine Cask
• Darwin Beer Keg Wooden Barrel Wine Cask
• Canberra Beer Keg Wooden Barrel Wine Cask
• Brisbane Beer Keg Wooden Barrel Wine Cask
• Adelaide Beer Keg Wooden Barrel Wine Cask
• Australia Beer Keg Wooden Barrel Wine Cask

The Bundaberg Barrel

Holidaying and need ideas on what to do in Bundaberg? Discover the secrets of Bundaberg Ginger Beer with a variety of hands-on activities at the home of ginger beer.

Take an amazing journey through the True Brew Experience Tour. Use our interactive touch screens to see what happens to the humble ginger root as it's mushed, crushed, brewed and fermented to make the world's finest ginger beer.

https://www.bundaberg.com/the-barrel/

https://www.facebook.com/BundabergBarrel

• Accommodation
• Bundaberg Rum Distillery

Bundaberg Brewed Drinks

• Mon Repos Turtle Conservation Park

THINGS TO DO IN BUNDABERG

Bundaberg barrel tour and accommodation.

• It is just a few meters down our street, walk to The Bundaberg Barrel and refresh yourself with a tour and free tastings of all its finely crafted flavoured drinks.

Check out our Self Contained Accommodation & beautiful Camping Sites that you can call home while visiting the Creators of Australia’s favourite Ginger Beer!

About the Tour 

Discover the secrets of Bundaberg Ginger Beer with a variety of hands-on activities at the home of ginger beer.

Take an amazing journey through the True Brew Experience Tour. Use our interactive touch screens to see what happens to the humble ginger root as it’s mushed, crushed, brewed and fermented to make the world’s finest ginger beer. more...

Tour Times 

• Monday - Saturday 9:00am - 4:30p
• Sunday 10:00am - 3:00pm.

More information 

For more information please visit the Bundaberg Brewed Drinks website www.bundaberg.com

Bundaberg Brews

• Merchandise
• Tour Bookings

BOOK A TASTING + TOUR

New merchandise now available, welcome to the family little one, click & collect bundaberg brews.

The Bundaberg Brewed Drinks range is now available for Click & Collect from The Bundaberg Brewed Drinks Barrel.

Bundy Mixed Pack 375mL x 24

Ginger Beer 375mL x 24

Burgundee Creaming Soda 375mL x 12

Sarsaparilla 375mL x 12

Regular price $20.00 $17.00

Tropical Mango 375mL x 12

Passionfruit 375mL x 12

Pineapple & Coconut 375mL x 12

Guava 375mL x 12

Brewed using locally grown ginger

All Bundaberg Ginger Beer, Diet Ginger Beer and Spiced Ginger Beer is brewed over 3 days using locally grown ginger and cane sugar.

Bundaberg Merchandise

Share your love for the brew with our range of Bundaberg Merchandise. Now available for Delivery Australia-wide or Click & Collect for Bundaberg locals.

Customised Label Maker

Bottle Stopper

Stubby Cooler

Ginger Beer Socks in Orange

Ginger Beer Socks in White

Fridge Magnet

Join the Brew Crew

15 Fun Things To Do In Bundaberg (It’s Not All Rum & Ginger Beer)

by Jub | Apr 25, 2018

I spent 57 days in Bundaberg working on various farms (read: digging potatoes). When I wasn’t working I was looking to do experience all of the things to do in Bundaberg (for free prefrebly).

Everyone knows about the ginger beer and rum roots in Bundaberg, but there are some cool parks and while many of attractions aren’t jaw breaking, you can easily spend two to three days sightseeing in Bundaberg.

And of course, the day trips from Bundaberg are world class making the town a great place to base yourself.

15 Interesting Things To Do In Bundaberg

1. have fun at the bundaberg ginger beer factory tour.

Bundaberg Ginger Beer is sold to 40 odd countries around the world making the bottle familiar to millions. While you can’t go into the factory itself (safety regulations), there’s a site next door housed in a large barrel shaped building.

There’s plenty of merchandise for sale (and cheap bottles of Bundaberg), but I was there to check out the tour.

The tour is fun! It’s interactive and comes with a audio tour which is great for those who prefer not to read. You’ll learn how they make ginger beer and then you can test your skills on an interactive screen. There’s an aroma section to test how clever your nose is and a cool 15 minute holographic screening.

Once the screening is over, one of the lovely staff (the two I interacted with, Reegan and Katerina, were awesome fun) will provide a sample of the dozen or so different flavours of Bundaberg drinks you can try.

More info on prices on the Bundaberg Ginger Beer website .

2. Take A Quick Stroll At Sharon Gorge Nature Reserve

The Sharon Gorge is better known as a spot for freedom campers looking for (free) cheap accommodation in Bundaberg. It does sport a hidden jungle walk though. Stretching 1km through the bush and finishing up on the edge of the Burnett River. The walk is easy and while it isn’t a must do Bundaberg attraction, pop into the gorge if you decide to see the Mystery Craters.

3. Enjoy A Slice Of Kakadu At Baldwin Swamp Environment Park

Bundaberg’s ‘slice of Kakadu’ is a relaxing area with a few boardwalks and paths navigating you through the wetlands. Given its proximity to town, it’s great to go and simply hangout for a couple hours. Ideally with a picnic.

4. Visit The Beaches Near Bundaberg

Kelly’s Beach, Bargara

Bundaberg is roughly 10km inland from the ocean. While you can’t walk from your Bundaberg accommodation to the beach (easily), you have plenty of beaches to choose from less than a 20 minute drive away. Starting from the north is Mon Repos a popular spot in turtle season. Heading south you’ll pass through the Bargara beaches and finishing up to the south is Elliot Heads.

I jumped on the bus to Bargara and checked out Kelly’s beach, Bargara beach and Neilson’s beach, all awesome for their own reasons.

For more information about the beaches near Bundaberg check out this page .

5. Take A Walk Along The Burnett River

A peaceful evening on the Burnett river

Bundaberg is divided by the Burnett River, with North Bundarberg separated from south, east, west and central Bundaberg. River access for fishing is possible on both sides (don’t swim in the river).

I liked the walkway along the southern side of the river. You can go for a good kilometer or so, with benches scattered along the path. Beautiful at sunset.

6. Visit The Art Gallery

The Art Gallery was the first on the list of things to do in Bundaberg I checked off. It’s free to enter and the exhibitions I saw were interesting. When I visited Amsterdam, I didn’t check out Anne Frank’s house (long queues) so was stoked when a Anne Frank exhibition was opening up at the Gallery.

There are three exhibition rooms, it’s definitely one of the best free things to do in Bundaberg.

Jub’s Pro Tip: check out their Facebook page . If they have a new exhibition opening up they probably have an opening party where you can pop along, check out the exhibition, drink some wine, meet some locals and overall have a great evening out.

7. Wander The Botanical Gardens

Awesome nature going on at Bundaberg Botanical Gardens

The Bundaberg Botanical Gardens are epic! They’re one of the underrated places to visit in Bundaberg (maybe I’m over optimistic but I loved coming here). Whether you’re a garden person or not they’re worth checking out. There’s a Japanese Garden and Chinese Garden which are okay, but I had the most fun walking around the lake.

There are plenty of birds to keep you entertained (read: PELICANS!) and keep an eye out for surface movement on the lake, you might just spot yourself a turtle.

With the art gallery, Baldwin Swamp, beaches and the botanical gardens the list of free things to do in Bundaberg will keep you busy for a couple days at least. No one should be asking themselves what to do in Bundaberg regardless of your budget.

There are a couple other Bundaberg attractions you can checkout while at the Botanical Gardens too:

• The Sugarmead Fairy House: Tours leave most days from the house at 11am, $6.
• The Hinkler Aviation Museum

I got lazy and didn’t visit the both the fairy house or aviation museum!

8. Seek The Highest Point In Bundaberg: The Hummock

Views from The Hummock

If I was a Pokemon, you’d definitely capture me near the mountains, not water. Unfortunately the Bundaberg region is flat with the Hummock claiming the title of highest elevation in Bundaberg.

It’s not easy to get public transport here, you’ll have to walk at least a few kilometres but with minimal incline anyone can reach the top and take in the 360 degree views of the area. You can spot different vegetables growing, get a glimpse of the city and you can see the ocean a few kilometres away.

Apparently it’s a very romantic spot at sunset!

9. Taste The Best Rum In The World At The Bundaberg Rum Distillery

Image courtesy of spalti via flickr

You’re likely familiar with Bundaberg Rum, with the memorable polar bear logo. I kept delaying visiting the Bundaberg Distillery but visited one of the most iconic tourist attractions in Bundaberg on my last day.

Like the Bundy Barrel you aren’t able to go into the factory yourself, but there’s a tour which you can go through on yourself or with a guide (I was too late for a guided tour).

The Ginger Beer Tour was more fun in my opinion, maybe it was the lack of an audio tour or more likely knowing you’ll have rum tastings waiting for you at the end of the tour. The tour talks mainly about the history of Bundaberg Rum. I’ll give them credit, the story behind how they kept the business running is impressive. They could have told the story better though.

With your entry fee you get two tastings which is cool. Little did I know you get to try some of the premium rum they make! The two I tried were both epic, including the World’s Best Rum 2015.

Book your tickets online here on the Bundy Rum website for a 5% discount.

10. Enjoy Sugarcane Juice Straight From The Source

Bundaberg is a sugarcane growing machine. In the months leading up to the harvest which starts in late-June, you should grab some sugarcane and drink the juice straight from the source. If you’ve not had sugarcane juice, it’s sweet as you would expect. Getting into the sugarcane isn’t easy though, so satisfactory when you do though.

11. Have Fun At River Feast

Bundaberg Riverfeast didn’t register on my radar until the last couple of weeks but I investigated and it’s obviously one of the top things to do in Bundaberg at night (there isn’t much to do!) To see a couple hundred people enjoying beers and food at the festival alongside the river surprised me. It seemed to advertise itself, little did us backpackers know about it and we were 1km down the road.

I recall seeing food from Germany, Thailand, Hungary and The Netherlands and more I’ve forgotten. There was definitely a handful of others and all reasonably priced from 5-10$. With beers around $7 each, its good value with live music throughout the evening.

Open: Fridays 4-10pm ( website )

12. Purchase Fruit And Veg Roadside

In a time warp back to what I would imagine it was like 20 years ago all over the country, Bundaberg employs the honesty box system. Given so many people are growing fruit and veg, many of them set up road side stalls where you can get a bag of fruit for a couple bucks. Great concept!

Although one farmer accused me of stealing the money from his zucchini stall (above). Even taking a photo of me before I realised why he was doing so.

13. Get Your Thinking Cap On At Mystery Craters

is it a dinosaur foot?

This is a hit or miss site depending on your mindset. The site itself isn’t spectacular but you really need to get into the story behind why the craters became a tourist site. The craters were randomly discovered in 1971 and no one has been able to explain how they turned up.

The Mystery Craters site is up for sale (June 2016), which may be why I didn’t feel that enthusiastic about it after staying there for 90 minutes. Have the current owners let it run down? Whoever takes over the site can definitely bring a magical aura to the story back to the spot and make it one of the more unusual things to see in Bundaberg.

Cost of entry: $10 adults

RELATED POST: MY MYSTERY CRATERS EXPERIENCE

14. Pop Into The Visitor Center

The Bundaberg visitor center is on the way into ‘downtown’ and has friendly staff who can help you with any questions you have in addition to helping you with any bookings required. You can also pick up some brochures. Take a scan through the booklets for any vouchers you can use during your stay.

15. The Zoo

This was one of the more bizarre places to go in Bundaberg. It’s not exactly a zoo as advertused but worth a mention. It doesn’t cost and there’s only a handful of animals, dingoes, monkeys, birds and an emu to see. Check it out while your doing the river walk.

I’m still not sure what to think of this. It’s not exactly ethical…I don’t know why it’s there!

Bonus: Mon Repos Conversation Park (And To See Sea Turtles Nesting/Hatching)

I didn’t go to do this as I wasn’t in Bundaberg in from November to March when the main event occurs. During November, december, and January, sea turtles come to the beach to nest with the hatchings happening from January to March. You aren’t allowed on the beach here for obvious times during this period, but you can book a tour to get a glimpse of nature at its finest. Tour spots are limited!

The conservation park is open year round.

Things To Do Near Bundaberg

As the Southern Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, there are some epic day trips with the days trips to Lady Elliot Island and Lady Musgrave Island day popular.

What I Didn’t Like About Bundaberg

Overall Bundaberg would be an ideal spot to spend 2-3 days. The staff members at retail outlets and tourist stops were always nice, but it was hard to know if they were genuine or not.

On the street, locals weren’t exactly welcoming. This may seem harsh, and may simply be a cultural thing, but with so many backpackers and tourists coming to town, you’d think the locals would welcome them with open arms.

I wasn’t the only one who said this, many others mentioned this that I interacted with agreed it felt like being in Eastern Europe with people very closed off. Given most backpackers don’t expect to leave Australia with extra money saved up, a little bit of effort could see the money they make in Bundaberg spent in Bundaberg rather than other places on the east coast.

How To Get Around Bundaberg

While Bundaberg is walkable and public transit is available, you’ll be much better off with a car.

Bundaberg public transport is reasonably priced and you can get most places with buses passing through each route at least once an hour. Except on Sundays! In a perfect world, there would be more buses available on Sundays and they’d go until later in the evening. You can see the timetables here .

Hitching was reasonably easy in Bundaberg to get short distances such as to the craters, Sharon Gorge and Bargara. All those who picked me up seemed really nice. Which of course contradicts what I say above. That’s the deal with those who pick up hitch hikers though, they’re on the nicer end of the scale. Simply wanting some company or happy to help strangers out.

Rental cars are another option. Depending on how many of you there are, they can be really affordable. I joined some friends for a weekend trip to Hervey Bay and we rented a cheap car from Bundaberg Car Hire . No complaints whatsoever.

Where To Go After Bundaberg?

Whale watching in Hervey Bay. Photo courtesy of centophobia via Flickr.

You have lots of options, from heading north to Rockhampton via 1770 or south towards Brisbane with Hervey Bay the gateway to Fraser Island before you hit the Sunshine Coast and eventually Noosa.

Bundaberg is a decent place to live, but is lacking that something to make it a thriving tourist destination you talk about long after you visit. There’s no shortage of things to do in Queensland, let alone Australia. If your trip is a few months long, stick it on the list. If you’re looking for a weekend get away, put Bundaberg on the list of options. Ultimately, it’s a nice spot but don’t feel bad if you have to skip past.

10 Comments

I like the idea of drinking sugarcane juice direct from the source! Sounds like a fun trip

Hey Suze, It was definitely something different. Thankfully there was no dirt taste 🙂

Cheers for reading. Jub

Hi Bundaberg is my home town and it’s been a long time since I visited. Your article brings back many memories. I think it’s a hidden gem of a city that’s missed by many tourists to the Wide Bay Area. The beaches are world class and it makes the best Rum in the world. Well I thing so anyway. 🙂

Thanks again for sharing. Alan

Not that you’re biased right 😉 Thank god the Rum is there, otherwise so many other people would miss the charm! Cheers, Jub

It must really be fun to visit this place, I will recommend this to my friends so when we visit Australia we can add this to our itinerary.

Hey Wilcox,

Sounds like a great idea to me 🙂

Cheers, jub

Wow, this is great. I definitely do these things when I visit Bundaberg. Thank you for sharing.

Hope you had a great time in Bundy if you made it.

Cheers, Jub

Nice, I’m gonna use this real version rather than other guides! Honest humble comments. Keep travelling and keep it up!

Thanks Sabine 🙂

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Heyya, Jub here.

I hope Tiki Touring Kiwi isn't making your day too miserable.

If you ever spot a man with a cat shirt and a beard, it's probably me :)

The Bundaberg website uses cookies to improve your experience. Review our cookie policy here. Accept Policy

Would you like to change your language?

G’day. Would you like to change location?

It looks like you are outside the USA. Select a flag below or click “ignore” if you are happy with the American version.

How We Brew Our Bundaberg Ginger Beer

When it comes to our drinks, we take things seriously. We have been making our recipe for brewed Ginger Beer ever since the 1960s, and always to our genuine family recipe.

Bundaberg Brewed Drinks buys all of its ginger either from trusted Aussie farmers or from our own ginger farm. We put time (three days of brewing to be exact), effort and care into ensuring that every single bottle has maximum flavor.

Here’s how the magic happens.

Grinding the Ginger

We only use the highest quality ginger. Instead of leaving this up to chance, we decided to grow some of the ginger ourselves to ensure that there is always a regular supply of ginger for our recipes.

The rich, local soil of Bundaberg in Queensland, Australia, is a great place to grow ginger. Fun fact: Bundaberg is an area with a rich agricultural history of growing macadamia trees and sugar cane – as well as ginger. The soil in the region is perfectly suited to sustain a range of crops and plants.

The secret to our ginger is the special process that we use to dry and grind it. From that, we get a coarse flour, which ensures that the natural flavors are preserved in every bottle.

Making the Ginger Wort

The correct term for the mixture of sugars, water and ginger is called a ‘wort’ (pronounced ‘wert’). While it sounds a bit odd, it’s the part of the process where all the magic happens. We mix our ground ginger with Queensland sugar cane and water, and this mixture is then heated up to release all the lovely natural flavors of the ginger. This heating process also allows sugars and starches to be released from the ginger. At this stage, ginger starches break down into fermentable sugars, and the process is well underway.

Fermenting with Yeast

The next stage of developing the brew is to add special yeast which allows us to ferment the wort. This fermentation stage allows for optimum ginger flavor and gives every bottle of Bundaberg Ginger Beer its distinctive spicy taste. We really are ‘Brewed to be Better’!

Maturating the Ginger Beer

All good things take time, which is why we mature our Ginger Beer over three days to craft the perfect flavor. The ginger is craft-filtered to the perfect degree, leaving just the right amount of tiny ginger pieces in every bottle. The floating ginger in your Bundaberg Ginger Beer is all part of the process, and gives our Ginger Beer extra flavor during maturation and on to when you open the bottle and enjoy your drink.

At this stage of the brewing process, the Bundaberg Ginger Beer is a concentrate, and we store it this way to ensure that maturation is maximized.

Making it Ready to Drink

Once the maturation process is complete, the concentrate is diluted with water, sugar and citric acid to achieve the desired drink strength. Then, it’s carefully filtered to ensure a smooth taste. The final step is light carbonation, and then bottling into our uniquely shaped ‘stubby’ bottle. After this, we send our bottles of Bundaberg Ginger Beer out into the world to be enjoyed.

How do you like to drink your Ginger Beer? Share your drinks with us at #bundabergbrew and  look out for your post on our Instagram. We can’t wait to share a bottle of Bundaberg Ginger Beer with you soon!

Leave Comment Cancel

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Tamra Lee May 25, 2020, 7:51 am So sad that I can't find your ginger beer anywhere here in cedar City, Utah USA anymore! 😢 All the stores here stopped carrying it for some reason. 😭 My family loves your ginger beer so much!! Reply >