7 top tours to try in Bundaberg

By Liz Whitehead
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Famed for its stretches of crystal-clear coast, award-winning distilleries and abundant produce, Bundaberg serves as an excellent base to discover what subtropical Queensland has to offer, and there are a number of amazing tours to help you do so.

From exquisite rum to sparkling reefs, sometimes there’s no better souvenir to bring home than a new skillset, or some new-found knowledge. Luckily, Bundaberg offers lots to learn.

Whether you’re interested in the distillation process, local wildlife, or the process behind farm-to-table produce, there are plenty of tours that will keep you entertained and teach you a thing or two in the process. These are the best Bundaberg tours to show you what the region has to offer.

1. Bundaberg Rum Distillery Tour

A tour of the Bundaberg Rum Distillery is all but compulsory when you’re in town. The distillery is denoted by a mammoth-sized bottle of Bundy Rum at the entrance, perfect for a quick photo op before heading in.

Once inside, you can join a tour where you’ll take a peek behind the curtain and learn how vats of sweet, sticky molasses get transformed into bottles of liquid gold.

a woman blending her own glass of rum at Bundaberg Rum Distillery

Get a chance to blend your own rum. (Image: Bundaberg Rum)

After you’ve meandered through the museum and received a rundown of the factory’s inner workings, finish your tour with a trip to the distillery bar. Here, you can sample a range of Bundaberg’s famous rum products (the Salted Caramel liqueur is a must-try). Pick up your favourites from the gift shop, where you can also browse a range of limited edition and exclusive rums.

If you fancy yourself a bit of a rum aficionado, opt for the Blend Your Own Rum experience. You’ll spend an hour with your Rum Guides, learning how to create your own personalised blend, and receive two bottles of your concoction to take home with you. Cheers to that.

Bundaberg Rum Distillery

The Big Rum Bottle at the entrance of the Bundaberg distillery. (Image: Andrew S/Flickr)

2. Bundaberg Barrel Tasting and Tour

If the Bundaberg sun has got you feeling parched, there’s no better place to head than the Bundaberg Barrel. Bundaberg Brewed Drinks are famous for its thirst-quenching craft sodas, especially its Ginger Beer (that pairs great with a shot of Bundaberg Rum).

view outside The Bundaberg Barrel

Have a look inside The Bundaberg Barrel.

Take a peek behind the scenes and experience the fabulous array of refreshing flavours with a tasting and a tour. There’s also a smellography wall (that seems like something out of Willy Wonka’s factory) where guests can play ‘guess the flavour’. Once you’re done sampling the delicious soft drinks, you’ll select six of your favourites to take away.

welcome signage inside The Bundaberg Barrel

Wander around its expansive interior.

3. Kalki Moon Distillery Tour

Bundaberg is the place to be if you’re in the mood to grab a drink. Kalki Moon is an artisan brewery and distillery producing rum, gin and other liquors. It makes the most of the region’s abundant produce, crafting gins that are rich with Aussie botanical flavours like lemon and cinnamon myrtle.

guests talking while drinking booze at Kalki Moon Distillery, Bundaberg

Stop by for a drink at Kalki Moon Distillery.

You’ll find the distillery nestled among the sugarcane, five kilometres from Bundaberg’s town centre. On a tour, you’ll be guided through the stages of the distillation process and be able to sample a drink of your choice.

If you’re thirsty for more, stop by the cellar door to sip on a cocktail, or hit up the gift shop to shop your favourites.

a well-curated display of gins and liquours at Kalki Moon Distillery, Bundaberg

Kalki Moon Distillery has a great selection of gins, cocktails, and crafted beers.

4. Macadamia Orchard Tour

With its green fields lined with picturesque macadamia trees – it’s no surprise that Bundaberg’s Macadamia Orchard is a popular spot for weddings. However, you don’t have to tie the knot to soak up the romance of the luscious surroundings.

Take a self-guided stroll through the trees, where you can pick your own nuts during the harvest months (February to August) and crack them at the orchard’s cracking station. Investigate the rich history of Bundaberg’s agriculture at the visitor experience centre, and meander through the gift shop that sells everything from macadamia hand cream to bowls made from macadamia shells.

A tour includes a guide to show you through the orchard, during which they’ll impart a wealth of knowledge about how macadamias make it from seed to table. Lastly, you’ll enjoy a guided tasting of a macadamia-inspired chef-curated platter.

Be sure to stop by The Orchard Table, an on-site restaurant where the chefs are showcasing the magic of macadamias through their nut-inspired menu. You’ll definitely want to leave room for the macadamia gelato.

orchard table's seasonal menu made from the freshest local ingredients

Indulge in the seasonal menu specially curated for you at the Orchard Table.

5. Tastings at Ohana Cider House & Tropical Winery

Sample a taste of Tropicana at Ohana Cider House & Winery. Here, the distillery makes the most of Bundaberg’s abundant produce, sourcing local fruits to create ‘cheeky tiki’ cider flavours such as pineapple and passionfruit.

a person holding a bottle of Cherry Tiki Dry Apple Cider behind the apple orchard at Ohana Cider House & Tropical Winery

Cherry Tiki Dry Apple Cider is a classic favourite at Ohana Cider House & Tropical Winery.

If you’re more of a wine drinker, try some sweet Moscato wines made with strawberries and mangos. Tasting paddles are available, with Kenilworth cheddar cheese platters also on offer, should you find yourself feeling peckish.

two people tasting some wines at Ohana Cider House & Tropical Winery

Head to the Cider House & Tropical Winery for some wine tasting. (Image: Paul Beutel/Bundaberg Tourism)

6. Mon Repos Turtle Encounter

If you’re visiting Bundaberg between November and March, you’re in luck. Turtle season comes into full swing during the summer months, and spotting one of these fascinating creatures in the wild is one of the best things to do in Bundaberg.

Not only is Bundaberg in proximity to some of the region’s best beaches, but the nearby shores of Mon Repos are home to the largest concentration of turtles on the East Coast.

Witness turtles nesting in the sand. Come hatching season, you can spot baby turtles crawling down to the ocean. (Image: Getty/vkp-australia)

The laying season is in November – when you can join a ranger-guided turtle encounter to watch the female turtles lay their eggs on the beach. Come January, the tours will take you to see the baby turtles hatching and scuttling toward the ocean in the evening. Simply magical.

the entrance path at Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Take a stroll along Mon Repos Turtle Centre. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

7. Lady Musgrave Island

Bundaberg is known as the Southern gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. If you want to spend a day surrounded by crystal blue waters and magical coral reefs, consider a day trip to Lady Musgrave Island.

 

lady musgrave island

Tours depart via boat from Bundaberg port marina (a 15-minute drive from the town centre). The tour includes snorkelling, scuba diving and glass-bottomed boat excursions, so you can witness the beautiful and vibrant underwater world of the reef.

You’ll more than likely spot some turtles, as well as reef sharks and a kaleidoscope of tropical fish. Here, you can discover why the Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven natural wonders of the world – all a stone’s throw from Bundaberg.

couple snorkelling on the reef off Lady Musgrave Island, while taking a photo of a turtle

Have an up-close encounter with turtles on Lady Musgrave Island. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Headed to Bundaberg? We’ve also created a guide to accommodation in Bundaberg and the best restaurants and cafes in town.
Elizabeth Whitehead is a writer obsessed with all things culture; doesn't matter if it's pop culture or cultures of the world. She graduated with a degree in History from the University of Sydney (after dropping out from Maths). Her bylines span AFAR, Lonely Planet, ELLE, Harper's BAZAAR and Refinery 29. Her work for Australian Traveller was shortlisted for single article of the year at the Mumbrella Publishing Awards 2024. She is very lucky in thrifting, very unlucky in UNO.
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This new beachside resort comes with a front-row turtle show

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    One night encountering nesting turtles at Mon Repos Beach is all it takes to transform holidaymakers into awestruck witnesses of marine conservation in action. 

    A new ecotourism benchmark, NRMA Parks and Resorts’ Turtle Sands fits neatly behind the dunes – front row to the wonder of nesting and, weeks later, hatching loggerhead, flatback and green turtles.  

    turtle swimming

    Mon Repos supports the largest concentration of nesting marine turtles on the eastern Australian mainland. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland/Mad Dog Productions)

    This stretch of the Southern Great Barrier Reef has long been a holiday playground.

    Mon Repos Conversation Park

    Mon Repos Conservation Park (Image: Tourism Australia)

    And now this former caravan park has been transformed, leading the way in wildlife-friendly design with environmental sustainability and accessibility at its core. 

    All about the accommodation offering 

    baby turtle at Mon Repos

    A hatchling makes its way across the sand. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland/Acinta Shackleton)

    When we arrived, we let out a sigh of relief as we spotted a bank of EV chargers. Our new Omoda E5 loaner needs a top-up, and charging spots on the road from Brisbane have been scarce, unreliable or out of action. It’s the first of many sustainability features that set the resort apart. We’ve officially left the everyday and much less eco-friendly world behind. 

    Turtle Sands Beach House

    Inside Turtle Sands’ ultra-comfortable Beach House. (Image: Tim Bond)

    A 100kwh solar system allows Turtle Sands to be almost off-grid but with enough grunt to power energy-efficient, motion-sensor air conditioning and lighting. At check-in, we take the Turtle Protection Promise, pledging to minimise impact and to only walk on the beach between 6am and 6pm. 

    Accommodation includes powered caravan sites, accessible studio rooms, glamping tents, three-bedroom villas and the Beach House – a reimagined 1917 schoolhouse. We’re among the first to put the latter through its paces.  

    Designed for two with an ultra-comfortable king bed, the full kitchen makes self-catering a snap. Like the outdoor kitchen, we don’t get to give it a test run because Bundaberg’s restaurants are too good to miss. Cleverly, the mud room entrance doubles as a butler’s pantry with a pod coffee machine and wardrobe. 

    Beach House's tub

    End the day with a soak in the Beach House’s tub. (Image: Tim Bond)

    I get first dibs on the tempting tub in the oversized and luxurious bathroom. A ceiling fan makes an excellent backup or alternative to the air-con in the combined living and bedroom space that opens through floor-to-ceiling glass to a party-sized deck. It’s the ideal spot for an early morning cuppa to listen to the ocean continually reacquainting itself with the sand. 

    Why NRMA Turtle Sands is the ultimate family holiday 

    Turtle Sands turtle-shaped pool

    NRMA Parks and Resorts’ new Turtle Sands with its turtle-shaped pool.

    Late afternoon, Turtle Sands transforms. Around the pool, families toast to the good life with unfiltered happiness. Plastic glasses gently thud stubby holder-dressed beers. Everyone, it seems, has left their everyday world behind. “Marco!” echoes from one end of the turtle-shaped pool, met with thunderous “Polo!” responses.  

    The Garden Mill Cafe fish tacos

    The Garden Mill Cafe in nearby Bargara. (Image: Tim Bond)

    Sprawling teenagers scroll phones while still-dripping kids dart about smelling of sunscreen. Sizzling sausages mingle with the aroma of fresh pizza from the food truck. The sheer joy is infectious. This is more than a holiday – it’s a celebration of family and nature. 

    With only a million-star sky and sliver of silver moon to light the way, our Omoda E5 seems at home as we return later from dinner at the outstanding Water St Kitchen. Turtle Sands is dark except for motion-sensor lights. Still, except for the occasional blood-curdling scream of eastern curlews, it’s another moment to breathe in the briny air and just be. 

    Turtle encounters with a difference 

    hatchlings on Turtle Encounter tour

    Spot hatchlings on a Turtle Encounter Tour. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland/Jacinta Shackleton)

    Evening unfolds quietly at the world-renowned Mon Repos Turtle Centre near Bundaberg. Rangers carefully guide 60 of us along the moonless beach, after locating the night’s first nesting female loggerhead turtle.  

    Guided by an extraordinary internal compass, she has returned to the exact beach where she hatched three decades ago – a remarkable and puzzling navigational feat. Every sandy plod we take is calculated to ensure we don’t disrupt the turtle’s delicate egg-laying ritual. 

    Mon Repos beach

    Enjoy the beach year-round.

    We have dubbed her Roxanne (inspired more by The Police than Cyrano de Bergerac). She has instinctually and methodically powered her furiously flicking flippers to sculpt a sanctuary for her 114 ping-pong-ball-sized coloured eggs.  

    Our rangers closely monitor Roxanne, recording her measurements and marking the nest’s location. As the kids grow restless, Roxanne may or may not be flicking sand their way.