Calling all food and drink lovers, this one’s for you. This 4-day Bundaberg itinerary is all about treating your taste buds to a whole new world of flavour, courtesy of one of Australia’s most underrated food regions.
Here, your glass is always full. From the iconic flavours of Bundaberg Rum and Bundaberg Ginger Beer to craft gin, small-batch beer, boutique wines and farm-fresh produce at every turn. Stretchy pants are strongly recommended.
Journey from one tantalising location to another, meeting the passionate producers, café owners, award-winning distillers, brewers, winemakers, cider makers and master blenders who make this region tick.
Feeling tempted? Here’s your full guide to feasting your way around our backyard.
What’s in store across four delicious days in Queensland’s most underrated foodie region:
- Go behind the scenes at the Bundaberg Rum Distillery — and blend your own bottle to take home
- Pull up a stool and work through a tasting paddle at 384 North Brewing
- Hit the farm gate trail — strawberries, macadamias, fresh herbs and more, straight from the paddock
- Road trip to Childers for cellar door wines poured right where the grapes were grown
- Roll up your sleeves for fresh river prawns with a view at Grunske’s Seafood Restaurant
- Lose yourself (and your willpower) at Cha Cha Chocolate
- Walk the Turtle Trail along one of Australia’s most stunning coastlines
- Raise a glass at Buddy Boy Kitchen and toast to one of the best food trips of your life
WHERE TO STAY
With so much to see, do, eat and drink, you’ll want a comfortable base to come home to. Bundaberg offers a wide range of accommodation — from beachside caravan parks and eco-glamping retreats to motel rooms in the CBD and boutique stays along the Coral Coast.
Coastal stays
If the beach is your happy place, base yourself in Bargara — the region’s lifestyle capital — or venture along the coastline to Burnett Heads or Elliott Heads, where river meets reef. Options like Turtle Sands put you steps from the sand and a short drive from Mon Repos.
CBD convenience
If you’d rather have local cafés, boutique shops and historical buildings on your doorstep, Bundaberg CBD has you covered. Sugar Country Motor Inn is a reliable, comfortable base with easy access to everything on this itinerary, as are Villa Mirasol and Burnett Riverside Hotel just to name a few.
Hinterland and hidden gems
Culture vultures and slow-travel types will love the historic towns of Childers and Gin Gin. For a truly off-the-beaten-path coastal escape, Woodgate Beach and Moore Park Beach offer 15km+ stretches of pristine sandy beach — perfect for that book you’ve been meaning to read. If you’re eyeing Woodgate, NRMA Woodgate Beach Holiday Park, offers a great base with camping sites, cabins and glamping safari tents ready to welcome you.
DAY 1: ICONIC BUNDABERG
8-10 AM | Breakfast on Bourbong
After a morning stroll along the Bargara Esplanade or a walk along the mighty Burnett River Boardwalk, make your way to your first feasting stop of the day: Indulge Café, tucked along Bundaberg’s main Bourbong Street.
This quaint little café has been celebrating the people behind the produce since the day it opened, and the menu shows it. Sweet tooth? Try their signature macadamia granola with poached pear, fresh blueberries and vanilla bean yoghurt. After something more substantial? The potato and leek croquette with thick bacon steak, two poached eggs, goat’s cheese fondue and lemon-zested rocket will set you up beautifully for the day ahead.
10:30 AM | Quench your thirst at The Barrel
Known worldwide as the home of Bundaberg Ginger Beer, The Barrel is where it all began. The Fleming family have been crafting premium soft drinks here for more than 50 years, living by the motto “brewed to be better” — and the results speak for themselves.
Using homegrown ingredients sourced from Queensland’s very own backyard, a self-guided tour and tasting at The Barrel is the perfect way to understand what makes this region so genuinely special. Family-friendly, delicious, and proudly local.
11:30 AM | Australia’s Favourite Spirit – Bundaberg Rum Distillery
That unmistakable yellow label, white polar bear and bold flavour.
As Australia’s largest craft distillery and a Hall of Fame inductee at the 2021 Australian Tourism Awards for Best Distillery Experience, the Bundaberg Rum Visitor Experience is non-negotiable on any visit to the region. Follow a Bundaberg Rum Expert behind the scenes and learn how local sugarcane is transformed into the liquid gold that’s loved across the country.
Rum connoisseurs should book ahead for the Blend Your Own experience — a hands-on session where you’ll blend premium rum profiles and take home your very own labelled bottle. Book in advance; spots fill fast.
2 PM | Late Lunch with a View at Grunskes by the River
Showcasing reef-to-river catches landed daily and delivered straight to your plate, it doesn’t get much fresher than Grunske’s Seafood Restaurant, Market and Takeaway. With sweeping views of the Burnett River as your backdrop, roll up your sleeves and get into a plate of fresh river prawns. This is Bundaberg dining at its most unapologetically local. The menu stretches beyond seafood too, celebrating the best of what’s in season from paddock and water alike.
Dinner | Water Street Kitchen
Locals flock to it. Visitors wish they had it in their neighbourhood. Water Street Kitchen is a culinary gem unlike any other. Easy to mistake for just another suburban café from the outside, it opens up into a flavour-filled, genuinely special dining experience. Passionate owners Alex and Jen lead an equally passionate team dedicated to exquisite food, an outstanding drinks list (the cocktails and mocktails are standouts), and an atmosphere that somehow feels both cosy and refined.
Expect dishes like zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta on rich ragù, local Spanish mackerel with kipflers and smoked tomato, and a menu that genuinely changes with the seasons. The hardest part? Choosing what to order. Bookings recommended.
DAY 2: PADDOCK-TO-PLATE &
Morning | The Windmill Cafe
Start your second day with a hearty, nourishing breakfast at The Windmill Café. Their vibrant dragon fruit bowls — made from real dragon fruit and topped with the best seasonal produce the region has to offer — are as Instagram-worthy as they are genuinely good for you. For something more substantial, the Breakfast Bowl and the Windmill Breakfast Stack (featuring a locally crafted Worcestershire sauce unlike anything you’ve tasted) are both worthy contenders. Fresh juice and proper barista coffee round it all out beautifully.
Mid-Morning | Farm Gate Trail
Pull out a bit of loose change and hit the farm gate circuit. Some of the freshest produce you’ll ever taste is found right here, minutes from the road. Grab strawberry ice-cream and punnets of red jewels at Tinaberries, fresh lettuce, ginger and herbs at Lettuce Patch, gourmet tomatoes and seasonal goodies at One Little Farm, and home-made jams your nanna would approve from Bargara Berries Fruit and Veg Market.
Lunch | Get Crafty at 384 North Brewing
By now, lunch is well and truly calling. Head to 384 North Brewing for a tasting paddle of small-batch, on-site brewed beers with big flavour — from crisp lagers to bold pales and rotating seasonal drops, there’s something for every kind of beer lover. Pull up a stool, work your way through the paddle and settle in. No fuss, just good brews and quintessential Bundy vibes.
Afternoon | Cha Cha Chocolate
Save a little room for a detour to Cha Cha Chocolate on Bourbong Street — a one-of-a-kind shop that’s a must-visit even if you don’t have a sweet tooth. Melanice’s handmade fudge is the stuff of legend; take some home (you will not regret it). Grab some chocolate-coated freeze-dried strawberries while you’re there.
Then, sneak your way to Kalki Moon Distillery — Bundaberg’s boutique gin bar and one of the region’s most exciting new drinks stories. Gin tours and tastings run daily at 11 am and 1 pm ($10 per person), led by head distiller Rick, who brings genuine passion to every pour. Not a gin drinker? No problem — there are liqueurs, vodka and rum, all paired with Bundaberg Brewed mixers.
Dinner | H20 Restaurant and Bar
H2O at Burnett Riverside offers riverside dining at its finest. The menu leans into local produce with purpose — think crab pasta, fresh fish of the day, lamb and steak dishes built around seasonal ingredients, Pocket Storehouse sourdough and macadamia crumb. Good cocktails, great service and a view of the river to tie it all together. Bookings recommended.
DAY 3: SIP, SWIRL AND TASTE – A Road Trip to Childers
Time to hit the road! The historic town of Childers sits just 45 minutes south of Bundaberg and punches well above its weight for wineries, eateries and genuinely characterful experiences. Grab a takeaway coffee from One Little Farm in Bundaberg before you go, the drive down is part of the pleasure.
Breakfast | Insane Caffeine
All-day breakfast done properly. The toasties here — think local smoked chicken and ham with exceptional fillings — are among the best you’ll find in the region. When in season, the avocado smash with dukkah is a cracker. Great coffee, cool atmosphere, the kind of place you want to linger in. Fortunately, you’ve got a full day ahead, so you’ll have to pull yourself away.
Mid-Morning | Vintner’s Secret Vineyard + Hill of Promise Winery
Wine time. Vintner’s Secret Vineyard offers tastings of whites, reds, sparkling and fortified, with cheese platters available from the gift shop and cafe on site. Then head to Hill of Promise, where Mary and Terry offer a grape-to-glass experience. No additives, no shortcuts, just grenache, muscat, sparkling and liquers made right on the Childers hillside. Both a genuinely beautiful hinterland setting and experience for proud, passion-filled products.
Afternoon | Macadamias Australia Visitor Experience + The Orchard Table
On your way back into town stop by the newest farm gate in town – Macadamias Australia visitor experience centre and The Orchard Table. What was formerly a small shop on the side of the road is now a tribute to everything wonderful about macadamias, including the process of getting the nut from tree to taste. The Orchard Table has a great menu for coffee, cakes, gelato and lunch options. Sit back and relax amongst the orchard to close out a jam-packed day.
Dinner | Easy Eats in Bargara
After a big day on the road, keep dinner simple and satisfying. Red Thai Chilli and Bargara Asian Cuisine are both reliable and delicious options. Alternatively, pull up on the deck at the Bargara Beach Hotel for a sundowner and a relaxed dinner with an ocean backdrop. Sometimes the view is the whole meal.
DAY 4: Coastal Walks, Aviation History & a Fitting Farewell
Morning | The Turtle Trail + The Beach Mill
Rise and shine — it’s your last full day and it starts with vitamin sea. Grab a quick bite and your morning coffee from The Beach Mill in Bargara, then lace up for one of the region’s most beloved walks: the Turtle Trail. Running from Kelly’s Beach all the way to Burnett Heads (7.7km one way), the trail hugs a coastline that takes in Mon Repos Beach — Australia’s most significant loggerhead turtle rookery on the east coast — and onwards to Burnett Heads where river meets reef. Walk, run or ride; go the whole distance or just the Bargara-to-Mon Repos stretch (2km one way). Either way, it’s a genuinely beautiful way to spend a morning.
Mid-Morning | Hinkler Hall of Aviation
Another icon in Bundaberg not to be missed is Hinkler Hall of Aviation. Nestled among the tranquil Botanic Gardens, let your inner historian and adventurer unleash and learn the inspiring tales of Bundaberg born and Australian aviation pioneer, Bert Hinkler.
Lunch | Oodies Cafe
A feast for the eyes as much as the stomach. Oodies Café is a lovingly curated space filled with local artwork, hand-picked plants and all manner of wonderful bits and bobs, brought to life by sister duo Jenny and Suzy. The all-day breakfast and lunch menu is excellent — highly recommend the beans or the savoury mince jaffle, both proper comfort food done with care.
Afternoon | Elliott Heads Foreshore
Bundaberg’s answer to Whitehaven Beach (yes, really). Head to Elliott Heads Foreshore and take an afternoon walk soaking up the vibrant blues where the Elliott River meets the sea. Catch a low tide and you’re in for a rock pool ramble through genuinely stunning formations. Keep your eyes peeled for small marine life in the pools — it’s the kind of spontaneous moment that sticks with you long after you’ve left.
Dinner | Buddy Boy Kitchen
For your last night in the region, it’s only fitting you go out with a bang — and Buddy Boy Kitchen is ready to deliver. Tucked inside the Sugar Country Motor Inn on Bourbong Street, this vibrant, family-friendly restaurant is all about bold flavours, big smiles and a menu that encourages you to get a little adventurous. Think crispy pork belly, scotch fillet done properly, and a cocktail list that’ll have the margarita lovers very happy indeed. The vibe is warm, the service is genuine, and the whole place has an energy that makes it near impossible not to have a good time. The perfect full-stop to a flavour-packed few days in Bundaberg.
Bookings recommended. Open Monday–Saturday for breakfast and dinner.
