The iconic rich red soil and near perfect year-round conditions make the Bundaberg and North Burnett region the ideal place for a food lover’s paradise. Taste food next to where it has been grown, caught, distilled and let the flavours dance in your mouth to a symphony of freshness – that’s the Bundaberg Region Food experience!
As the sweet potato and macadamia capital of Australia, with zucchini, squash, cucumber, capsicum, chilli, tomatoes, strawberries, passionfruit, dragonfruit, snow peas and beans all grown abundantly, our backyard is bursting with flavour. Lychees, mangos and melons are summer treats and locally grown pineapples are irresistibley sweet. Our trawlers bring in reef fish, scallops, bugs, prawns and spanner crabs unlike any seen elsewhere. The muddies (mud crabs) are full of flavour and hard to resist. Explore the naturally beautiful North Burnett and discover Queenslands citris capital. Meanwhile local herbs arer adding flair to locally created culinary delights, and all together these make our flavour-filled backyard one of Australia's most prolific food bowls in Australia!
With year-round seasonal produce, fresh trawler-to-table catches and world-class drinks at our fingertips, come discover where great taste begins.
REDISCOVER BUNDABERG'S HOMEGROWN ICONS
Internationally renowed and much-loved Australian favourites, when you think Bundaberg your first thought is probably that of Bundaberg Rum and Bundaberg Ginger Beer. Not only do these homegrown heros deliver on taste, but offer a sensory experience unlike any other. Of course when visiting the town that these bottles share their name and have been expertly blended and brewed for generations, rediscovering these icons is a must.
Meet the Bundaberg family behind the success of Bundaberg Brewed Drinks
Family owned for more than 50years, the Fleming family who started crafting Bundaberg Ginger Beer in 1968, are still to this day working and living in Bundaberg to perfect their craftsman brewing process, delivering world-renowned drinks using local ingredients and time-honoured family recipes that have contributed to their success for more than three generations. Immerse yourself in their family passion and learn the ins and out of what goes into this great Australian brew, sampling the range onsite at The Barrel with a self-guided tour. With more than 15 flavour-filled drinks now added to their range, enjoy pairing together 6 of your favourite drinks for a take-home pack to sip and mix with your favourite tipples back home.
Top Tip: Do it like the locals and pour your Bundaberg Ginger Beer over ice, adding a squeeze of juice from a local Bundy lime and garnish with fresh mint for a refreshing twist. Want to stir things up? Try combining 15ml of Bundaberg's award-winning Kalki Moon Gin or, for a dark and stormy, Bundaberg Rum.
World-class and award winning Bundaberg Rum keeping true to its homegrown roots
Upon arriving in Bundaberg, whether it's by plane, train or car, you'll be greeted by a patchwork of colour, showcasing one key ingredient responsible for Bundaberg Rum's bold and distinct flavour; sugarcane. Here our prisitne climate makes for perfect year-round conditions creating a green mosaic of sugarcane fields that are ever changing as crops mature until harvest. With the region being one of a kind, bringing together the entire process from growing, milling, refining, research, distilling and tasting, home made takes on a new meaning here, making Australia's favourite spirit uniquely Bundaberg and world-class. Journey behind the scenes and into the beating heart of this fully working distillery where unique blends have been proudly distilled and bottled since 1888, on a Bundaberg Rum Visitor Expereince. An experience for all the senses, following your Bundaberg Rum expert, listen and see how this liquid gold has been expertly made and the true-blue Bundy passion behind the product before sampling some of the range at the tasting bar.
Top Tip: For the rum connesseuirs try a Blend Your Own Rum Experience and become spend your day mixing premium rum profiles that are exclusive to the Blend Your Own Rum tour before bottling two of your very own signature rum bottles.
TASTE PADDOCK-TO-PLATE FLAVOURS
When it comes to sourcing quality ingredients, our passionate chefs don't need to travel far. Growing 25% of Australias produce just a few kilometres down the road really does come in handy when you're not only passionate about plating mouth-watering food, but know you're supporting local and helping put food back on the tables that gave yours. Come savour a taste and meet the makers themselves at our local cafes, eateries and restaurants, where you'll be sure to be greated with plates piled high! Here are our just some of our picks for devouring local flavours.
Water Street Kitchen
Nestled among suburbia, is Water Street Kitchen, cafe by day and restaurant by night. A place that champions local across their ever-changing seasonal menu. Come taste exquisite flavours from their signiture cocktails and premium wine menu, and ready your fork for dishes like hand-picked zucchini flowers filled with lemon basil ricotta on a bed of tomato ragu and sprinkled with pecorino as an entre to your main for dinner, or if you're wanting breakfast, try the sweet potato croquettes, with ginger, crispy bacon, roma tomato ragu and eggs topped with a burnt butter hollandaise.
Windmill Cafe Bargara
As the name suggests, the award-winning Windmill Cafe is housed in the home of a charming blue dutch windmill in Bargara, just a block from the beach. Awarded Gold in 2019 & 2021 at the Queensland Tourism Awards for best Restaurant and Catering Services, this local cafe is a haven for those seeking wholesome food that not only fills your belly but feeds the soul. Soak up some tranquility among the lush garden surrounds and sip on their delicious drinks ranging from hot coffees made with filtered rain water, freshly squeezed juices, thickshakes made with real gelato and the award winning HOTI kombucha. When it comes to choosing what to eat, the options are endless with dishes catering to all dietary requirments. Our personal favourite is the Windmill Stack which showcases local Barrits Bacon, worcestershire glazed mushrooms, fried halloumi & a poached egg, served on a bed of rocket and stacked upon toasted sourdough.
The Orchard Table
Discover quality macadamias at Macadamias Australia, a three-generation farming family where growing, harvesting and processing sustainable macadamias is their pride and passion. Located within the heart of Macadamias Australia Visitor Experience, The Orchard Table brings together a unique tree-to-table experience. From wandering through interactive displays telling the story of how the largest Macadamia producer in Australia came to be, taste the difference with local inspired sweet and savoury treats that use these quality macadamias among the original orchard, and even try your hand at cracking some nuts!
Bert's
Combining local produce with worldly cuisine, let your taste buds travel at Bert's. Sharing the pioneering spirit of Bundaberg's very own aviation pioneer, Bert Hinkler, dine among this mood-lit venue and enjoy a dinning experience designed to be shared. Try the cajun spiced cauliflower florets with harissa mayo to start, and their Chicken Involtini with truffled chicken breast, prosciutto and mushroom cream. Their cocktail menu also uses our regions award winning drinks and one Bundaberg signiture recipe is the Espresso Della Caramello with Bundaberg's Kalki Moon Classic Vodka, Bundaberg Rum Royal Liqueur Salted Caramel, Caramel Sauce & local Alowishus Espresso - Talk about Bundaberg in a glass!
Alowishus
With so much to see and do while visiting, Alowishus Delicious on Bourbong Street is the perfect place to grabe a quick caffene fix and food to go, not to mention their incredible local inspired ice-cream range which is everchanging depending on what's in season. From Bundaberg Rum and raisen to local dragonfruit ice-cream.
H2o Restaurant & Bar
Perched on the banks of the mighty Burnett River, sit back and relax with sweeping river views for company while sipping on a signiture Rosy G&T cocktail featuring Kalki Moon Pink Gin, Bundaberg Brewed Drinks sparkling grapefruit, homemade rosemary syrup, lime juice, tonic and fresh rosemary before diving into their abundant dinner menu. Open for breakfast as well, there's something for the sweet and savoury foodies to help kick-start your morning exploring Bundaberg.
SEA FOOD AND EAT IT
Our river-to-reef waterways are brimming with fresh seafood. From prawns trawled in the Burnett River to fresh coral trout caught on the Southern Great Barrier Reef, our seafood experience is rich, fresh and abundant. From tasting local catches delivered from fishermen to the front doors of local cafes, eateries and restaurants to browsing family-owned Grunskes by the River Seafood Market, Takeaway and Restaurant, and feasting on fresh bugs, crabs and reef fish that were recently unloaded straight from the trawler. Boasting more than 30years of fishing experience, the Grunske family are famous for everything seafood in Bundaberg and come from a strong seafood background which gives them the ability to pick and choose what seafood they want to eat each day depending on what their fishermen haul from the trawler.
Roll up your sleeves and discover our regions award-winning boutique seafood business, The Seafood Smokery, where their delicate yet versative range of award-winning smoked fish fillets, 'rolled hams' and pates are delivered not only locally but to some of Australia's leading Chefs. Let passionate fishermen and owners, Lincoln and Luke share with you their journey and passion for ethically sourcing the freshest wild caught fish, along with their secret for brining. Using a secret blend of Australian native timers including macadamia wood, this truly is a unique and oh-so tasty must-visit for all seafood lovers.
MEET THE ARTISAN MAKERS BEHIND AWARD-WINNING TIPPLES
Famous for our cold drinks and warm welcomes, our regions iconic drink brands have paved the way and inspired an artisan drink revolution with local brewers, artisan distillers, wine makers, cider makers and master blenders making our backyard home of tipple tourism. No matter your drink of choice, we have soemthing for everyone and the best way to uncover new favourites is to sip and swirl your way through our cellar doors, meeting the artisans themselves.
Kalki Moon Disitlling and Brewing
If your drink of choice is a G&T, Kalki Moon Distilling and Brewing is the place for you. Family owned and distilled, meet the husband, wife, mum, dad, son and daughter combo along with their passionate extended gin family, who are taking the world by storm with their premium gin, vodka, liqueurs and cane spirits. Inspired by our regions beauty and agriculture history, Kalki Moon aspires to give back to the region feeding the nation, with it's own quality spirit range using locally sourced australian ingredients. Using a unique combination of botanicals, come experience the process behind their success with a tour throughout the craft distillery and sample the range.
Ohana Cider House and Tropical Winery
Testing the boundaries with fresh fruity flavours is Ohana Cider House and Tropical Winery where husband and wife due, Josh and Zoe, are creating tantalising cider and tropical wines that will make your taste buds tingle. Visit their local cellar door and indulge on an epic tasting paddle or enjoy samples of pineapple wine, strawberry moscato, sweet apple cider or boozy lemonade at the Cooper's Hidaway bar surrounded by their collection of small-batch ciders on tap and get talking about how their products are made first-hand. Trust us, your new favourite drink awaits at this doutique
Balistic Bargara
This one is for the craft beer lovers! Whether you're new to the scene or a beer aficionado, the Brewhouse is the perfect afternoon venue for enjoying an expertly poured beer on tap. With a range of beers on show, try their locally brewed Reef range comprising of a Lager, easy drinking Red Ale, and well balance tropical Pale and where 10c of every can is donated to keeping the reef clean.
Local Wineries
The rolling green hills of hinterland town, Childers, is home to our regions bespoke wineries and vineyards, Hill of Promise Winery and Vintners Secret Vineyard. With beautiful surrounds and years of history under their belt, sample rich notes of locally produced wines and learn the passion that goes into each bottle.
EAST LIKE A LOCAL AND VENTURE ON A FOODIE TRAIL
With the exception of the region’s big brands most of your food journey will be a journey of exploration down side roads looking for farm gate stalls filled with fresh seasonal produce and visiting local shops and cafes to experience what fresh really tastes like. Venture on a Bundaberg foodie trail bringing together the ultimate degustation experience exploring and tasting food from local farm-gate stalls where you can buy your own farm gate to plate produce! Be sure you have plenty of change before setting off on your farm gate journey, as most roadside stalls work off an honesty system.