About THE Bundaberg Region

Welcome to the town the turtles call home, where beach meets reef, your plates are always filled with abundant local produce and the rum is always world-class.

With its pristine landscape and easy proximity to Brisbane (one hour flight or four hour drive), the Bundaberg region is fast growing a reputation for cultivating passionate food and drink purveyors and offering accessible, sustainable reef and marine life experiences.

DESTINATION LOCATION

With its pristine landscape and easy proximity to Brisbane (one hour flight or four hour drive), the Bundaberg region is fast growing a reputation for cultivating passionate food and drink purveyors.

Located at the southernmost gateway to the  Great Barrier Reef, the Bundaberg region is home to the largest rookery in the southern hemisphere of the endangered loggerhead turtle, and the only ranger guided turtle experience on the Australian east coast.

The region stretches from the coral cays of Lady Elliot Island and Lady Musgrave Island in the East, across Bargara and the coastline from Woodgate Beach to Moore Park Beach and Baffle Creek, to Bundaberg, across the rolling hinterlands to Childers and Gin Gin and then across the North Burnett from Biggenden and Ban Ban Springs through Gayndah, and Eisvold to Monto and Cania Gorge. 

  DIVE DEEPER

See the regions that make up Bundaberg and the North Burnett here

View the comprehensive travel information on our consumer-facing Getting Here page

DESTINATION HERO EXPERIENCES

Our Destination Hero Experiences are the ‘essence’ of the Bundaberg region.  These are world-class iconic experiences that provide a destination with a real competitive advantage over other destinations; experiences that focus on what is truly unique or memorable or engaging about a destination; and experiences which meet the needs of our target markets.  

Bundaberg Region ‘Hero Experiences’ have been developed to deliver the region’s tourism vision, brand promise and the ‘themes’ that underpin the vision and brand.

SOUTHERN GREAT BARRIER REEF

The Southern Great Barrier Reef is truly where great begins. A bucket list destination unlike any other, just a hop, skip and a jump from Bundaberg, its idyllic white sand beaches, pristine coral reef, and warm blue waters provide the ideal setting to swim with the turtles and discover giant marine life like manta rays and whales. Make the Southern Great Barrier Reef your next holiday destination and snorkel one of Australia’s most beautiful natural assets. Visit throughout November to March and witness an incredible occurrence as mother turtles nest and baby turtles hatch with an overnight stay on Lady Elliot Island or Lady Musgrave Island.

TURTLES

Come experience the beautiful Southern Great Barrier Reef and snorkel alongside curious turtles in an effervescent coral lagoon all year round! Between November to March, turtle tracks paint the shores of Mon Repos Beach, Lady Elliot Island and Lady Musgrave Island, as mother turtles haul themselves up sandy dunes to nest, and emerging hatchlings make the mad dash to the sea. Add more turtle to your holiday during this time with a Mon Repos Nightly Turtle Encounter, the only ranger-guided turtle encounter available on the east coast and home to the largest turtle rookery in the South Pacific. Come discover the Bundaberg region's rich turtle history and learn the importance of conservation with a day or overnight stay on the Southern Great Barrier Reef.

TASTE

Driving into Bundaberg and the North Burnett you are greeted by a patchwork of green, abundant farmlands sewn together by rows of rich red volcanic soil. Bundaberg and the North Burnett offers a wealth of variety with produce being grown, brewed, distilled and caught, not just seasonally, but year-round. You are guaranteed to go home with a full tummy when you visit our food bowl.

When you think Bundaberg, your first thought is probably Bundaberg Rum Visitor Experience or Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, and these icons deliver on taste and experience. The region is full to the brim with local-brewers, artisan-distillers and master blenders. See behind the scenes at a micro-brewery, artisan gin makers distillery, and a world-famous rum distillery, and sip and swirl your way through family-owned wineries in Childers. No matter your drink of choice, we have something for everyone!

Foodies, you have come to the right place! Bundaberg and the North Burnett’s rich red soil, abundant rivers and surrounding seas are the source of a never ending seasonal and varied produce.  Growing 25% of Australia's fresh produce, you will taste the difference in our region.

ABOUT THE REGIONAL TOURISM INDUSTRY

Tourism is a significant industry for the region, providing employment and a sense of pride and identity for local communities. Since COVID, the Bundaberg region has boomed, with domestic overnight visitors spending an estimated $683 million in the year ending December 2023).

The Region’s visitor economy is the strongest it’s ever been off the back of decades of hard work and positive partnership.  In tandem with its significant economic growth (+7.2% since 2020) and population surge (+5.31% since 2020), the Bundaberg Region’s vitality and reputation is setting the stage for unprecedented opportunity for the tourism sector.  The Region continues to be a highly desirable destination for interstate and intrastate visitors, with data showing a growth in both visitor numbers and domestic overnight visitor spending.

The Bundaberg region’s tourism industry is an engaged and proactive collective, with a clear sense of passion and commitment to the destination’s offerings and the region’s overall prosperity. The state designated boundary, as a regional tourism organisation, also takes in the neighbouring region of North Burnett. 

Increased confidence in the Bundaberg regional economy and destination has resulted in some significant tourism development projects in the past years.

Bundaberg Regional Council Estimated Resident Population for 2023 is 104,166, and by the year 2041 the population of the Region is expected to increase to 134,568.*

The estimated Gross Regional Product (GRP) for the Bundaberg region is estimated at $5.62 billion in 2022/23, which represents 1.2% of the state's GSP (Gross State Product), showing 3.94% growth from the previous year and above the state growth rate of +2.4% and the national growth of 2.4%. Notable contributors to the GRP were health care and social assistance, retail trade, education and training, agriculture and construction, and there are more than 7,200 local businesses in the region.

KEY VISITATION STATISTICS

  DIVE DEEPER

Bundaberg Tourism has a broad range of information available to members and the broader industry. 

Visit the Tourism Strategy page for the destination strategic plans, annual and ongoing reports, visitor facts and statistics for Bundaberg and the North Burnett, the Southern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland and Australia.

Alternatively, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for assistance.

TOOLKIT HOME
<< PREVIOUS MODULE: ABOUT THE ORGANISATION  |  NEXT MODULE: ABOUT SGBR >>