“Why are you celebrating Halloween? We’re not Americans.”

The same debate pops up every year around the same time as the Halloween decorations do. Someone else will chime in about the Gaelic origins of Halloween; that is, the festival originated in Scotland and Irish in pagan times at Samhain.

Samhain is the first day of November and a marker of the beginning of Winter. While earlier Gaelic people followed the Wheel of the Year around equinoxes and solstices, modern Scottish settlers wanted to celebrate at the same time as back home. With Christianity came “All Hallow’s Eve”, later shortened to “Halloween” (a Scots term).

So, no, Halloween in Bundy isn’t an imported fad from America. It arrived here with the Scottish settlers who helped build the town.

Nestled in Queensland’s heartland, the Bundaberg and North Burnett regions are renowned for lush landscapes, rich history, and vibrant communities. Beneath the serene surface, however, lies a tapestry of strange sightings, cryptids, and unexplained phenomena that have fascinated locals and visitors for generations.

In the heart of Bundaberg, amidst the patchwork quilt-like landscape that defines the region's agricultural prowess, stands Macadamias Australia Visitor Experience, a living testament to the Steinhardt family decades-long journey that goes beyond their lush macadamia orchards.

With huge numbers of travellers seeking to travel more lightly and mindfully now more than ever, we thought it was a great time to introduce you to our Rockstars of the Reef. Think of this as your guide to who’s who in the world of restoration and regeneration on the Southern Great Barrier Reef! These champions are tirelessly working to ensure the health and vitality of this natural wonder, and their efforts make them the unsung heroes, and we like to think the coolest conservation crew ever.

Yee Gee, or hello in Taribelang language - this was one of the many traditional language learnings I took away from my time on the Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow tour run by Taribelang Bunda Cultural Tours, which is a meaningful and wonderful way to explore more of the Bundaberg region through the lens of our First Nations custodians.