Bundaberg is where great care begins, care for the reef, care for the environment, and care for yourself. Discover our top 10 tips for an easy peasy eco-friendly adventure!

• Choose eco accredited experiences and accommodation!

Whether that’s resting your head at the Eco Certified Kellys Beach Resort, swimming with turtles with Advanced Eco Certified Lady Musgrave Experience, or meeting majestic mantas with the legends (and Climate Action Leaders) at Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort – it all makes a difference! Mon Repos Turtle Centre’s rangers and volunteers are gurus in the eco world. With their dedication to marine turtle research, protection and education landing themselves Advanced EcoTourism, Climate Action and Respecting our Culture certifications. So not only does a snapping up a turtle ticket give you those feel-good moments and memories, but it also helps the team continue the extraordinary work and research they do at the centre, and supports the future of this awesome experience so your little ones can see the magic too! EcoTourism Australia have whipped together the handy dandy Green Travel Guide, to make it easy for you to choose green - https://greentravelguide.org/destination/bundaberg

Did you know? Kellys Beach Resort are partners with Greenfleet? Go halves in a tree with them by adding it to you accommodation booking when booking online and they will match your donation!

• Feast on local produce

It’s no secret that Bundaberg is the food bowl of Australia, filling the bellies of the nation with sweet potatoes, macadamias and so much more! But did you know that eating local produce saves the planet too?! This way the food doesn’t have to travel as far to be dished up on your plate (reducing greenhouse gas emissions) – it’s also pretty darn delicious if we do say so ourselves! Savouring delicious paddock to plate eats, whilst your pennies are going into the pockets of local farmers – now that is feel good food! So whether you are hitting up the roadside stalls, discovering our foodie trail maps, picking your own strawberries or brunching up a storm at The Windmill Café Bargara – put local produce first!

• Connect on Country with Taribelang Bunda Cultural Tours

Learn from the traditional owners of the region, how to care for the land on which we live, work and play with an immersive half day tour. Caring for the land and waters, the milbi (meaning fresh water turtle) is the sacred Taribelang totem bringing about important morals and life teachings of Aboriginal culture. Discover the true stories of Taribelang Bunda, and how nature has been used in bush tucker and medicine for so many years. Immerse yourself in Dreamtime and the rich history of the region, whilst creating authentic friendships with born storytellers.

Where better to discover where great care begins, than with the oldest living culture on earth.

• Cheers to a good cause!

There’s nothing quite like a nice cold schooner on a hot day – and surely, it’s guilt free if it’s going to a good cause?! Ballistic Bargara have released a range of Reef Beers (Lager & Pale Ale) with ten cents from every can sold in the Bundaberg Region being donated to the Coastal marine Ecosystems Research Centre at CQ university! This funds the restoration and research into vital seagrass meadows, living sea walls, fish health and reducing microplastics. Seagrass meadows are vital to species like dugongs – and are at critically low levels in Australia!

The team at Ballistic Bargara have also linked up with Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort for the Manta Ray Protections Project! So for every frothy Ballistic bev you enjoy on the island, ten cents will go to support the extensive research, restoration and educational activities that happen on the island each year. Earlier this year, the team used the funds to tag their first manta ray!

So head on down to the Brewhouse, say hi to Ryan and the team, and enjoy some really good vibes (go on, have another – its for the dugongs!)

• Dim the lights

As I’m sure you’ll have gathered by now, we are turtle mad here in Bundaberg! From November to March, our beaches come alive at night with nesting mummas and crazy little hatchlings, who can be easily disturbed or disorientate from artificial lights.  They find their way from their nest on the beach to the sea by moving towards the lightest horizon they see. Under natural conditions, this light is over the ocean, but artificial lights from nearby towns, can affect a turtle’s ability to see it– making them go the wrong way!

With only 1 in a 1000 turtles surviving to maturity, lets take great care in making sure they get their best shot at survival! So if you’re staying along the coastline, turn off the big lights, roll down the blinds and light a candle or two to help Cut The Glow and give these cuties the best start in life!

• Fill Up Yor Cup

It’s thirsty work being an eco-warrior, so be sure to take your reusable water bottle with you on your adventures. As billions of single use plastic bottles are produced every year, and only a small percentage of them are recycled, most plastic waste ends up in landfill sites or in the oceans, where it leaches chemicals, pollutes soil and harms wildlife – so save the turtles and sip from your own cup. With a similar climate to Hawaii, it gets hot here in Bundaberg, to take care of yourself and keep hydrated by filling up at one of our many re-fill stations lacing our coastline walking tracks, in our Bundaberg Visitor Information Centre and even aboard Lady Musgrave Experience.

Did you know?! Lady Elliot Island eliminated single use plastic bottles over 10 years ago – no wonder they are certified green leaders!

• Take a ride or scoot up a storm!

Keep the car in park, cancel the taxi and choose 2 wheel ride instead. Whether you are renting a bike to cruise along the esplanade, or tapping onto a Neuron e-scooter to zoom off to your dinner reservation - let the sea breeze flow through your hair, leave the fossil fuels behind and save the planet, one scoot at a time! Soak in the vitamin d from the summer sun and get your body pumping with those feel-good endorphins, your not taking great care in the environment, but great care for yourself too - a win-win situation.

P.S if your looking for some coastal pathways and trails to explore, click here.

• Inspire the next generation

Budding eco-warriors and marine biologist wannabes can ignite that fire for conservation and sustainability with the experts at Lady Musgrave Experience and Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort. Explore the Southern Great Barrier Reef like never before and become a citizen scientist for the day with Lady Musgrave crew. Visit the island and have a sneak peek of the reef ecosystem before hopping into the lagoon for a private 30 minute guided snorkel. The valuable date collected is submitted to an online database to be used by experts such as the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority!

Making family memories to last a lifetime and making a difference for the next one.

• Leave nothing but footprints

We all know the saying, “leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures” and it’s so true, but how about leaving the place better that you found it?! Our coastline is laced with gorgeous stretches of sand, crystal clear waters, mermaid lagoons and rockpools to ramble. So on your sunrise beach stroll, or as your watching the kids boogie board, have a look around and see if you can take 3 for the sea and dispose of the rubbish accordingly.

• Share the word!

Lady Elliot Island Custodian, (and eco crusader) Peter Gash once said ‘I want to live a legacy, as well as leave a legacy’ – and we couldn’t agree more! So take what you’ve learnt with you, make theses small changes to your everyday and share the word loud and proud. Take great care of yourself, take great care of the environment, and take great care of those around you.

Live your best life, and use these easy tips to so that future generations can too.