The Very Best Bundaberg Tours To Book Now

Famed for its stretches of crystal-clear coast, award-winning distilleries and abundant produce, Bundaberg serves as an excellent base to discover what subtropical Queensland has to offer, and there are a number of amazing tours to help you do so.

From exquisite rum to sparkling reefs, sometimes there’s no better souvenir to bring home than a new skillset, or some new-found knowledge. Luckily, Bundaberg offers lots to learn.

Whether you’re interested in the distillation process, local wildlife, or the process behind farm-to-table produce, there are plenty of tours that will keep you entertained and teach you a thing or two in the process. These are the best Bundaberg tours to show you what the region has to offer.

1. Bundaberg Rum Distillery Tour

A tour of the Bundaberg Rum Distillery is all but compulsory when you’re in town. The distillery is denoted by a mammoth-sized bottle of Bundy Rum at the entrance, perfect for a quick photo op before heading in.

Once inside, you can join a tour where you’ll take a peek behind the curtain and learn how vats of sweet, sticky molasses get transformed into bottles of liquid gold.

a woman blending her own glass of rum at Bundaberg Rum Distillery — Get a chance to blend your own rum. (Image: Bundaberg Rum)

After you’ve meandered through the museum and received a rundown of the factory’s inner workings, finish your tour with a trip to the distillery bar. Here, you can sample a range of Bundaberg’s famous rum products (the Salted Caramel liqueur is a must-try). Pick up your favourites from the gift shop, where you can also browse a range of limited edition and exclusive rums.

If you fancy yourself a bit of a rum aficionado, opt for the Blend Your Own Rum experience. You’ll spend an hour with your Rum Guides, learning how to create your own personalised blend, and receive two bottles of your concoction to take home with you. Cheers to that.

Bundaberg Rum Distillery — The Big Rum Bottle at the entrance of the Bundaberg distillery. (Image: Andrew S/Flickr)

2. Bundaberg Barrel Tasting and Tour

If the Bundaberg sun has got you feeling parched, there’s no better place to head than the Bundaberg Barrel. Bundaberg Brewed Drinks are famous for its thirst-quenching craft sodas, especially its Ginger Beer (that pairs great with a shot of Bundaberg Rum).

view outside The Bundaberg Barrel — Have a look inside The Bundaberg Barrel.

Take a peek behind the scenes and experience the fabulous array of refreshing flavours with a tasting and a tour. There’s also a smellography wall (that seems like something out of Willy Wonka’s factory) where guests can play ‘guess the flavour’. Once you’re done sampling the delicious soft drinks, you’ll select six of your favourites to take away.

welcome signage inside The Bundaberg Barrel — Wander around its expansive interior.

3. Kalki Moon Distillery Tour

Bundaberg is the place to be if you’re in the mood to grab a drink. Kalki Moon is an artisan brewery and distillery producing rum, gin and other liquors. It makes the most of the region’s abundant produce, crafting gins that are rich with Aussie botanical flavours like lemon and cinnamon myrtle.

guests talking while drinking booze at Kalki Moon Distillery, Bundaberg — Stop by for a drink at Kalki Moon Distillery.

You’ll find the distillery nestled among the sugarcane, five kilometres from Bundaberg’s town centre. On a tour, you’ll be guided through the stages of the distillation process and be able to sample a drink of your choice.

If you’re thirsty for more, stop by the cellar door to sip on a cocktail, or hit up the gift shop to shop your favourites.

a well-curated display of gins and liquours at Kalki Moon Distillery, Bundaberg — Kalki Moon Distillery has a great selection of gins, cocktails, and crafted beers.

4. Macadamia Orchard Tour

With its green fields lined with picturesque macadamia trees – it’s no surprise that Bundaberg’s Macadamia Orchard is a popular spot for weddings. However, you don’t have to tie the knot to soak up the romance of the luscious surroundings.

Take a self-guided stroll through the trees, where you can pick your own nuts during the harvest months (February to August) and crack them at the orchard’s cracking station. Investigate the rich history of Bundaberg’s agriculture at the visitor experience centre, and meander through the gift shop that sells everything from macadamia hand cream to bowls made from macadamia shells.

A tour includes a guide to show you through the orchard, during which they’ll impart a wealth of knowledge about how macadamias make it from seed to table. Lastly, you’ll enjoy a guided tasting of a macadamia-inspired chef-curated platter.

Be sure to stop by The Orchard Table, an on-site restaurant where the chefs are showcasing the magic of macadamias through their nut-inspired menu. You’ll definitely want to leave room for the macadamia gelato.

orchard table's seasonal menu made from the freshest local ingredients — Indulge in the seasonal menu specially curated for you at the Orchard Table.

5. Tastings at Ohana Cider House & Tropical Winery

Sample a taste of Tropicana at Ohana Cider House & Winery . Here, the distillery makes the most of Bundaberg’s abundant produce, sourcing local fruits to create ‘cheeky tiki’ cider flavours such as pineapple and passionfruit.

a person holding a bottle of Cherry Tiki Dry Apple Cider behind the apple orchard at Ohana Cider House & Tropical Winery — Cherry Tiki Dry Apple Cider is a classic favourite at Ohana Cider House & Tropical Winery.

If you’re more of a wine drinker, try some sweet Moscato wines made with strawberries and mangos. Tasting paddles are available, with Kenilworth cheddar cheese platters also on offer, should you find yourself feeling peckish.

two people tasting some wines at Ohana Cider House & Tropical Winery — Head to the Cider House & Tropical Winery for some wine tasting. (Image: Paul Beutel/Bundaberg Tourism)

6. Mon Repos Turtle Encounter

If you’re visiting Bundaberg between November and March, you’re in luck. Turtle season comes into full swing during the summer months, and spotting one of these fascinating creatures in the wild is one of the best things to do in Bundaberg.

Not only is Bundaberg in proximity to some of the region’s best beaches, but the nearby shores of Mon Repos are home to the largest concentration of turtles on the East Coast.

Witness turtles nesting in the sand. Come hatching season, you can spot baby turtles crawling down to the ocean. (Image: Getty/vkp-australia)

The laying season is in November – when you can join a ranger-guided turtle encounter to watch the female turtles lay their eggs on the beach. Come January, the tours will take you to see the baby turtles hatching and scuttling toward the ocean in the evening. Simply magical.

the entrance path at Mon Repos Turtle Centre — Take a stroll along Mon Repos Turtle Centre. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

7. Lady Musgrave Island

Bundaberg is known as the Southern gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. If you want to spend a day surrounded by crystal blue waters and magical coral reefs, consider a day trip to Lady Musgrave Island.

lady musgrave island

Tours depart via boat from Bundaberg port marina (a 15-minute drive from the town centre). The tour includes snorkelling, scuba diving and glass-bottomed boat excursions, so you can witness the beautiful and vibrant underwater world of the reef.

You’ll more than likely spot some turtles, as well as reef sharks and a kaleidoscope of tropical fish. Here, you can discover why the Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven natural wonders of the world – all a stone’s throw from Bundaberg.

couple snorkelling on the reef off Lady Musgrave Island, while taking a photo of a turtle — Have an up-close encounter with turtles on Lady Musgrave Island. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Headed to Bundaberg? We’ve also created a guide to accommodation in Bundaberg and the best restaurants and cafes in town.

Exploring the world’s largest sand island starts with the perfect K’gari homebase.

The morning light is still soft, but it’s already a perfect sunny day. We left our K’gari homebase at Kingfisher Bay Resort with our guide, Peter Meyer, at 9 am to make the most of our time to explore all that the world’s largest sand island holds. The size of K’gari is hard to grasp until you arrive here. This is no sandbar. Stretching 120 kilometres, unique lakes, mangrove systems, rainforest, 75 Miles of beach, historic shipwrecks, small townships and even one of Queensland’s best bakeries are all hidden within its bounds.

But first, one of the island’s most iconic sights: the pure silica sand and crystal clear waters of Lake McKenzie.

Laying eyes on it for the first time, I’m finally able to confirm that the photos don’t lie. The sand is pure white, without the merest hint of yellow. The water fades from a light halo of aqua around the edges to a deeper, royal blue, the deeper it gets (not that it’s particularly deep, six metres at most). The surface remains surprisingly undisturbed, like a mirror.

Arriving with our guide before 10 am means that no one else is around when we get here. Which means we have the pleasure of breaking the smooth surface with our own ripples as we enter. As a self-confessed wimp with chilly water temperatures, my fears are quickly assuaged. Even in the morning, the water stays around 23 degrees – perfect for lazing about all day. But we have more sights to see.

Exploring K’gari

ariel of in lake mckenzie on k'gari fraser island — Relax in the warm waters of Lake McKenzie. (Image: Ayeisha Sheldon)

This was the Personalised 4WD tour offered by Kingfisher Bay Resort, and my absolute top pick of experiences. Over the course of the day, we had the freedom to create our own bespoke itinerary (plus a provided picnic lunch along the way), with an expert guide who had plenty of stories and local expertise to give context to what we were looking at. From the history of the SS Maheno shipwreck, which survived the First World War only to be washed ashore by a cyclone in 1935, to a detailed description of how an island made of sand could sustain such diverse flora.

If it’s your first time to K’gari, the Beauty Spots Tour is another great option. Departing daily from Kingfisher Bay Resort (you’ll start to notice a trend, as many of the tours do start and end here), an air-conditioned, 4WD bus takes guests to the island’s most iconic locations, including the best places to swim, like Lake McKenzie and Eli Creek. The latter offers a gentle current, perfect for riding with a blow-up tyre out towards the ocean.

The next day, for a look at a completely different side of K’gari, I joined one of Kingfisher Bay Resort’s Immersive Ranger-guided tours to kayak through the mangroves of Dundonga Creek. This long, snake-like stretch of creek winds its way inland from the ocean outlet we entered by, at times too narrow for three kayaks to be side-by-side. Small insects buzz from leaf to leaf, while birds call overhead. Occasional bubbles indicate we’ve passed some fish that call this place home.

kayak tour through the mangroves at k'gari island — Learn about the island’s mangroves from your Ranger. (Image: Reuben Nutt/ TEQ)

If kayaking isn’t for you – or if, like me, you simply want more – other ranger-led experiences include nature walks and a dedicated Junior Eco Ranger Program for kids ages five to 12 (these run every weekend, and daily over the peak December holidays). Just ask for a timetable of upcoming tours when you check in.

While during whale season, Hervey Bay Whale Watch & Charters operates tours from the hotel’s jetty to get up close to the famous Humpback Highway of Hervey Bay, from 7 November to 31 May, attention turns to the Aqua Oasis Cruise . Departing from the resort every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for resort guests, adventure along the island’s remote western coast, pointing out wildlife like dolphins, turtles, flying fish and eagles along the way.

The cruise drops anchor so guests can jump into the water using the boat’s equipment – from SUP boards to inflatable slides and jumping platforms. Then refuel with a provided lunch, of course.

Unwind at sunset

two people drinking cocktails at sunset bar, kingfisher bay resort — Unwind at the Sunset Bar. (Image: Sean Scott)

As much as days on K’gari can be filled with adventure, to me, the afternoons and evenings there are for unwinding. Sunsets on K’gari are absolutely unbelievable, with Kingfisher Bay on the west side being the best spot to catch the colours.

The Sunset Bar , located at the start of the resort’s jetty and overlooking the beach, is the ultimate location for sundowners. Let chill beats wash over you as you sip on cool wines, beers and cocktails in a relaxed, friendly vibe. Personally, a cheese board was also absolutely called for. As the sun sinks, the sand, sea and horizon turn a vibrant shade of orange, with the jetty casting a dramatic shadow across the water.

When the show is over, head back to the hotel for dinner at the Asian-fusion Dune restaurant, or the pub-style Sand + Wood. But if your appetite is still whetted for more lights and colours, the evening isn’t over yet.

Settle into the Illumina stage for Return to Sky, an immersive light and sound show leading viewers on a captivating journey through K’gari’s stories and landscapes.

Indulge and disconnect

woman setting up massage room at kingfisher bay resort Island Day Spa — Find bliss at Island Day Spa. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

Of course, there is a type of traveller who knows that balance is important, day or night. While Kingfisher Bay Resort offers more than one pool for guests to spend all day lounging by (they’ll even serve you food and drinks while you do it), you’ll find me at the Island Day Spa.

The masseuses could match the magic hands of any big city spa, and I felt the warm welcome as I walked into the light, breezy reception. Choose from a range of botanical facials, beauty treatments and soothing massages using traditional techniques (obviously, I couldn’t go past a relaxing massage). All products used contain organic, native botanical ingredients with nutrient-rich plant extracts to soothe skin and mind. To really indulge, try out one of the packages, couples treatment or even a pre-wedding day offering.

Getting there

kingfisher bay resort 4wd tour driving passed ss maheno on k'gari island — The world of K’gari awaits. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

Getting to K’gari is shockingly easy. Find daily flights into Hervey Bay from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Kingfisher Bay Resort offers a shuttle bus between the airport, their headquarters in Hervey Bay and the ferry to take you to K’gari.

7 top tours to try in Bundaberg