Woke up to a beautiful day in Bundaberg Australia, a small city of 70,000 people. Located slightly inland from the coast and along the Burnett River. The city is known for producing two things Australians love – Ginger Beer and Bundaberg Rum. We spent the morning visiting both Bundaberg Rum Distillery and Bundaberg Ginger Beer Factory.
Australians have nicknames for everything. Their rum is no different. They affectionately call the distillery and the rum itself “Bundy.” The Bundaberg Rum Distillery has been recognized all over the world for both the rum they produce as well as the Best Distillery Experience. There is an awesome museum that details the history of rum in Australia and around the world as well as how “Bundy” is produced today. After visiting the museum we were taken on a guided tour of the distillery including watching the cane train pull in, visiting the molasses vats, getting a view of the distillers, a full explanation of each of the products they make and ending with two drinks of our choice.
Given the opportunity to try a glass from a $180 bottle of “The Best Rum in the World “, we took it. “Bundy” Blenders Edition was grabbed the top honor of world’s best rum in 2015 and their Master Distiller’s Collection won best dark rum in the world in 2017. We ended the visit with a good ol’ Dark and Stormy (rum and ginger beer) drink.
Just one mile down the street from “Bun
dy” is the Bundaberg Brewed Drinks Factory. The Barrel is their visitors center which features a store, a factory experience and a free tasting bar. We opted to do only the taste test of all 13 drink favors. While they are best known for their ginger beer, their other favors are great too. We really liked the guava, blood orange, pineapple-coconut and apple cider. It is definitely worth a visit when passing through.
Following our morning in Bundaberg, we drove for what seemed like forever through very rural, but very beautiful areas. We made a quick stop in the “Beef Capital of Australia”, Rockhampton. This town is internationally known for their high quality beef and is where you cross the Tropic of Capricorn.
Continuing to push our travels making 
for a long day, we pulled into Airlie Beach just before sunset. The weather was much warmer and therefore the number of tourists significantly increased. We were hard pressed to find a park with space for the night but we managed to squeeze in to a non-powered packed site. It was worth the craziness of the caravan park because the next morning we signed up for a 2.5 hour jetski tour of the Whitsunday Islands. Both Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands are very popular vacation spots for people from all over the world. It is an awesome beach town and one of our favorite stops in Australia. Vacationers can spend 
days there, never running short of fun things to do. Our jetski tour gave Robert his first taste of the excitement and power of the rapid glide across the open water. The Whitsunday Islands are beautiful but a bit beat up from the 2016 Cyclone that caused tremendous damage to the area. We had a blast jetting from one island to the next.
After an amazing morning on the water, we drove that afternoon and the next morning until we reached Townsville. While we weren’t able to stay there for an extended period of time to enjoy all the fun activities, we did visit the Billabong Wildlife Sanctuary. Just a few miles south of Townsville, the sanctuary offers visitors a chance to see and interact with many types of Australian wildlife. Most of the animals that live within the sanctuary were rescued from road accidents or because they were a danger to humans. When purchasing an entrance ticket, they offer a large bag of animal food for $2 that can be used throughout park. We picked one up and made great use of it during our visit. As I have mentioned before, I LOVE animals. The Billabong Wildlife Sanctuary was a great opportunity for me to be up close and person with many of them, including cuddling a koala!
Throughout the afternoon, the rangers offer presentations about the different animals. Immediately following you can touch or hold many of them which is included in the price of the ticket. Of course, holding a koala is extra but it was worth it! I got to the cuddle the koala for several minutes. Maybe you’re wondering if it smelled… the answer is no. The animals are very well cared for and “Tami” was very well behaved. Fun Fact – Queensland is the only state in Australia where it is legal to hold a koala and they have strict rules about how much human interaction they can have per day/week.
Below are some other animals we saw during our walk through the sanctuary.
Our visit was a blast. Billabong Wildlife Sanctuary is a wonderful time for the whole family.
As we near our last 5 days of our road trip through Australia, we will venture into the Daintree Rainforest, Port Douglas, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. Are you prone to sea sickness?
Love all the animals and birds! Looks like the weather is getting a little better and you guys are looking great (younger?). Can’t wait for more pictures!