Hervey Bay weekend trip

Bundaberg Barrel

For our 6th anniversary we took a weekend trip to Hervey Bay located 4.5 hours north of the Gold Coast. We had one night hotel free courtesy of a bank promotion that Jenny won. We drove up Friday night stopping for dinner in Gympie arriving quite late to our hotel. Saturday the weather turned into heavy thunderstorms with torrential rains. We hopped in our car and stopped at a local fruit stand in the country selling pineapples. We talked with the owner/grower and she explained to us how pineapples are grown and the different varieties of pineapples. She helped us pick out a pineapple which had been harvested just down the road. The pineapple was quite delicious. We learned from her that the top of the pineapple can be planted in the ground to grow a new plant.

We continued driving north (1hr 45 minutes) until we reached Bundaberg. This area is surrounded by sugar cane and ginger fields and is known for its cane sugar, Bundaberg Rum, and other nonalcoholic beverages, namely ginger beer. We stopped at the Bundaberg Barrel where we did the interactive tour to learn how they brew ginger beer, followed by a sampling of their sodas. We purchased a variety pack to bring home including flavors such as guava, apple ale, and a burgundy creaming soda.

We then drove down the road to the Bundaberg Distillery where they make Bundaberg Rum. Unfortunately we had just missed that last tour of the factory for the day. We checked out some of the displays containing history and memorabilia. We will have to make the tour on another visit as the factory (across the street) looked quite interesting. The tour will also address our question of why they have a polar bear on the rum bottles.

By this time of the afternoon the weather had cleared up and we made our way to the Bundaberg Botanic Gardens. Located amidst the gardens is the Hinkler Hall of Aviation, a museum dedicated to Bert Hinkler who was born here. The museum was brand new and very well done. He was the first pilot to cross the South Atlantic and to fly from England to Australia. His home in England was painstakingly dismantled and reassembled, brick by brick, in the botanic gardens and can be toured as part of the museum. 

Hinkler House

We returned to Hervey Bay for dinner and the next morning headed out to Fraser Island. Most people who come to Hervey Bay come to visit Fraser Island, go whale watching to see the Humpback whales as the migrate past between August and November, or other activities on the water. We lucked out that the weather was perfect, not a cloud in sight as we departed the Hervey Bay airport. We were in a small airplane that seats ten people, with just us and a young couple from Ireland as passengers.

Fraser Island is the world's largest sand island stretching 120 kilometres (75 miles) and its width is approximately 24 kilometres (15 miles). It is a world heritage listed site. There are two ways to reach the island (by ferry or less commonly by plane). Once on the island the only way to get around is by 4WD or foot. The main highway is the beach which is quite wide and flat and also serves as the runway for small planes.

Fraser Island (East Coast)

The plane dropped us off on the beach near the trail head to Lake Wabby, one of several freshwater lakes. We hiked the couple of miles out there and were the first to arrive having the lake all to ourselves. It was very peaceful just listening to the birds and watching the catfish swim around. The other couple arrived shortly after and then group after group of young adults and a few families.

Lake Wabby (view from plane)

The water was amazingly clear and extremely soft to the touch. The lake is not fed by any streams and has no outlet. The lake is being encroached on by a sand dune by about a meter (~3 feet) per year and will someday disappear.

Lake Wabby from shore (with encroaching dune)

We spent several hours by the lake sitting in the sand, swimming, and lying out in the sun. We hiked to a nearby lookout to get a better view of the lake and the island. We returned back to the coast (the main highway) and walked along the surf the couple of miles to the resort for lunch. While waiting for our return flight we sat watching the waves. The signs warned us not to go swimming because of the dangerous current and tides and because of sharks. It doesn't appear that there are any patrolled beaches with surf life savers on the island probably due to the unsafe conditions.

On the flights to and from the island over Hervey Bay we could see wildlife such as dolphins, dugongs (similar to manatees), and sea turtles. It was a beautiful day on the island and we were very glad we changed our reservation from Saturday to Sunday otherwise we would have gotten quite soaked in the rain.

Lake Wabby lower right, Pacific Ocean behind us

Now that we have had a small taste of what Fraser Island is like we hope to make a return trip and rent a 4WD to do some more exploring and camping. Maybe then we will spot some of the wild dingoes (the purest in Australia) as they haven't interbred with domestic dogs on the mainland.