Hervey Bay & Bundy Rum

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It was raining when I got to Hervey Bay, I had wanted to go on a 2 day self drive tour, but as there wasn’t a tour group I could join and the next day dawned cloudy and wet, I waited a day and went on a one day organised tour.
The tour was pretty rubbish (their idea of a bush walk was stopping the bus and getting us to walk 800 meters down the road), but they did offer us the opportunity to take a flight over part of the island and get to see some of what we were missing (rainforest and lakes). Fraser Island is the last place you can find pure bred dingo’s as they don’t allow dogs on the island.

Once back from the tour it was straight on the train to Bundaberg for a tour of the rum factory. I got to Bundaberg at 9.25pm, and everything was already closed. There were a couple of backpackers opposite the train station but they were full and wouldn’t help me with finding accommodation. My next option was to camp at the campsite next to the river but I was warned against that as Bundaberg is a rough town.
Eventually I ended up at the visitor information centre, where the only place to stay advertised in their window was about 6 kilometres out of town. Arafura is a dog kennel, backpackers, flying school and boat repair shop, and is run by an expat Brit who sails up to Darwin occasionally, to return a boat he’s repaired; buys a car off a backpacker and drives back home. I spend one night with them and then had dinner the next evening before getting the overnight train to Poserpine.

Food of the stay: Can’t say that I’ve had much in the way of decent food since I’ve been in Queensland, but dinner for A$10 at Arafura was well worth it.

Rosko recommends: Don’t do a one day tour to Fraser island, apparently the self drive tours are being banned so your probably better off taking a tent and walking it. Bundy is a good stop off point but if you miss the turtle hatching season then there is only really the brewery.