22. – 27. January

We are on the move again – up to Bundaberg to see some turtles and the Hinkler Museum which we did first.  Bert Hinkler was a aviation pioneer – he was the first one to fly solo from England to Australia. He had his first flight attempt in 1913 with a Hang Glider off the coast in Bundaberg. You could give this gliding experience a go – there are two boards with a handle – lay on and it will start showing on a screen where you actually flying. They also display the airplane he owned and his dream about a sea-plane… Bert Hinkler died already 1933 at the age of 40 this might be the reason why he is not know to the public that much…

Another big thing in Bundaberg is sugar. Where every you go you will see sugar cane fields and the warning signs about sugar hauling during May and December. But sugar can be used for something else – you need it for rum production – the famous Bundaberg rum. We visited the rum distillery but did only the small tour without actually going into the factory. But we got to taste the rum anyway. Several people saying that rum tastes better if it’s stored in a wooden barrel but only few people know how to make a wooden barrel. We had a look at the production – it really looks like hard work even for a barrel just 20cm high.

Mystic Craters is a rock-formation just 25km east of Bundaberg. The craters look quite interesting and the scientist are not sure how they were formed.  There are several speculations: volcanoes, water erosion, dinosaurs and even UFO. I think the UFO theory sounds the best – as the craters are only found in a small area, have a different depth, some are filled with water others not and there is no connection between them although they are so close to each other.

 

 One of the harder choices was “where to go for swimming? – Burnett river, the ocean at Bargara or Elliot river”. We decided for the Elliot river – clear water with not many waves but still a strong current. If we would had been sick of this place we could just move around the corner and swim in the ocean.

Now it was time for the probably most famous attraction in Bundaberg just available between November and March – the turtles!!! The beaches are haven for nesting turtles, Loggerhead, Flathead and Green turtles lay their eggs and you can watch them – under supervision by a ranger of course. The nesting season is between November and January and the Hatching season starts in January. Unfortunately we didn’t see any turtle laying eggs (it’s already late January) but we saw turtles hatch. It’s interesting to see them suddenly burst out of the sand and starting the long way into the water. The hatchlings are not bigger than a thumb. When they walk/crawl into the water they get imprinted on the beach and hopefully will return when they’re going to lay eggs in probably 30 years.

Cheers, Anja and Tom