ON THE MOVE: BUNDABERG
WITH BEAUTIFUL BEACHES AND ISLANDS, AS WELL AS DIVERSE INDUSTRY, BUNDABERG IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE AND WORK.
Lauded for its fresh produce and pristine beaches, this Queensland hub also has a diverse community and plenty of industry opportunities.
BUNDABERG IS KNOWN for its fertile farmland, the beautiful Coral Coast and several iconic branded beverages. In recent years, however, the river city has undergone a coming-of-age with an influx of hip cafés, bars and boutique stores. A four-hour drive north of Brisbane with a population of around 90,000, Bundaberg retains a country vibe thanks to its heritage buildings, produce stalls and local sugar mills. And it’s this vibe that’s appealing to a growing number of young professionals, families and retirees who relocate here for the varied industry base, lush landscape, mild climate and its close proximity to the Southern Great Barrier Reef. Tom and Kate Marland and their three sons, Jack, six, Sam, four, and three-year-old Willy, moved to Bundaberg from Roma in 2016 because Tom, 37, an agribusiness lawyer, wanted to be closer to his family cattle property near Gin Gin. After falling in love with the community, Kate, 34, encouraged her parents to relocate from Iluka, on the mid-north coast of NSW, and last year opened Warners Fine Jewellery store on Bourbong Street, with her jeweller father Michael as the master craftsman on site. “Bundaberg is a wonderful place to live and raise a family,” says Kate. “As a girl who grew up in Noosa Heads and Hastings Street, I thought any town I’d move to after Noosa would be hard to top. Funnily enough to some, Bundaberg has done it! One day you can be swimming at the beach watching whales splash around, the next you are at the property mustering cattle then, come Monday, I’m dropping the kids off at a great school and heading to my boutique business.” Just around the corner on Tantitha Street is the Bargara Brewing Company and The Brewhouse restaurant, a family craft brewing business established by Jack and Jacinta Milbank in 2014. The couple, who have three daughters, Alexina, 11, Tessa, nine, and five-year-old Florence, decided to settle in the coastal town of Bargara just north of Bundaberg in 2001 after moving to Australia from Zimbabwe in 1999. Jack, 39, has many roles in the community, including managing director and CEO of Hortus Technical Services, Biofilm Crop Protection and Bargara Brewing Co. He used his expertise in agronomy and fermenting to create Bargara Brewing’s unique branded products, which include craft beers, cider and limited seasonal releases. “We wanted to create a community hub where people can come together,” says Jack. “Bundaberg is a perfect place where horticulture meets the reef — and it never gets too cold.” > For more information, visit bundabergregion.org