Beaches to barnyards
Beautiful beaches, fertile farmland and activities a plenty make the Bundaberg region a family holiday favourite
Beaches to the east and rolling farmlands to the north, south and west, along with a bustling centre; Bundaberg is an idyllic spot to unwind, connect with the land and move at a pace similar to the turtles that come to lay at Mon Repos. Our family of four, with a three-year-old and an 18-month-old, stayed for four nights in Bargara, a coastal suburb of Bundaberg. A true hidden gem.
MACADAMIAS AUSTRALIA
You would be nuts not to go to this amazing farm. Macadamias Australia is about a 15-minute drive from Bargara and is one of the best food experiences we have had as a family.
When you walk into the newly built facility, you are greeted by a member of the Steinhardts, who have owned this parcel of land since the 1950s.
You move through to a testing station, where you can sample the many flavours of macadamias on offer, from the extremely popular Happy Nut, to my favourite, the Lemon Myrtle.
Children have this wonderful ability of sniffing out food anywhere and Macadamias Australia is no different – the Orchard Table cafe is brilliant. From food infused with macadamias through to their coffee and of course ice cream, which is to die for, especially during the brutal Queensland summer.
After you’ve got your caffeine and food fill, there’s much to explore and nuts to crack. We take a trip through time to the nut-cracking station, where a three-yearold can use a wooden mallet to smash open raw macadamias to get to the nut, and take a stroll through the orchard offering a quiet moment among the chaos of a family holiday.
It’s a beautiful place for people to come and there will always be a member of the family to greet you. Sophie Steinhardt, a third-generation member of the family, has been there from the start of the tourism part of their macadamia journey. Her grandparents started the business in 1958, but it’s been this new offering which has led the farm to become a holiday destination.
“We wanted to give people an experience, to show them where their food was coming from. There’s nothing really like this anywhere,” she says.
SPLITTERS FARM
Getting children to eat their vegetables is one of the biggest challenges as a parent. Getting your children to feed farm animals copious amounts of vegetables, easy as.
Splitters Farm is about a 25-minute drive from Bargara and is a 64ha property, with Splitters Creek rolling through it, which is home to plenty of fish and even an elusive platypus or two.
But it’s the animals on the land that offer the kids and big kids the most entertainment. If you’ve never seen an 18month-old and a three-year-old feed a rather large sweet potato to a horse, then you haven’t quite lived in my eyes.
While it’s hilarious to watch the same children feed the pigs, cows, goats and alpacas, this little slice of heaven is, for the majority of these animals, their saving grace. Animals such as Ned the horse or Flokie and Ella the alpacas are rescue animals, who, if it weren’t for the wonderful owners of the farm, Ashley and Carly Clark, wouldn’t be here today.
When we first arrived, Carly greeted us with her sausage dog puppy Dougie, and gave us the background of what they’re all about, before letting us roam the grounds, feeding the animals as we went.
It’s all for a good cause – the funds from these fun, self-guided tours around the beautiful property are used to keep these animals fed, watered and healthy.
It’s not all about the animals though, there’s the incredible Fort Blair, which offers a lot of fun for kids, amazing food, and a one-of-a-kind glamping experience.
Learn how to cook damper, enjoy the outdoor cinema, spend the day by the creek, make use of the incredible scenery to have a beautiful picnic. There is no way you could possibly get bored here.
The Clarks bought the farm four years ago and the vision they had has grown and grown, to what you see today.
“The vision has evolved, we always aimed to have some kind of farm stay, we love animals, we love kids, the recipe was always there, but it is probably more elaborate than we could have ever imagined,” Mrs Clark says.
“We’ve got 400-plus animals now, mainly coming to us because of the drought, but these days we get them for any reasons – people who’ve had animals, but have passed away, or people who’ve left animals on a property … doesn’t matter what the reason, we don’t judge, if we can take it on, we will.
“It’s the simple pleasures here, cooking marshmallows, or camping for the first time – it’s about getting off screens and reconnecting with the land, animals and each other.”
TIRING THE KIDS OUT
There’s plenty to do around Bundaberg to get the kids active and exhaust them before you retreat to your hotel at night.
We found the foreshore along Bargara, with a fun turtle-shaped playground, a great spot to let the kids run around while waiting your fish and chips.
Elliot Heads is also a beautiful spot to spend either a whole day or a morning or afternoon beach session. When the tide is out, there is so much real estate for the kids to go wild, as well as shell hunting. It’s one of the best beaches in the region and so picturesque, it positions itself as one of the best family photo spots in Queensland.
While we didn’t get out to watch the turtles lay their eggs on the beach – our kids wouldn’t make it that late at night – the educational facility at Mon Repos is well worth a look. There’s plenty of interactive displays and good conversation starters.