Once we got setup Sandra started a few loads of laundry before lunch. During the afternoon we took a quick trip to Woolworths for groceries before taking a walk along the waterfront to the town centre. The coast is quite rough and not that attractive as there are volcanic rocks everywhere. At the surf club and various other beach areas they have formed the rocks into borders/break walls to leave nice sandy patches. The waterfront precinct however is one of the nicest we have seen. There is wide walking/cycling paths all along the coast from the town centre as far as the neighbouring town of Burnett Heads. There are numerous well maintained toilet blocks, picnic/BBQ areas, playgrounds, and gardens along the way. A really beautiful area that is extremely well utilized by tourists and locals alike. Hats off to the Bundaberg Council for creating and maintaining such wonderful infrastructure! We well and truly got our usage of the trails averaging over 10km a day walking during our stay!
Wednesday was another clean up day with Sandra finishing the laundry. We got in a nice morning walk up to Mon Repos Beach and an afternoon walk down to the downtown area. Lots of little restaurants and shops there to visit.
Thursday we enjoyed a fairly relaxing day with a couple of walks down town along the boardwalk. Found two places that did gluten free fish (grilled) and chips which is a treat for Sandra. Thursday turned out to be a local holiday for the Bundaberg show so most places were closed and the one fish shop that was open was doing great business. It took awhile for our order to get processed but we really enjoyed our takeaway lunch overlooking the water from the park.
Friday we did another walk to the Mon Repos Turtle Centre. This one of the largest Turtle nesting areas in Australia but the season ended in April. We had a quick look around the interpretive centre and a short walk along the beach before returning to the caravan. The afternoon saw us take a drive into Bundaberg to do a bit of shopping.
Saturday morning we had booked ourselves on a river tour on "The Bundy Belle" We enjoyed a 2.5 hour tour of the Burnett River from the main bridge to the Port which is located at Burnett Heads. The guide was informative about Bundaberg history and the weather was quite good although a bit windy.
The boat launched from a Seafood Market/Restaurant called Grunske's so we decided to treat ourselves to a nice lunch. This turned out to be a great decision as we enjoyed the best seafood platter we have ever ordered. So,so much food; and all of it excellent! Oysters Kilpatrick, huge whole Crab, Moreton Bay Bugs, Prawns, Smoked Salmon, Smoked Spanish Mackerel, Scallops, Calamari, and Battered Fish! Made it through most of it but we were both completely stuffed when we left. Had an easy afternoon with a short walk but not much of a dinner.
Sunday we drove the car to the Mon Repos Turtle Centre where we did a long coastal walk to Burnett Heads. About 12km round trip which was an excellent work out. The path was good and nice views along the coast. Quite a few cyclists and a few walkers sharing the trail with us throughout the morning.
Notable stops were Oaks Beach and the Burnett Heads lighthouse (both new and old). The walk was really good and the weather nice with a bit of wind. We really enjoyed it but were both tired by the time we made it back to the car. We did another walk along the boardwalk to the downtown area in the afternoon to finish off our day. We ended up walking about 15km over the day which was a good effort.
We decided to extend our stay so booked another 3 days on top of our original week. Luckily they were able to squeeze us in in the same caravan site.
Monday we enjoyed a relatively easy day although we did walk along the foreshore to "The Basin" which is a kilometre past the downtown area. We enjoyed another fish and chip lunch down by the beach.
Tuesday was another day with some good walks both morning and afternoon. Did a drive out to look at more of Bargara and did a tour of Palm Resorts in the afternoon. An active retirement village with houses that can house your caravan in the garage. Very interesting but we aren't quite ready for the retirement village lifestyle.
Wednesday we did a bit of grocery shopping and laundry. I did some computer/blog work. After lunch we did a drive out to Coral Cove and Elliott Heads. Both of them were nice but we think Bargara is the pick of the area because of the waterfront precinct. Naturally we did a couple of walks as well.
Thursday was laundry day with Sandra doing everything in preparation for our move to Maryborough tomorrow. Did a nice walk along the boardwalk in the morning. We drove into Bundaberg for lunch at Grunske's again. Had the seafood platter for one this time which was ample for both of us. Did a bit more shopping after lunch before returning to the caravan. We did a bit more clean-up in the afternoon including giving the awning a wash with 30 Seconds. Filled up the water tanks and stowed all the outside stuff away for moving as well.
We've really enjoyed our 10 days in Bargara and look forward to returning. The caravan park is great and the waterfront area is wonderful. Lots of people are here for long term (2-3 months) for winter from down south. The positive thing is that they all seem very active and are enjoying bowls, golf, walking, cycling, and lots of social activities.
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