📍How To Get To Bundaberg, Australia. Planes, Trains & Automobiles. (2025.)

NEED HELP ON HOW TO GET TO BUNDABERG, AUSTRALIA?

Bundaberg is a gorgeous city and region, most famous for its association with Bundaberg Rum and its endearingly iconic liquor-loving Bundy Bear mascot, but is also renowned for having the largest turtle nesting site on mainland Australia and for being the gateway to the southern Great Barrier Reef, the most biodiverse and expansive marine ecosystem in the world.

With so much appeal and things to do, it’s not any wonder why people love visiting this renowned regional destination, but if you’re stumped on how to get to Bundaberg, here are a few of the best ways to get to this top-notch getaway.

Bundaberg is a gorgeous regional city and coastal subregion of the Wide Bay Burnett area in sunny Queensland. The CBD is 360 kilometres north of Brisbane, the stunning state capital and renowned river city. Narrowing it down even more, it is about halfway between the historical city of Maryborough and the picturesque seaside towns of 1770 and Angus Waters.

There are a few ways to get to Bundaberg commercially: aircraft, regional trains touring buses, and of course, vehicular hire.

➡️ Flights.

The quickest and easiest way to get to Bundaberg is by plane. Airline carriers Qantas, Virgin and Link Airways all have direct flights between Brisbane and the rum capital of Australia departing daily, However, because it is a regional city and two of these are full-service national airlines, it’s not cheap to go this route as it would be more popular routes that have budget airlines servicing them.

But if you still pick this route, they all have connecting flights that allow passengers to have a more streamlined journey from many major destinations across the country, and for the former two, across the world too.

Qantas Flight Map (Domestic.)
Qantas Flight Map (International.)
LinkAirways Flight Map (Domestic.)

Note: The Bundaberg Regional Airport is only 5.5km from the CBD. You can rent a car from the terminal, take the Shuttle Bus, or take an Uber or Taxi to get there.

➡️ Car.

As a road trip enthusiast and fan of slow travel, I think the best way to get to Bundaberg is by driving there yourself, as you have the freedom to go whichever route you please and stop off and see whatever you like, making the trip about the journey and not just the destination.

For most people, flying to Brisbane, for example, and then driving to Bundaberg will be a better use of money, especially the more people you are travelling with as the individual flight prices from Brisbane to Bundaberg are so disproportionally expensive compared to other domestic routes due to it being a regional destination and not a major one. For example, you can fly across the country to Perth quite often for cheaper.

And if you are driving from Brisbane, you can either beeline it down the Bruce Highway or take some day trip or mini vacays at some of the places along the way. Some of my favourite things to do along the way are hiking the Glass House Mountains, visiting Devil’s Gate and Hell’s Kitchen at Noosa National Park, exploring the Noosa Everglades, walking/4WD beach driving beside the Coloured Sands at Rainbow Beach, whale watching at Hervey Bay (seasonal – typically June-October.) and seeing dingos on K’gari (Fraser Island), the world’s largest sand island.

➡️ Interstate & Luxury Trains.

Experience travelling to Bundaberg in a slower, more comfortable and unique way by boarding a luxury train that’ll take you along Queensland’s famous coastline to the Rum Capital of Australia.

Two luxury QLD Railway journeys will take you there. The first is the Tilt Train which travels between Brisbane and Rockhampton, while the Spirit Of Australia connects the River City to the Adventure Capital of Australia, Cairns. But your starting point doesn’t have to be any of those places, you can just get on at any of the many railway stations where these trains stop up which includes all the major cities and several notable towns along the way.

It’s a great way to turn a trip to Bundaberg into an unforgettable journey that offers more legroom and a higher degree of seat reclination than flying. Plus if you go during the day it’s more scenic, or if it runs throughout the night, you can even opt for a sleeper bed to make the journey even more relaxing and enjoyable.

You can even pre-extend the train trip by travelling on the XPT which connects Sydney and Melbourne, and many other destinations to Brisbane by rail.

➡️ Touring Buses.

Another great way to reach Bundaberg is with a regional bus service such as Greyhound. They have an extensive nationwide network that includes all the major cities and a long list of regional destinations nationwide. This is especially useful if you are travelling to and from places that have no alternative modes of commercial transportation or, if they do, are very expensive.

Better yet, Greyhound also has various which make getting to and from some of the most remote parts of the country much more affordable for tourists and frequent travellers or those who don’t or are unable to drive or rent a car, making it even more value for money.

Car Hire.

Hiring a car is the way to go when travelling around the rum capital of Australia and gateway to the Southern Great Barrier Reef, as it is the easiest and most time effect way and do all the things you want to tick on your Bundaberg bucket list.

This is because you can come and go as you please and visit wherever you like and not have to adhere to the limited public transport network and their schedules and wait for a ride-sharing service to show up. Plus, it’s more rewarding as an overall experience.

A regular 2WD would suit most visitors, but if you want to drive on the beach, you’ll need a 4WD. But I don’t think regular hire car companies will allow you to do this as they usually only permit you to go on official gazetted roads. You may be able to find some companies that don’t bar you from doing this type of activity.

Ridesharing Services.

A great car-free alternative is using a ridesharing service such as Uber, Didi or a taxi to get around, as you can order them whenever you’re ready and there’s not a long wait time.

However, trips can add up quickly, but the best thing about Bundaberg is that many of the attractions are close to the CBD, meaning you limit the number of times you need to use this service by walking between them.

Public Transport.

Bundaberg has a small bus network with routes that connect the city with most of the CBD’s top attractions, plus all of the region’s seaside towns on the mid and north coast, including the ideal holiday getaway, Bargara and peaceful Burnett Heads, which is also the departure point for the Lady Musgrave Experience Day Tour & Camping Transfer. However, no buses appear to go to Woodgate Beach/ Burrum Coast National Park which surrounds it.

While there are schedules to contend with which means you won’t be able to get the maximum use of your time, they are currently an extra inviting system to use as all Queensland transport fares are 50c for 6 months starting from August 2024.

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