Bundaberg is synonymous with Bundaberg Rum so what do you do when visiting Bundaberg, visit the Bundaberg Distillery, even if it is Sunday morning.
I had tried to book online for the tours last night with no success but found out today that it closes off 24 hours before the tour time. This was not an issue as there was not that many around on a Sunday morning so they were happy to take our money.
The tour starts by going through the museum showing the origins of the distillery and the process involved in making the iconic rum.
Following a bit of knowledge it is time to head into the distillery and the sights and mainly the smells of the distilling process.
They are fairly serious with regard to ignition sources. You are not allowed to take in cameras, phones, watches and even car keys. I guess after a couple of large fires in their history, it is understandable.
First stop on the tour is the molasses well which has some amazing amount of product stored. They have 3 large wells and need to store enough molasses for 12 months production even though they only get molasses from the sugar mill for 6 months of the year. The smell is overpowering and I can still smell it in my clothes now 12 hours later.
The tour then takes you through the various plants that distil the rum. There is not a lot to see here apart from vats, then it is into one of the Bond Stores where the barrels and wood vats store the rum while it matures.
The tour ends in the bar and shop where of course there is the opportunity to taste the finished product. Bundy Rum is just not rum anymore with a large amount of blended products now. I just had to try the most expensive bottle (sells for $180 a bottle) and it didn’t really rock my socks. Remember I am a bourbon and beer drinker. I was more partial to some of the blended rums but I will probably stick to bourbon.
After leaving the bar with a Bundy Buzz, it was time to head to the local park and meet up with the Bundaberg Geocachers for an event. Even though it wasn’t a huge event it was a fun way to fill in the afternoon and meet other cachers. We even all headed out to do an underground geocache.
Tonight we headed out again for a meal with Liz, Bruce, Graham and Cheryl, this time to a local Indian restaurant. The meal was really good even though we were the only ones dining in. They did do a lot of take away while we were eating.
We bid farewell to Graham and Cheryl and headed around town with Liz and Bruce to grab some caches before heading back to camp.
Tomorrow we continue north to Rockhampton.
