The Bundaberg Botanic Gardens are a fabulous place to explore with kids.  Set on 27 hectares of land there is plenty of room to walk, run, scoot, ride bikes and enjoy being in the great outdoors.  

The gardens have 5 main areas; the playground, the gardens, boardwalk and lake, the steam train rides,  the cafe and museums. There definitely is something for everyone.

The playground at the Bundaberg Botanic Gardens underwent a major revamp in late 2018. 

The play area is now the highlight of our visits to the gardens with a fantastic array of play obstacles, imaginative play areas and challenges.

With a cubby house, water based play area and more, children will have a ball exploring the upgraded playground at the Mount Perry Road entrance.

The Botanic Gardens park features a towering tunnel slide. To reach this pinnacle of play, children must first scale two sloping rock climbing platforms with a small gap between them. While the tower may provide parents with a few heart flutters, the challenge this section of the playground provides children is an important life building skills to develop. 

The best part for families visiting this play ground is; it is fully fenced. You can sit back and relax while your WIde Bay Kids run around and there is no fear of them escaping.  This fenced playground in Bundaberg is one of the very few.

There are 3 main garden areas.  The Rose and Japanese Gardens, and the Chinese Pavilion.

The Rose garden consists of a mass of roses styled in a topiary fashion, really lovely to look at and smell as you pass by on your way to the boardwalk.  

The Japanese Gardens follow of a winding path to 4 different Japanese styled areas.  

The Chinese Pavilion includes a bridge, and temple.  A really lovely place to stop, sit and admire.

The boardwalk winds through the wetlands and is prefect for scooters, prams and toddlers on bikes. Kids love exploring this part of the gardens and feeding the ducks, turtles, and eels.

You can purchase food from the Cafe for the ducks.

A series of paths winds through the bush and tree setting of the park, around the lake and each of the gardens. Again perfect for prams, scooters, and toddlers on bikes, although caution is needed in the Rose garden area.

Most paths are well shaded and surprisingly cool in the warmer months with lots of bird life to admire.

The lake is a great part of the gardens to enjoy a good walk.  Head toward the bridge to find the Japanese gardens.  Radio controlled model sailing boats can sometimes be seen on the water which are a delight to watch for young and old.

The Australian Sugarcane Railway conducts train rides every Sunday and four days per week during school holidays on their track within the gardens. The platform is located next to the Coffee Shop and Rose Garden.

Jump on board for a great 10 minute train journey. Trains leaves approximately every 15 minutes so there is never too long to wait.  The train travels adjacent to the wetland area through bush, parkland and even the railway workshop. 

Four Museums are situated within the gardens.

• Bundaberg and District Historical Museum 
• Fairymead House
• Hinkler Hall of Aviation 
• Hinkler House

Bundaberg and District Historical Museum is a fabulous place for kids to explore things from the 'olden days'.  Allow an hour to make your way through this great local museum. The kids will just love the hands on area and will be amazed by the olden day themed room set ups. Usually open 7 days with very reasonable entrance fees. 

Fairymead House is a grand local homestead which hosts local sugar industry memorabilia. This museum showcases the development of the local sugar industry from its earliest days.  You can read more about Fairymead House museum HERE

The Hinkler Hall of Aviation and Hinkler House are located side by side at the Bundaberg Botanic Gardens. These two museums showcase the personal story of Bert Hinkler, one of Australia’s leading aviators.

The Hall consists of just over 20 exhibits which include touch screens, stationary displays, theatrettes and hands-on stations. This is a great interactive museum for kids and our Wide Bay Kids love it. 

Toilets, tables, shaded structures, picnic areas, bbq’s, water bubblers, bike/scooter paths,  cafe, train rides, museums, free parking. Cafe 1928 serves great coffee, delicious light meals,  treats and refreshments and is generally open 7 days.  Great open-plan cafe with plenty of room for prams whilst still maintaining a pleasant cozy atmosphere.

Name Bundaberg Botanic Gardens

Location Mt Perry Road, Bundaberg

Open 7 days