Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

THE CAPRICORN COAST & THE SOUTHERN REEF ISLANDS 329
smart bar and lounge areas open to ocean views and sunsets. Duplex-style Turtle
Rooms are designed for couples or families, both with en suite bathrooms, casual
living area, and a shady veranda, or you can go for greater luxury in the suites or
the private beach house.
Heron Island, via Gladstone, QLD 4680 (P&O Resorts, G.P.O. Box 5287, Sydney, NSW 2001). & 1800/737 678
in Australia, 800/225 9849 in the U.S. and Canada, 020 7805 3875 in the U.K., 02/9257 5050 or fax 02/9299
2477 (Sydney reservations office). www.poresorts.com. 109 units (some with shower only).A$460 (US$299) Turtle
Rooms double; A$550 (US$358) Reef Suite double; A$660 (US$429) Heron Beachside Suite double; A$890
(US$579) Point Suite, Wistari Suite, or private Beach House double. Extra adult A$150 (US$98), extra children
3–14 A$90 (US$59). Free crib. Rates include all meals and many activities. Ask about special packages. AE, DC,
MC, V. No children allowed in Point suites or Beach House. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; outdoor pool; 2
day/night tennis courts; Jacuzzi; limited watersports equipment rental; Heron Kids Junior Rangers program (7–12
only) during Australian school vacations only; game room; activities desk; massage; babysitting; coin-op laundry.
In room: Ceiling fan, fridge, coffeemaker, hair dryer, iron, no phone (except in the 4 Point Suites and the
Beach House) or TV. There are public phones, a TV in the lounge, and Internet access is available at reception.
BUNDABERG: GATEWAY TO LADY ELLIOT ISLAND
384km (230 miles) N of Brisbane; 1,439km (863 miles) S of Cairns
The small sugar town of Bundaberg is the closest to the southernmost point of
the Great Barrier Reef. If you visit the area between November and March, allow
an evening to visit the Mon Repos turtle rookery. Divers may want to take in
some of Australia’s best shore diving right off Bundaberg’s beaches.
GETTING THERE & GETTING AROUND By Car Bundaberg is on
the Isis Highway, about 50km (31 miles) off the Bruce Highway from Gin Gin
in the north and 53km (33 miles) off the Bruce Highway from just north of
Childers in the south.
By Plane Sunstate Airlines (book through Qantas at & 13 13 13 in Australia;
www.qantas.com.au) flies from Brisbane daily and from Gladstone three times a
week.
By Train Queensland Rail (& 13 22 32 in Queensland, or 07/3235 1122)
trains stop in Bundaberg every day en route between Brisbane and Cairns. The
fare is A$59 (US$38) from Brisbane economy class on the Tilt Train; fares range
from A$163 (US$106) for a seat to A$316 (US$205) for a first-class berth on
the Sunlander from Cairns.
By Bus McCafferty’s (& 13 14 99 in Australia) and Greyhound-Pioneer
(& 13 20 30 in Australia) call here many times a day on their coach runs between
Brisbane and Cairns. The 7-hour trip from Brisbane costs A$58 (US$38). From
Cairns it is a 22-hour trip, for which the fare is A$155 (US$101).
Avis (& 07/4152 1877), Budget (& 07/4153 1600), Hertz (& 07/4155
2403), and Thrifty (& 07/4151 6222) all have offices in Bundaberg.
VISITOR INFORMATION The Bundaberg Region Visitor Centre is at 271
Bourbong St. at Mulgrave Street, Bundaberg, QLD 4670 (& 1800/308 888 in
Australia, or 07/4153 8888; www.bundabergregion.info). It’s open daily from 9am
to 5pm.
WHAT TO SEE & DO
The best shore diving in Queensland is in Bundaberg’s Woongarra Marine Park.
It has soft and hard corals, urchins, rays, sea snakes, and 60 fish species, plus a
World War II Beaufort bomber wreck. There are several scuba operators. Salty’s
Dive Centre (& 1800/625 476 in Australia, or 07/4153 4747; fax 07/4152
6707; www.saltys.net) rents dive gear for A$45 (US$29). They also run day trips