The stories that built Bundaberg are stepping out from dusty archives and onto the streets, with a new heritage project encouraging visitors and locals to see the city through completely different eyes.
The Bundaberg Heritage Trails Project is now officially underway, transforming decades of local history into self-guided walking experiences designed to offer tourists new ways to experience the people, places and moments that shaped the region, as well as reconnect the community with our physical spaces and history.
A collaborative initiative between Bundaberg Tourism, the Bundaberg Regional Heritage Group, and Bundaberg Regional Council, the project will bring together carefully researched historical content across digital trails, maps and story-led experiences throughout the CBD.
From forgotten characters and iconic buildings to hidden architectural details many people walk past every day, the project invites people to slow down, look up and discover the stories hiding in plain sight.
Bundaberg Tourism CEO Katherine Reid said the project was an exciting new opportunity for visitors to experience the region.
“Bundaberg has incredible stories, and this project turns our history into something people can experience and engage. It’s less about reading plaques and more about discovering the stories, quirks and personalities that make this region what it is.”
“Bundaberg’s CBD is a vibrant and unique space – we want visitors to be able to engage with our beautiful architecture and for locals to walk through town and suddenly notice a feature they’ve passed a hundred times before.”
The Bundaberg Regional Heritage Group has been a core driver of the project, leading the historical research and verification process to ensure the stories shared are accurate, meaningful and grounded in local knowledge.
Bundaberg Regional Heritage Group spokesperson Jenny Goss said the initiative would help preserve important stories while making them more digitally accessible to more people.
“There’s an extraordinary depth of history in Bundaberg, and projects like this help ensure those stories are not only protected, but actively shared,” she said.
“It’s about making the stories of our historical buildings easily available and something people can connect with in everyday life.”
“Our town is special and its lovely old buildings warrant recognition, preservation, and love.”
The four walkable heritage trails are now live and available to explore online featuring a self-guided walk through the Bundaberg CBD and highlighting significant sites, stories and historic buildings.
The project is expected to expand over time, with additional trails and locations planned across the broader region.
The first Heritage Walk can now be explored at: bundabergregion.org/things-to-do/heritage/
Because sometimes the best stories in town are the ones hiding right under our noses.
