Bundaberg resembles an inland farming town in Florida. It is summer here, with very hot and humid weather. The sun is intense, but frequent winds provide some cooling relief. We try to avoid being outdoors during the peak sunny hours.
The sugarcane fields stretch endlessly across the horizon. Cane trains run through the town, transporting the harvest from farms to sugar factories and ports. The soil here is fertile, supporting extensive macadamia nut farms, potato fields, and melon farms, which we’ve seen so far.
Bundaberg is also home to the famous Bundaberg Rum Distillery. John purchased a couple of bottles of rum but decided not to continue drinking it after finishing them, as alcohol is quite expensive here. We learned that 63% of rum sales revenue goes to tax. Interestingly, grocery stores do not sell beer or wine—they are available only in liquor stores.
The holiday season has begun. At the local mall, Santa Claus is busy taking pictures with children. Schools are closed for about six weeks and will reopen in late January.
We plan to stay in Bundaberg for a while. John decided to order a new boat engine, as the current Volvo engine, dating back to 1992, has logged approximately 7,000 hours. It will be replaced with a Beta engine and a transmission from England.
The engine shop will also be closed for three weeks during the holidays. The new transmission is expected to arrive in early February, and the mechanic estimates the installation and testing process will take about two weeks. For now, we’re grounded, but once the new engine is installed, we’ll set sail around Australia but not to Sydney and Tasmania—Australia is a vast country.
We decided against taking a campervan trip. The weather is too hot for us and our cats, and long drives to destinations don’t appeal to us.
