Bundaberg (pop. 52,370) is a city in southeastern Queensland, Australia. It lies about 200 miles (320 kilometers) north of Brisbane, on the banks of the Burnett River. Bundaberg is the center of the southern sugar cane belt. Much of the city’s industry is concerned with processing sugar. A large plant manufactures harvesters for the Australian market and for export. Other important industries include distilling rum, making bricks, sawmilling, and shipbuilding. Fruit and vegetables are important crops in the district. Tomatoes, in particular, are grown for sale in the southern states of Australia.
The first European explorers to reach what is now Bundaberg were John and Gavin Steuart, who arrived in 1867 looking for lumber. District Surveyor J. C. Thompson selected the site for the town in 1869. He also named the town. Bunda came from an Aboriginal tribe that adopted Thompson’s assistant into the tribe. Bundaberg became a town in 1881 and a city in 1913.
