A VISIT TO RIVERSIDE PARKLANDS IN BUNDABERG.

 We've had a few days away visiting Bundaberg, catching up with family...

This visit we checked out the Riverside parklands in Bundaberg and were pleasantly surprised at how lovely they were.  

We were also meeting my sister and brother in law and a good friend for lunch at River Cruz Cafe right on the river bank.  

Steve and I had an appointment with his parents in the morning with the accountant and once we were finished there, we headed down to the riverbank to locate our meeting point for lunch...

We had a spare hour or so up our sleeve, so had a quick cuppa and went for a walk before heading home only to come back a few hours later...

We came across three major artworks in the Riverside Parklands, all commissioned by the Bundaberg Regional Council and all by the artist Dave Machen.    

This rather weird sculpture eyeballs you as you drive into the carpark.

This piece is entitled “The Return”  and portrays  a Woman looking up the river for her partner to return safely.  The blue and bronze specks on the body represents the ages through history like peeling back layers of paint.  The spikes on the leg sections represent a defensive stance.  The accompanying reeds have fish motifs incorporated in them..

The second one we came across was entitled "Good Times Bad Times".

This particular piece of sculpture  is about the consistently changing environment of the Burnett River marine life.  The base represents the full contentment of the good times, whereas the skeleton top whimsically reflects the Bad Times.

and the final piece we came across which was situated just outside the River Cruz Cafe was entitled

"The Ceratodus"

“The Ceratodus” is a conceptual skeletal form of a Ceratodus, better known as a Lungfish.  The artist has combined his technical sculpting abilities with his knowledge as a local fisherman. 

As we wandered along the top side of the park we noticed quite a few picnic tables along the riverbank.  Quite a few of the locals were making good use of them,  a few of them using the space as an outdoor office whilst working on their computers.

There are also a good amount of electric BBQ's along the riverbank allowing families to come down and enjoy a BBQ dinner whilst their children play in the mini playground in the parklands...

There were quite a few boats moored in the river, and it didn't matter where you walked along the paths, there were always good views of the river..

The birds were there in abundance looking for the crumbs left by passer byers who sat on the picnic tables to eat their snacks or meals.  They were obviously used to humans and they weren't too fazed by you getting up close and personal..

After checking out the Good Times Bad Times sculpture, he ventured a little further towards East Bundaberg where he found a footbridge which crossed over "Saltwater Creek".   Having never been across this bridge before he was interested to get a different perspective of the creek.  Always looking for a good fishing or crabbing spot but unfortunately there was quite a bit of rubbish dumped down there.  The East side of the creek led into an industrial area.  

From here he wandered back to me at the River Cruz Cafe where we ordered a hot drink and shared a Raspberry and white chocolate muffin.  

The River Cruz Cafe is in an ideal location with views of the river where ever you are seated.  It is such a peaceful spot and quite relaxing to just stop, sit and take in the surroundings.  It is also dog friendly so those out walking their dog can grab a drink and relax also.

The service was prompt and the food good and I am sure it will be a place we will return to when we are in Bundaberg in future.

River Cruz Cafe - Bundaberg

Once we had finished our morning tea, we took a walk along the multiply levels of boardwalks that lead down to the lower edge of the Burnett River.  This is a very picturesque area of the riverbank..

The Riverside Boardwalk along the Burnett River is a great route for the whole family. It’s only about 3km from start to finish and the scenery is pretty spectacular! This walk starts and the River Cruz Cafe and goes all the way along the river bank to the Alexandra Park Zoo, although we didn't walk anywhere near that far.  We walked down past the exercise gym equipment.   This track though is perfect for families, especially those pushing a pram, kids on bikes or scooters or skates.  There are also many spots along here that would be ideal fishing spots for kids...

By now it was almost 11am and we needed to go home and do a few things before coming back here to meet the others at 1pm.  It has been a nice break and we have left here feeling quite relaxed after the last few stressful days trying to prepare material for the accountant's appointment we had this morning...

On our way back to the car, we noticed that Bundaberg also has the electric scooters as we came across a group of them just up from the Cafe...

Steve still has a few jobs he needs to do for his parents before we leave tomorrow to head home.  Unfortunately he didn't have the time to start them now as they all involved getting dirty in the garden.  We also had to  duck out to the cemetery on our way home to confirm the plot that we would like reserved for Mum and Dad's ashes, as that was one of the other jobs we have had to do whilst home in Bundaberg.

We headed back down to the river around 12.45pm to meet up with John and Jude... They were already there when we arrived.  My good friend Julianne also joined us for lunch.

Lunch with John, Jude and Julianne.

It was a lovely spot to sit and spend the afternoon,  It was almost 3pm when we left.  Had Julianne not had to leave to pick up the children from school, I am sure we would have been there for even longer. Steve and I then headed back to John and Jude's for a cuppa and to spend some time with them, as the last two times we have been down, he hasn't really had a chance to see them as he has been pretty busy doing things for his parents.

It's good to catch up and we really should do it more often..