Bundaberg can be quite easily missed (not intentionally, mind you). It is the eternal triangle which does it, meaning that the Bruce Highway (Highway one) bypasses the city by some kilometres. Therefore some travellers get to experience only some towns of this region - such as Apple Tree Creek, the southernmost point of that triangle, with Gin Gin at the north and Bundaberg the third point in the East. So, if driving the highway from the south, the turn-off into sugar cane country Rum City and the Great Barrier Reef, is just a few hundred metres north of Apple Tree Creek, which in turn is five kilometres north of Childers.
A family-friendly picnic ground with great facilities is on the left as you enter Apple Tree Creek from the south. Almost diagonally opposite is the Flying High Flora and Fauna Bird Habitat, on the corner of the Bruce Highway and Old Creek Road. It's the creation of John Woodall, an ex-farmer with a penchant for birds, who has created the largest walk-through free flight aviary in the country. However, if the conversation, car radio or CDs are that good, there is another exit on the southern outskirts of Gin Gin. Other highlights: Sticky Beaks Cafe for homemade jams and preserves made from local produce. Check out the purpose-built Swiss-designed wood-fired pizza oven.
