After leaving the coastal vessel the Aramac at Gladstone, Melba and her concert party headed south to Bundaberg.
On the banks of the river, Bundaberg was a thriving town with beautiful beaches on the coast and productive farming and can growing on the river flats.
I had been in email contact with the Bundaberg Library and arranged an appointment when we arrived in town. I was amazed at the work Peta Browne the Information Services Librarian had done for me. She admitted it was a fascinating project and was pleased to help.
One story about an elderly lady who travelled a long distance for the concert intrigued me. She stayed in town and the mayor asked Melba to meet her. I won’t spoil the story but with the help of the Bundaberg Genealogical Association volunteers and a bit of digging and two days of hard work, we discovered she was the grandmother a later very famous Australian. I say no more at this stage.
I also caught up with the Sue at the Bundaberg and District Historical Society while Wal had a wonderful time with Graham Hibberd at the Bundaberg Railway Historical Society who provided us with wonderful images of the railway station.
While at Bundaberg we followed the advice of the caravan park owner and booked lunch at Grunske’s by the river. It was magic – local seafood and a view over the Burnett River. Who could ask for anything more?
