May 24, Miriam Vale, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay

We stopped in the small town of Miriam Vale because they were supposed to have good mud crab sandwiches. While Samson put water in the rv, I talked to the guys at the visitors information center. One of them had been to the US several times and spent a few winters in Alaska outside of Fairbanks - even had his own dog sled and team. The sandwich shop didn't have mud crab, but did have fresh sand crab.

We took a minor highway southwest to Bundaberg, the home of Bundaberg rum. We took a tour of the distillery there. It started in 1888 because the sugar mill had a surplus of molasses and they thought the solution would be to make it into rum. During war time, the rum goes to the troops, leaving the general population without. In WWII, the American troops mixed it with coke and thus a drink was born.

They still use the molasses from the mill. It is goes to the distillery through underground pipes. 96 percent of the bottled rum is sold in Australia and none is sent to the US, something to do with our laws. In recent years they have introduced 'boutique' rums - aged in port barrels, in charred barrels, in port AND sherry barrels. They also make a rum liqueur with chocolate and caramel added to it. After the tour we had the option to sample many of the varieties.

Nearby was Schmeider's Cooperage. Mr. Schmeider learned the trade at the distillery. The rum there is aged in huge wooden vats made of American white oak. he started making small barrels so people could age their own spirits. He still helps Bundaberg when they need a new aging vat.

Further down the road was The Big Barrel, where Bundaberg makes brewed drinks, like rum & ginger beer and rum and lemonade. Back in town, we walked down the main street for a look at the Whaling Wall. It was one done by Robert Wyland, his 23rd and the first one in the Southern Hemisphere.

We've worked our way down and out to Hervey Bay. It's starting to get dark early, so we just stopped at the visitors info center for the night. It's very quiet.

Pictures - Bundaberg Distillery, Samson & Bundaberg Bottle, Whaling Wall