The Big Mandarin at Mundubbera

Mundubbera
Pleasant country town which describes itself as the Citrus Capital of Queensland.
Located 390 km north-west of Brisbane and 124 m above sea-level the small, relatively modern township of Mundubbera is situated on the Burnett River and claims to be the Citrus Capital of Queensland, a fact it reinforces by having a 'Big Mandarin' (known sometimes as the Enormous Ellendale) to greet visitors who approach the town from the coast. The Big Mandarin is an entirely appropriate symbol as the area around Mundubbera produces over one third of Queensland's citrus fruit and boasts the largest single citrus orchard in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Mundubbera area was first settled by Europeans in the late 1840s. In 1848 Mundubbera Station was established as a sheep grazing property and the following year the Archer brothers, who were to become some of the largest landholders in Central Queensland, moved into the area.

Cattle largely replaced sheep as the major economic focus in the 1880s as the local speargrass had an adverse effect on the fleece. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century the land was resumed by the government and opened up for closer settlement. As a result the town came into existence in the years immediately preceding World War I. The school was opened in 1913, the railway from Brisbane arrived the following year, the steam-driven butter factory was opened in 1916 and the post office and hospital were established in 1920 and 1921 respectively.

The area's main industry, citrus fruit, was established in nearby Gayndah as early as 1892 but it wasn't until 1933 that a local dairy farmer named Henry Zipf started growing citrus fruit on his property. By the 1980s the town was responsible for nearly all of Australia's mandarin exports.

There is, typically, some confusion about the Aboriginal origins of the town's name. It is possible, if enigmatic, that it means 'footstep', though others claim, no less cryptically, that it refers to the steps cut to climb trees. There is another theory which asserts that 'mendi burra' were the words used to describe the boundary between the lands of two local Aboriginal groupings.

Mundubbera is basically a quiet settlement serving the surrounding agricultural area and the only attractions, apart from the 'Big Mandarin', are the local historical society folk museum, the Golden Mile Orchard and the Auburn River National Park.

Things to see:  

The Folk Museum
Located near the local golf course the museum is signposted off the Dalby Road, about 200 metres west of the 'Big Mandarin'. It is housed in the Cattle Creek Valley School House (1916) and was opened in 1980 by James Archer of Gracemere, a direct descendant of the Archer brothers. The museum is only open by prior arrangement, contact (07) 4165 4298.

Golden Mile Orchard and the Big Mandarin
Visitors to the area often inspect the Golden Mile Orchard. Reputedly the largest citrus orchard in Australia (and the southern hemisphere) it was named the Golden Mile because the trees were planted in rows which were a mile long. The orchard now boasts extensive stands of avocados and grapes as well as the famous Ellendale mandarin and other citrus fruits. In recent times it has been part of a bio-control program which has attempted to manage pests by introducing their natural enemies rather than using harmful chemical sprays. Tours to the Golden Mile can be arranged at the Big Mandarin which also has a lungfish display and another relating to the agriculture in the area, contact (07) 4165 4549.

The lungfish (neoceratodus forsteri) is indigenous to the Burnett and Mary Rivers. It is a bizarre living fossil which can both breathe underwater by means of gills and gulp air into a lung-like sac above water. It cannot, however, survive away from water for any extended period of time.

Auburn River National Park
Auburn River National Park is a rather small (389 ha) and remote reserve for those who enjoy some quiet bush camping. The passage of the river has left a legacy of interesting and evolving geological formations, such as the piles of pinkish granite boulders and the interesting rock pools and catracts, amidst environs consisting mostly of open eucalypt forest (chiefly ironbark and forest red gm) and dry bottle-tree scrub. Along the river, leptospermum, callistemon and stunted fig are common. The park retains a few relics from the period in the late 19th century when it was the subject of a brief, and singularly unsuccessful, goldrush.

To get there follow the Mundubbera-Durong Road for 13 km then turn right by the John Petersen Bridge onto the Auburn River/Hawkwood Road. After a further 20 km take the signposted left onto the gravel road and it is 7 km to the camping ground, which has picnic tables, cooking facilities and pit toilets. Two rough trails depart from the campground. One leads through eucalypt forest, dry scrub and creek vegetation to the river (look out for lizards sunning themselves on the river's rocks and be sure to take note of how to get back) and another leads to a lookout over the river. Bring fresh water as there is none on tap and the river water is not potable. A 4WD may be required in wet weather.

Camping permits and further information can be obtained by contacting the Bundaberg office of the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service on (07) 4153 8620.

	Tourist Information
	Big Mandarin Durong Rd Mundubbera QLD 4626 Telephone: (07) 4165 4549
	Motels
	Billabong Motor Inn Durong Rd Mundubbera QLD 4626 Telephone: (07) 4165 4533 Rating: ***
	Mundubbera Motel 42 Strathdee St Mundubbera QLD 4626 Telephone: (07) 4165 4399 Rating: ****
	Hotels
	Mundubbera Hotel 20 Lyons St Mundubbera QLD 4626 Telephone: (07) 4165 4214
	Royal Hotel Lyons St Mundubbera QLD 4626 Telephone: (07) 4165 4204
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Host Farm Albardoran Guesthouse Beeron Rd Mundubbera QLD 4626 Telephone: (07) 4165 6188
	Caravan Parks
	Auburn River National Park (camping - permit needed), Queensland National Parks & Wildlife Service Bundaberg Mundubbera QLD 4626 Telephone: (07) 4153 8281
	Citrus Country Caravan Village Durong Rd Mundubbera QLD 4626 Telephone: (07) 4165 4549 Rating: **