Best things to do in Gin Gin, Queensland

The best things to do in Gin Gin, Queensland are side trips to the liked of the Boolboonda Tunnel, Mystery Craters and Goodnight Scrub National Park

Gin Gin is a highway town, like Ouyen in Victoria or Macksville in New South Wales, that people tend to pass through on the way to somewhere else.

But if you’ve got time on your hands, and are travelling from Hervey Bay to Rockhampton, there are a few things to do in Gin Gin.

Things to do in Gin Gin, Queensland: Heritage buildings

In the town itself, there are a few handsome heritage buildings – the old Courthouse is now a gallery – and the Saturday morning markets. But Gin Gin works better as a base for visiting attractions nearby.

The Courthouse Gallery in Gin Gin, Queensland. Photo courtesy of Sabrina Lauriston/Tourism and Events Queensland

If fishing is your thing, then Lake Monduran 20km to the north is likely to be first choice. Lake Monduran is well known for its plentiful barramundi stocks, and day-long fishing charters are available.

Things to do in Gin Gin: Boolboonda Tunnel and Mystery Craters

Go west, and you’ve got the Boolboonda Tunnel. This abandoned railway tunnel is supposedly the largest unsupported tunnel in the southern hemisphere. You can take a stroll through it, but this is hardly one of Australia’s great rail trails.

To the east on the road to Bundaberg in South Kolan are the Mystery Craters. This highly kitschy tourist attraction doesn’t have too much to it. There are just some craters, and the owners of the land pretend that no-one knows how they got there.

Gin Gin attractions: Goodnight Scrub National Park

So top of the list of things to do in Gin Gin should probably be the Goodnight Scrub National Park. Run by the Parks and Forests department, the Goodnight Scrub National Park is primarily about the wildlife.

Near the Paradise Dam on the Burnett River, Goodnight Scrub is home to more than 160 bird species. These include king parrots, powerful owls, spoonbills and regent bowerbirds. There’s also a good chance of seeing swamp wallabies or red-necked wallabies.

Top Gin Gin accommodation picks include the Wild Scotsman Motor Inn and the Gin Gin Village Motor Inn.