Bundaberg Airport: How long do Brisbane to Bundaberg flights take?

Brisbane to Bundaberg flights are pretty expensive given the 55 minute duration. The only other reason you’re likely to go to Bundaberg Airport is for a flight to Lady Elliot Island.

Bundaberg Airport is one of several airports serving the Queensland coast, but it really isn’t a major hub. There’s plenty of private aviation and freight going out of Bundaberg Airport, but the aside from the Seair flights to Lady Elliot Island, the only regular passenger route is to Brisbane.

You go to Bundaberg for rum distillery tours, Lady Musgrave Island day trips, ginger beer brewery tastings and farm experiences.

Brisbane to Bundaberg flights

Qantas is the only airline offering Brisbane to Bundaberg flights. And because there’s no competition, ticket prices on the Brisbane to Bundaberg route can be unpleasantly expensive. One way tickets for Brisbane to Bundaberg flights with Qantas tend to start at around $168.

6 Bundaberg experiences to make the most of your free time

(Highly recommended ✅) Tour – with tastings – at the Bundaberg rum distillery.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Day trip to Lady Musgrave Island on the Great Barrier Reef.
Fly out to Lady Elliot Island for a day on the reef.
See migrating humpbacks – on a four hour whale watching cruise with lunch.
Brewery tasting tour – including the famous Bundaberg ginger beer.
Farm life experience at Splitters Farm.

If you decide to go by land instead, the Brisbane to Bundaberg drive is 360km long and takes around four hours and 20 minutes. The drive is almost entirely up the Bruce Highway, going past the Sunshine Coast, then illustrious destinations such as Gympie, Tiaro, Maryborough and Childers. You’re more likely to stop at Fraser Island on the way, however, and the drive from Hervey Bay to Bundaberg takes about an hour and 17 minutes.

Brisbane to Bundaberg flights are certainly quicker – they’re scheduled to take just 55 minutes. But once you’ve factored in getting through the airport, waiting for luggage and getting a taxi into the city, the time saving is not all that enormous.

Where is Bundaberg Airport?

At least Bundaberg Airport is close to the city centre – it’s just 4.6km to the south-west. But most overseas visitors are unlikely to need to go there. If you’re in Bundaberg, the likelihood is that you’re passing through on the way up or down the east coast of Australia. You’re either driving, and have already got your car, or you’re travelling by Greyhound or Premier Bus.

Bundaberg streetscape — Bundaberg is one of the largest cities in Central Queensland. Photo courtesy of Tourism and Events Queensland.

The exception might be if you’re staying at the Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. The flights to Lady Elliot Island depart from Bundaberg Airport.