I told my hostel friends the night before I was going to go check out the Mystery Craters in Bundaberg the next morning and if they wanted to join. Granted they were drinking I knew it’d just be me trying to figure out one of Aussies biggest mysteries.
The Mystery Craters were discovered by farmer Owen Murrin. One day in 1971 Mr. Murrin, ever the businessman, was looking to extend the zucchini crops on his property.
In preparations he was clearing out some hardened silt when his grader suddenly became stuck on a hard surface.
Little did he know, this snag would be the start of a new business venture. Goodbye zucchinis.
Once his grader was free he decided to figure out what surface he was dealing with.
He never would have imagined he’d find a large crater. Over the following weeks he continued digging in the immediate areas and two years later Owen had uncovered 35 craters on his property. The largest crater was the one he first discovered.
The largest of the 35 craters
By this time his zucchini patch was long gone and geologists from around the world were keen to figure exactly what this moon-like surface was.
In April 1973, Owen opened up the area to tourists who wanted to check out the site given that news of the discovery was quickly spreading. It was a big hit, with 50,000 people visiting Bundaberg’s Mystery Craters in the quest to solve what geologists seemingly couldn’t (tourists would have to look from behind a fence).
At least 67 geologists from around the world came to the site in a bid to solve the mystery of how the craters were formed.
All of the craters from the viewing platform
Most of the theories for the formation of the mystery craters in Bundaberg are related to:
- sea movement
- meteorites
- dinosaurs
- volcanoes
- erosion
Yet no one can be sure which makes it one of the more interesting attractions in Bundaberg. It’s a choose your own path adventure.
I asked the Mystery Craters staff member: “I believe it has to do with the sea levels”
On the way home the guy who picked me up said: “It’s to do with the volcanic land, the lava burnt massive trees to a crisp that had massive root systems”.
Waterless craters
What the geologists can agree on is:
- the craters are roughly 14 metres deep
- they’re related to the Elliot Formation
- the craters are made of sandstone, siltstone and red ochre
- the red ochre is evenly distributed through the craters
- the craters aren’t all linked, only identical craters next to each other are
- there’s been no man made interference, over the millions of years silt has slowly filled up the mystery craters in Bundaberg
- throughout excavation fossilized marine deposits were found
I arrived at around 11 am on a Sunday expecting lots of people to be clambering aboard the viewing platform. How wrong was I! A couple was just leaving as I arrived leaving me to explore the Mystery Craters on my own.
No selfie sticks, no shouting, no pushing and shoving, no nothing. Perfecto!
Once I read about the craters from 1970’s newspaper clippings I was released into the lush gardens where the fenced off craters can be found.
There’s a T-Rex sculpture, a flashback to 65,000,000 years ago when T-Rex and his mates were roaming the lands. But you’re immediately drawn to the viewing platform to get a good view of the all the craters.
T-Rex goes Roar
You can see 32 of the craters, 3 have been left covered in scrub as they were pre-excavation. The craters instantly reminded me of a mini Wai-o-tapu, without the thermal activity, therefore lacking real excitement.
Once you’re on the viewing platform you don’t need more than 5 minutes up there really. Add in a 10 – 15 minute wander around the perimeter of the craters to get a close up look at the various craters and you’re done. The site itself doesn’t create an epic atmosphere to get your energy flowing, but I found myself happy and entertained as I’d built myself up beforehand to embrace the mystery involved.
The red stuff is the ochre
I did like the red ochre though, which Aborigines mixed with water to create a paste for painting.
They’ve done some testing here, they put some pipes into one crater to make a well. At a depth of 16 metres, they’ve found the crater is an awesome water source. Given the craters are full of minerals, it’s no wonder the birds love taking a bath and a drink in the water-filled craters.
The interesting thing I found was the water levels. When it rains, all of the craters fill up but once the rain stops, some of them drain right away, others don’t drain at all. How confusing is that!
Old stuff..
Once you’ve finished coming to your own conclusions about the formation of the mystery craters there are a few things to take a quick look at. There’s a shed of really old machinery, a fairy garden, a collection of polished stones and old currencies.
So how do I think the mystery craters were formed?
Do you see the dinosaur footprint?
I’m always frustrated by these things. As soon as someone suggests a plausible reason I decide that’s the right idea but my gut says meteorites. It’s dubbed part of the Bermuda triangle in Australia after all. I reckon there were two meteorites. Both were slowly breaking as they neared earth but in the 100 metres or so before landing they crashed into each other splitting into 35 main parts and voila, Queenslands Mystery Craters were formed.
But really who cares, if it was resolved, it wouldn’t be near as intriguing.
It’s a very unique attraction in Bundaberg and reminded me of other less visited attractions I’ve been to in the last year. Two that jump out are the Pha Chor Canyon and the wine region in east Georgia.
Practical Information For Visiting The Mystery Craters In Bundaberg
It looks harmless enough from this view
Getting There: The craters are located on the highway between Bundaberg and Gin Gin. There is no public transport available so you preferably need a car. Alternatively, you can book a tour from the Bundaberg Information Centre.
Alternatively, you can hitchhike from Bundaberg which I did successfully. I waited on Mount Perry Road, just past the round-a-bout as you leave Bundaberg. I waited 20 minutes to get picked up, then 10 minutes when returning to Bundaberg from the Mystery Craters.
Hitching back home
Entrance Fee: $9.50 for adults (concessions are cheaper). It’s a bit pricey for what it is really but if you like the idea of it at all, definitely check it out.
Food and Drink:
Who wouldn’t wanna picnic here!?
Snacks and drinks are available at the gift shop but you should definitely take a picnic along. The garden area around the craters is beautiful and at least you know there’s one topic of conversation at be had at lunch.
Nearby Activities: The next closest tourist attraction is the Sharon Gorge Nature Park, 16km away on the way to Bundaberg. You can free overnight.
