Bundaberg is a destination that punches above its weight when it comes to family-friendly dining experiences. At Macadamias Australia’s The Orchard Table restaurant, we sit on the terrace sipping rosé as we watch the kids crack open nuts on logs and frolic amongst the trees nearby. The venue has the look and feel of a winery, but offers a macadamia-inspired menu, with dishes such as as mango macadamia salad, a farmhouse quiche with house made macadamia short crust pastry and a steak sandwich with macadamia mayonnaise. We also enjoy a complimentary macadamia tasting, trying nuts roasted with local honey, salted and coated in chocolate.

Windmill Cafe in Bargara is a must, not just for the novelty factor, but also for fantastic food and service in pleasant surroundings. The windmill in which the award-winning eatery is housed was built by a Dutch couple and has served as a restaurant, store and artist's studio over the years. The café’s owner Joey Caruana, a trained chef who has worked at top restaurants in the UK, has a passion for using local ingredients, with farmers often dropping produce off at the gate. Trees with overhanging branches, hanging plants and twinkling lights decorate the garden, and there’s a hive with native bees, a swinging chair and colourful foam blocks for kids to play. The menu has an international twist, with offerings such as poke, nasi goreng and banh mi, as well as waffles for breakfast and rainbow and bubble gum-flavoured gelato.

Tinaberries strawberry farm also offers delicious ice-cream, served in a rustic old timber cabin, with the chance to pick your own berries in early spring. Named after the farm’s co-owner Tina McPherson — because Bruce’s Berries didn’t sound as good — the venue is eclectically decorated with wine barrels, old farm equipment, lanterns and saddles, and pink petunias in hanging baskets. Oliver loves meeting the galah in the aviary, and playing games including pétanque, giant Jenga and checkers.