The Bundaberg Sailing Club was officially formed in 1908, though sailing was conducted on the Burnett River as far back as the late 1880s, operating from the ‘old sugar sheds’ in Quay Street.
After both wars in the 20th century, the Club raced the popular ‘12ft Trainee Dinghy’, later known as the ‘Thorpe 12’, a major class until its demise in the 1970s – the Club hosted the Australian Championships in 1972. The ‘Gwen 12’ became the Senior Class in the 60s along with the ‘Pelican Class’ Junior Dinghy; fleets of thirty-plus boats would race on the river on Saturday afternoons with many spectators lining the riverbank.
A low-set clubhouse was built in the early 1960s near the old ‘Rowers’, where the Club remained until 1982 when the building was sold and became the ‘Spinnaker Restaurant’. The sale enabled the Club to relocate to its current site at Strathdee’s Reach and build a new clubhouse and boat ramp, giving sailors closer access to the open waters off Burnett Heads.
Over time, fibreglass off-the-beach craft (both multihull and monohull) grew in popularity, and the Club has produced many State and National Champions across a variety of classes. The Club later built walkway access to a pontoon for yachts, used weekly by Bundaberg Sailability.
A severe flood in 2013 damaged the pontoon and ramp facility, which was rebuilt, but the 2026 floods caused further loss of a walkway and pontoon. Despite these challenges, the Club owns the freehold of its waterfront land and has storage facilities for members’ yachts and trailer sailors, helping generate income.
The Club looks forward to its ongoing place in the community as one of the oldest sailing clubs in the country.