Review from Brisbane's "Courier Mail"

BUNDY THINKS HE CAN

THOMAS the Tank Engine ain't got nothing' on our Bundy. And it you've
never heard of him, you're about to.

This little loco huffed and puffed his way from Woodford to north
Queensland, retracing his tracks through the sugarcane industry.
Producer of Bundy's Last
Great Adventure, Larry Zetlin of Gulliver Media, coordinated the
scenic journey across kilometres of unconnected sugarcane tracks.

And it was no holiday. The 52-year-old steam engine dug the wheels in
on several occasions and needed more than a kick in the engine to get
started again. In Bundaberg it required a visit to the foundry where
it was built.

"Once the top managers were no longer involved all the foremen and
people on the ground bent over backwards to help us," Zetlin says.

Zetlin uses Bundy to guide viewers through the history Of Queensland's
sugarcane industry, including the notorious "black birding" period
when Pacific islanders were recruited as cheap labour for the cane
farms.

The historical content, combined with stunning high- definition camera
work by Craig Lucas forms an intriguing package that has already
proven popular with US and Japanese train fanatics who have discovered
it on the lnternet.

Zetlin has had to disappoint several would-be tourists wanting to
retrace Bundy's path on their next visit Down Under.

"I don't think you could really do it again," Zettin says.

"It took two years of negotiating with all the different mill owners
(to use their tracks). You need special insurance and the Department
of Transport has to approve safety issues so it took a lot of time to
cross all the T's and dot all the I's."

- Allison White
Courier Mail. TC Guide. Thursday September 20, 2001

From the September issue of "Railway Digest", published in Australia by the Australian Railway Historic Society

(New South Wales). Website: www.arhsnsw.com.au

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The steam days are long gone in the Queensland sugar fields but Bundy, a preserved narrow gauge loco, is alive and well. Bundy, named after Bundaberg Workshops where it was built half a century ago, travels a circuitous 2000-kilometre route from Nambour to Bundaberg, with whistle stops at local townships along the way including Mackay, Ingham, Tully, Innisfail,Cairns and Mossman.

And you don't need to be a rail enthusiast to enjoy Bundy's epic trip. While there is plenty for the railfan, non-enthusiasts will enjoy this video with its laid back, laconic Aussie-style commentary, spectacular scenery, and insight into Australian history. Along the way we meet up with railwaymen from the days of steam and glimpse their working lives and enthusiasm for the trains they worked. The contrast between old and new comes into stark focus at Bundaberg Workshops where Bundy returned for a spot of unexpected maintenance work during the journey north.

This video moves at a steady speed and there is never a dull moment as it examines the communities and industries along the route and their links with rail. The soundtrack may not be to everyone's taste but it is reasonably unobtrusive and in keeping with the theme and style of the video. The photography cannot be faulted and the overall presentation keeps even the most cynical viewer's attention. A sense of humour intersperses this mainly factual account of the journey north as we take a number of unexpected stops (watch out for the crab and the swimming pool).

In summary, Bundy's Last Great Adventure is suitable for viewers of all ages, it is both entertaining and informative. Bundy's spectacular landscapes, outrageous characters and the odd yarn or two make it a great watch.

The diminutive loco's journey was part of Queensland's Centenary of Federation celebrations and drew considerable crowds on its way north. At the conclusion of the tape, we learn that Bundy is now in residence, and operating every Saturday, at the Australian Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Woodford, Qld... next holiday north, I’ll be stopping off for a visit. Bundy's got me hooked!