THE GLADSTONE AREA - QUEENSLAND



Gladstone Gallery and Museumbr>
Japanese Tea Gardens at the Botanic Gardens

In the Deepwater National Park

Heron Island



Main towns in this Region


SEE BARRIER REEF MAP
SEE AREA MAP

 Intrepid Australian coastal explorer Matthew Flinders named Port Curtis on his circumnavigation in 1802 little knowing it would one day be one of Australia's busiest ports servicing the world's largest alumina plant and and a host of other minerals extracted from the Queensland hinterland.
Gladstone, while principally a mining port, is also a major touring area for the Great Barrier Reef and many islands are off the coast.
There are also many places to visit in the town including some historic buildings, the Regional Art Gallery, Auckland and Round Hill lookouts, Reg Tanna Park and much more.


Holiday Hints
CLOTHES
Gladstone enjoys a sunny climate and I recommend you take a hat, sunglasses and a good UV and water resistant suncream. Informal dress is standard with some more formal clothes for restaurants and hotels. In winter the temperature can drop of a night so something warm to put over the top is a good idea if you are visiting between May and September.

SOME PLACES TO VISIT

  • Gladstone Maritime Museum - Gladstone
    Gladstone Maritime Museum's displays focus on but are not limited to the maritime history of the Curtis Coast and the Capricorn-Bunker Coral Islands. Displays cover discovery and exploration of the focus area, settlement, early and current industry, Naval involvement and recreational use of the region.
    Notable displays include the 'Wreck Wall' showing shipwreck location up until recent times, and the 'Jenny Lind' figurehead with the story of the self-rescue saga following the shipwreck on Kenn Reef.
    A number of very detailed models illustrate early sailing vessels, naval vessels, and even the paddlesteamer 'PS Premier' which provided the passenger link from the end of the Railway at Gladstone through the narrows to Rockhampton over a century ago.

  • Calliope River Historical Village - Calliope
    The Calliope River Historical Village is a true heritage experience which has captured and preserved some of the original buildings from around the Gladstone Region.

  • Gladstone Regional Gallery & Museum - Goondoon St. Gladstone
    The Gladstone Regional Art Gallery and Museum was established in 1985 and is a community cultural initiative funded by the Gladstone Regional Council. It is dedicated to promoting art and heritage for and by the communities of the Gladstone Region and Central Queensland, acting as a focal point for the preservation and display of the region's history and cultural heritage. Housed in the heritage listed old Gladstone Town Hall, the current Gallery/Museum buildings are linked by a glass bridge walkway, purpose-built to accommodate the 19th century marble statue of the Region's namesake, William Ewart Gladstone.

  • Discovery Coast Historical Society Museum - Agnes Water

  • Deepwater National Park - Agnes Water
    Deepwater National Park protects sandy beaches, diverse coastal lowland vegetation and the catchment of near-pristine Deepwater Creek, one of Queensland's few remaining undisturbed coastal.

  • Eurimbula National Park - Agnes Water

  • Kroombit Tops National Park - Biloela

  • Isla Gorge National Park - Theodore
    A panorama of sculpted sandstone cliffs, peaks and outcrops greets visitors to Isla Gorge National Park - the striking rock formations and maze of gorges changing colour with the movement of the sun. Spring wildflowers, rare plants and rock-wallabies can be seen. Eucalypt forests hug the ridge-tops while dry rainforests cling to gullies and shaded slopes. Watch wedge-tailed eagles and peregrine falcons riding breezes and honeyeaters feeding on wattles. Have fun finding familiar shapes in strange rock formations. Drive to Flagstaff Hill to see the remains of a hand-paved road built in 1864.
    Camp overnight or have a picnic overlooking the gorge. (Beware of loose cliff edges when walking around the camping and picnic areas or on the short track to a small natural lookout).

  • Broadwater Conservation Park - Rules Beach
    Nestled on the coast between Baffle Creek and Deepwater National Park, Broadwater Conservation Park is a quiet retreat for self-sufficient campers. This small diverse coastal remnant contains casuarina woodland on the foredunes, mangrove-lined creeks, and mixed eucalypt open forest and paperbark woodland further inland. Between June and October you may see migrating whales breaching out at sea.
    Go birdwatching or fishing. Stroll along the beach as soldier crabs skittle into holes. Explore life behind the dunes in mangrove-lined creeks. Camping in the Broadwater area (Mitchell Creek) is closed until 30 September 2013. Vehicular access to Rules Beach is not available due to severe dune erosion. Pedestrian and vessel access is available and the park is open for day use.

  • Tondoon Botanic Gardens - Gladstone
    The Tondoon Botanic Gardens are home to an impressive species of plants from the Port Curtis Region and Tropical North Queensland. The gardens are set upon an 83 hectare site with a wide variety of flora and fauna. Officially opened in 1988, the gardens provide local residents and visitors with a place of inspiration, recreation and relaxation and is a popular place for picnics, cultural and ceremonial events. Take a stroll around the Japanese Tea Gardens, and the numerous walking tracks throughout the gardens and discover superbly cultivated gardens nestled into Mount Biondello. Lake Tondoon situated in the centre of the gardens once provided the source of Gladstone's water supply until 1945. Today the lake provides a habitat for a variety of freshwater birds. Free guided tours of the gardens are available each week. Picnic areas with electric barbecues, tables and chairs, toilets and kids playground are all available, free of charge. Each year Tondoon Gardens play host to 'Ecofest'. Established in 1998, Ecofest is one of the Nation's biggest environmental awareness events held in June.

  • Greycliffe Homestead - Biloela
    Built in the 1970 from slabs handcut with adze and pitsaw.


    • ACCOMMODATION SEARCH
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  • INFORMATION CENTRES:
    Gladstone Visitor Information Centre
    Marina Ferry Terminal, Bryan Jordan Dve. Gladstone QLD 4680
    Ph: 07 4972 9000 - gladstonevic@gapdl.com.au

  • Boyne Island Visitor Information Centre
    Castletpwer Building, Cnr. Wyndham & Hayes Ave. Gladstone QLD 4680
    Ph: 07 4972 8062 - tannumvic@gapdl.com.au

  • Miriam Vale Visitor Information Centre
    Cnr. Bruce Hwy & Roe St. Gladstone QLD 4677
    Ph: 07 4974 5428 - miriamvalevic@gapdl.com.au

  • Agnes Water 1770 Visitor Information Centre
    71 Springs Rd. Gladstone QLD 4677
    Ph: 07 4902 1533 - agneswatervic@gapdl.com.au

    HOW TO GET THERE:

  • Gladstone has an airport serviced by QANTASLink, and Virgin Blue
  • Daily Greyhound Coach or Travel Train Rail
    Gladstone is a 5 hour drive north of Brisbane along a freeway, and the Bruce Hwy.

    •     © Copyright Peter W. Wilkins