_edited.png)
Gladstone ~ Queensland
Gladstone is 518 kilometres north of Brisbane and is predominantly an industrial town; however, as well as its bustling port, it has incredible parks and gardens and a fascinating maritime history.
The Port of Gladstone is one of the largest bulk commodity ports in the world, handling over 30 different products and more than 83 million tonnes of cargo annually.
On our recent visit to Gladstone, we started the day wandering through the East Shores Parklands, then explored the HMAS Gladstone II and the Maritime Museum. We then visited the Tondoon Botanic Gardens and Spinnaker Park.
The East Shores Parklands is a world-class recreational precinct with a water play park, meandering boardwalks, playgrounds, a café, a stunning waterfall, several picnic and barbecue areas and plenty of green space.
The Little Sea Hill Lighthouse was initially erected at Sea Hill Point on Curtis Island in the 1800s and has a unique hexagonal base.
The HMAS Gladstone II is a 42-metre ex-Australian Navy Fremantle Class Patrol Boat berthed in the East Shores Precinct and now a museum boat. Guided tours are available on the weekends from 10.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.
The Gladstone Maritime Museum houses a collection of boats, navigational aids, shipwreck relics and detailed model ships.
The Tondoon Botanic Gardens is on Glenlyon Road, six kilometres from the town centre. There are 83 hectares of lovely gardens surrounding Lake Tondoon. This lake provided Gladstone’s water supply until 1945; now, it is a habitat for various birds.
There are beautiful wood carvings, an observation tower, playgrounds, picnic and BBQ areas and a lovely, tranquil Japanese tea garden.
Spinnaker Park is four kilometres from the Gladstone town centre and is nestled between the Marina and the Harbour. Open every day from 5.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m.; this parkland is a great spot to watch the boats, swim, or explore the two and a half kilometres of walking tracks.
We wandered along the Discovery trail, a fun, educational one-kilometre walking track with six information boards, where we learned interesting facts about Gladstone’s key marine animals.
Comments