Introduction to Gladstone, QLD

GLADSTONE is a busy port, and also the site of the Boyne Island processing plant, which refines aluminium from ore mined at Weipa on the Cape York Peninsula. Glaringly hot, there's no reason to stop here unless you're trying to reach the reef – if you're planning to camp on any of the southern cays, Gladstone is where you need to make arrangements through the NPWS office, at 136 Goondoon St (Mon–Fri 8.30am–5pm; tel 07/4972 6055, fax 4972 1993); if booking by post, mail the office at PO Box 5065, Gladstone. If you've time to spare, the Tondoon Botanic Gardens, about 7km south of town, comprise a part-wild spread of wetlands, woodlands, forests, and native shrubs, all expertly laid out – you'll probably clock up wallabies and birdlife here too.

The main strip is Goondoon Street, where there's a "mall" – just the usual high-street shops, post office and banks – plus a couple of hotels and motels. You'll find a helpful information centre (Mon–Fri 8.30am–5pm, Sat–Sun 9am–5pm) inside the ferry terminal at the marina, about 2km north of the centre on Bryan Jordan Drive. Gladstone Reef Hotel, 38 Goondoon St (tel 07/4972 1000; $80–110), has ordinary motel rooms and good views from a rooftop pool. Places to eat on Goondoon include the Grand Hotel, which offers straightforward grills, and Swaggy's, where you can spoil yourself with native cuisine – emu, crocodile, kangaroo – though at gourmet prices.

Diving can be arranged through Last Wave Watersports, 16 Goondoon St (tel 07/4972 9185), which runs irregular trips to Lamont, Llewellyn and Fitzroy reefs south of Heron. For longer trips, Mikat (tel 07/4972 3415, www.mikat.com.au) caters to more serious divers and covers much of the southern reef from Lady Musgrave to Northwest islands.

Information by Rough Guides

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