 Gladstone is a coastal town that's home to giants of industry including the largest alumina factory in the world. It's also Queensland's largest port exporting vast quantities of coal and grain.
The dynamic, modern city basks in a subtropical climate with islands, waterways and beaches on the doorstep of the Great Barrier Reef. It offers fabulous boating, fishing, watersports and much more.
Gladstone is home to Queensland's favourite crustacean, the mud crab, and large numbers of barramundi can be found in the surrounding lakes and estuaries for those keen to cast a line. The waterways provide a great opportunity for the amateur fisherman, with a huge variety of species available to the skilful angler.
The delicious 'muddie' and mouth-watering freshwater 'barra' are a thriving industry in these parts and many find their way to the tables of quality restaurants and eateries in the city and region, often combined with local tropical fruits such as avocado, paw paw and pineapple.
Gladstone's attractive marina is a launching point to the outlying Great Barrier Reef. A two-hour catamaran ride or a 30 minute helicopter trip over the reef will get you to Heron Island, a haven for seabirds and one of the most beautiful diving spots on the coast. Thousands of visitors flock to Heron for the extraordinary annual turtle nesting and hatching season from November through to April.
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