Category: Queensland

Centre of the Southern Reef – The Gladstone Region is a unique area of Queensland – a region where opportunity awaits. This dynamic city basks in a sub-tropical climate with islands, waterways and beaches on the doorstep of the Great Barrier Reef. So many landscapes, variety and so much sunshine provide the visitor with endless opportunities. At the heart of the region, the city of Gladstone overlooks its natural deep water harbour. To the south lie the shires of Calliope and Miriam Vale with idyllic, secluded beaches and scenic National Parks. 1770 is the first place in Queensland that Captain James Cook stepped ashore. Boyne Island is renowned for its beautiful foreshore parks, while its sister city of Tannum Sands offers long sandy beaches for safe coastal recreation. The reef islands within the Gladstone Region are true coral cays, and day trips are on offer to Lady Musgrave Island and Fitzroy Lagoon where visitors can enjoy diving, snorkelling, fishing, reef walking or exploring the flora and fauna The region has several impressive National Parks which add camping and 4 wheel driving to the adventures you can experience in the area. The spectacular cliffs of the Kroombit Tops are cloaked in diverse flora and fauna. Mount Castletower National Park lies at the base of Lake Awoonga with its impressive, yet rugged terrain. Deepwater and Eurimbula National Parks provide the contrast of open eucalypt and paperback forests with lush rainforests and quiet beaches. Gladstone’s Tondoon Botanic Gardens are one of Australia’s few totally native botanic gardens. The display areas specialise in the plants of the surrounding and Tropical North Queensland regions. The Gladstone Entertainment Centre, forms the focal point of the city’s cultural activities. The Gladstone Regional Art Gallery and Museum is a colonial Georgian structure which houses three exhibition areas.

Pechey is a picturesque hamlet located within the Crows Nest Shire. Here you will find a number of reasons to stop, including Granny Smiths Devonshire Teas, the Pechey Forest Park overnight campgrounds and Listening Ridge Farmstay.

Vale View is located just south of Toowoomba and is home to Federation Park. Federation Park is a lovely spot for a picnic or a short walk. Vale View is accessed from Toowoomba via Drayton Road.

Muckadilla lies on the Warrego Highway between Roma and Mitchell. The town can be a fuel stop, at the local service station, or even an overnight stop staying at the hotel motel. Muckadilla is predominantly a grain producing area and has its own grain depot. The town also has a small primary school.

About 13 kilometres south of Noosa, Peregian Beach is one of a string of lovely beaches which form the justifiably praised Sunshine Coast to the north of Brisbane. Just over the sandhills at the southern end of the beach you’ll find Peregian Environmental Park, an area of wallum heath which bursts into a colourful profusion of wild flowers in spring. On the western side of Peregian Beach is Lake Weyba National Park, and Lake Weyba itself, which feeds into the estuary at Noosa Heads. Nearby, too, is the Noosa National Park with its rich mix of coastal heath and scrub and stately rainforest which provide sanctuary and support for a wealth of native flora and fauna. This whole area is a paradise for those who love fishing, boating and surfing…not to mention the renowned ambience and sophistication of Noosa, just up the road. It is a hassle-free drive to the Sunshine Coast, southern beach resort attractions and to the picturesque villages scattered through the waterfall pocked rainforest of the Blackall Range hinterland.