Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

THE CAPRICORN COAST & THE SOUTHERN REEF ISLANDS 327
shared rooms adults, A$11 (US$7.15) children 5–14; A$20 (US$13) double/twin with no bathroom;
A$30–A$35 (US$20–US$23) double/twin with bathroom; A$70 (US$46) per family room. MC, V.
GLADSTONE: GATEWAY TO HERON ISLAND
550km (330 miles) N of Brisbane; 1,162 (697 miles) S of Cairns
The industrial port town of Gladstone is the departure point for beautiful Heron
Island. It is also home to the delectable mud-crab, best savored over a glass of wine
at the award-winning Flinders Seafood Restaurant. About 25km (16 miles)
south of the town are the beach towns of Boyne Island and Tannum Sands,
worth a detour.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE & GETTING AROUND By Car Gladstone is on the
coast 21km (12 1 ⁄2 miles) off the Bruce Highway.
By Plane QantasLink (& 13 13 13 in Australia; www.qantas.com.au) has
many flights a day from Brisbane (trip time: 75 min.) and two direct flights a
day from Rockhampton and Bundaberg.
By Train Queensland Rail (& 13 22 32 in Queensland, or 07/3235 1122)
operates trains most days to Gladstone from Brisbane and Cairns. The fare from
Brisbane (trip time: 6 hr. on the high-speed Tilt Train) is A$84 (US$55); fares
from Cairns (trip time: 20 hr.) range from A$151 (US$98) for a seat to A$298
(US$194) for a first-class sleeper on the Sunlander.
By Bus McCafferty’s (& 13 14 99 in Australia) and Greyhound-Pioneer
(& 13 20 30 in Australia) operate many daily coaches to Gladstone on their
Brisbane–Cairns runs. The fare is A$78 (US$51) from Brisbane (trip time: 10 1 ⁄2
hr.) and A$142 (US$92) from Cairns (trip time: 17 1 ⁄2 hr.).
Avis (& 07/4978 2633), Budget (& 07/4972 8488), Hertz (& 07/4978
6899), and Thrifty (& 07/4972 5999) all have offices in Gladstone.
VISITOR INFORMATION The Gladstone Information Centre is located in
the ferry terminal at Gladstone Marina, Bryan Jordan Drive, Gladstone, QLD
4680 (& 07/4972 9000; www.gladstoneregion.org.au). It’s open from 8:30am to
5pm Monday through Friday, and from 9am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday.
WHERE TO STAY
Country Plaza International This four-level hotel in the center of town
runs a free shuttle to the wharf for guests bound for Heron Island. Gladstone’s
largest and best hotel, it caters primarily to business travelers, so it has ample
facilities—spacious rooms with balconies, modern bathrooms, an upscale seafood
restaurant, and a pool and sun deck. Most rooms have views over the port or the
city. There are six three-bedroom apartments and one two-bedroom apartment.
100 Goondoon St., Gladstone, QLD 4680. & 07/4972 4499. Fax 07/ 4972 4921. www.plazahotels.com.
au/gladstone.htm. 80 units. A$130 (US$85) double; A$140–A$150 (US$91–US$98) apts. AE, DC, MC, V. Free
covered parking. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; outdoor pool; business center; free transfers from airport, coach
terminal, marina, and train station; 24-hr. room service; laundry service; dry cleaning. In room: A/C, TV w/free
movies, fax, dataport, minibar, coffeemaker, hair dryer, iron.
HERON ISLAND: JEWEL OF THE REEF
72km (43 miles) NE of Gladstone
The difference between Heron and other islands is that once there, you have no
need to travel further to the reef. Step off the beach, and you enter magnificent
fields of coral that seem to stretch for miles. The myriad life forms which abound
are accessible to everyone through diving, snorkeling, reef walks at low tide, or