All great adventures start early. Mc-Glad-Rock is no exception. Up at 4:45am at Figtree for our 7am Virgin flight to Brisbane. All went well. Only 80min in Brisbane before continuing on to Rockhampton where a near-new 4 Cylinder Petrol Toyota Camry car awaited us for the price of a mini !!!
The 108km drive to Gladstone was smooth but rainy. Lucky for us the rain stopped as we pulled into our hotel to ready ourselves for a long walk of the city centre. “Gladdy” was isolated. This was Boxing Day but it reminded us of COVID-19 – there was no one about. At all. The sun pierced through thick cloud to reveal a colourful central street and some buildings dating back to early 1900’s. The centre is neat and tidy and on top of a hill giving it a feeling of openness.
Gladdy is famous for its port that exports shit loads of coal to China. There is a huge coal fired electrical plant close to the centre of the city and a major cement manufacturer. There is not a single hybrid or electrical car in sight !!!
The weather was frightfully hot and humid but the fact that the city is on top of a hill brings breezes that slows the sweat down. We saw the following sights: Round Hill Lookout, Gladstone Presbyterian Church & Gladstone Regional Art Gallery and Museum (Opposite), Gladstone Regional Council Chambers, Lady Nelson Park, Along Flinders Parade to The Dock & bottom of East Shores, Along East Shores Walking Track, East Shores Dolphin Viewpoint, HMAS Gladstone, Auckland House, Auckland Point Lookout, William Golding Memorial Lookout, Gladstone Entertainment & Convention Centre.
Our favourite site was HMS Gladstone, a retired navy vessel that actually fought in the Battle of the Coral Sea that featured a young JFK and saved the Ozzies of the Kokoda Trail (to be released by Golfco Pictures next year).
Enjoy Gladdy Kravitz !!!
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