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Gladstone glow-up: how this Queensland town is reinventing itself

Carla GrossettiBy Carla Grossetti
Hit the road to Gladstone, in Central Queensland, to discover local beaches, brews and a city changing its tune.

I haven’t been to Gladstone since I was about 11, one of four kids crammed in the back of a VW kombi van. My dad, an English subject master, encouraged us to make up a sing-song of the place names as we bounced along the Bruce Highway to Brisbane. It was both a game and geography lesson.

Rockhampton, Marlborough, St Laurence too
Carmila, Clairview, skies so blue
Gladstone, Miram Vale, the sun breaks through
Gin Gin and Bundaberg we’re coming for you

The staccato tune has stayed with me ever since. And returning to Gladstone, Traditional Lands of the Bailai, Gurang, Gooreng Gooreng and Taribelang Bunda peoples, after all these years made me nostalgic for those carefree east coast road trips of my childhood.

Gladstone’s glow-up: a new era for Central Queensland

an aerial view of the pool at Peppers Gladstone
The property has a heated pool.

Gladdie, as the town is affectionately known, is again on my radar thanks to the Peppers Gladstone property that opened here in February 2025. Peppers Gladstone shares its footprint with Mantra Gladstone and marks the first new-build hotel to open in the region in more than a decade. It is, says general manager Craig Conley, a clear sign that Central Queensland is evolving as a place to linger.

the bathroom at Peppers Gladstone
Earthy interiors at Peppers Gladstone. (Image: Toby Scott)

“Peppers Gladstone has helped put the town on the map," says Craig. “And, being a dual-branded property, it offers guests a choice between the familiar comforts of Mantra and the elevated experience of Peppers," he says. Craig says Accor, in collaboration with Yaralla Sports Club, launched the five-star hotel to provide a five-star accommodation option for visitors in town on both business or leisure.

pool bar at Peppers Gladstone
The Pool Bar at Peppers Gladstone.

The property speaks to its locale. There is the indoor-outdoor space near the pool and terrace designed for all seasons. And each room is themed – Outback, Coastal, City, Rainforest – reflecting the diversity of the surrounding landscape. We’re in an Outback room, which is all earthy tones and textured wallpaper, and a reminder that we’re deep in the agro-industrial Queensland countryside.

Industry meets evolution in Gladstone

the Boyne River estuary, Tannum Sands
Boyne River estuary meets the ocean at Tannum Sands. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland/Mark Fitz)

You can’t tell the story of Gladstone without acknowledging its role as a major export hub for billions of dollars’ worth of coal and liquid natural gas. It’s a town that was built around heavy industry. And this Accor property is designed to accommodate some of the executives who are visiting Gladstone, one of the largest bulk commodity ports on the planet. And while the Port of Gladstone Harbour Tour is one of the most popular tours in town, visitors to the region should also widen that circle to include its abundance of pristine beaches – Tannum Sands, Agnes Water, Seventeen Seventy – untouched islands and subtropical hinterland.

an aerial view of the coastal town of Seventeen Seventy, Gladstone
The coastal town of Seventeen Seventy. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland/Jesse Lindemann)

Craig is somewhat of an evangelist for the area’s attractions and says the Peppers property is a great example of the area’s evolution. “The Peppers experience is about community and connection. It feels like a hub for the local community," Craig says.

The best place in town for a pint

food and drinks at Ward’s Brewery, Gladstone
Ward’s Brewery is the city’s only brewpub.

Ward’s Brewery is also a top spot to test the barometer of this true-blue borough. Today, there are young families gathered to celebrate a baby shower around a table decorated with balloons. A group of FIFO bros clad in high-vis vests sinking schooners to mark the end of a stint in the mines. And a couple of grey nomads glued to the pub’s big-screen promotion of Lady Musgrave Island and the Southern Great Barrier Reef.

After living and working in London for 23 years, owner Michael Comley returned to his hometown of Gladstone pre-Covid. He says the pandemic gave him time to ponder his next move: to open the city’s only brewpub in the old soft-drink and cordial factory owned by his family.

Ward’s Brewery Founder, Michael Comley
Founder of Ward’s Brewery, Michael Comley.

“I grew up in the house next door," smiles Michael, in between pulling pints and delivering food around the brewpub, decked out with local artwork, historic photographs and memorabilia. “My family owned the soft drink business from 1974 and the property was sitting empty when I returned, so I felt it was my duty to revitalise it," he says.

The hum of friendly chatter says a lot about Gladstone and the brewpub’s place and position in the community. Ward’s has a rotating list of seven craft beers on tap and a menu of pub grub such as chicken wings burnished orange with spice. And lamb kofta served on tortillas slathered with hummus and stuffed with salad.

“I’ve lived all over the world, and I’m proud to be from Gladdie," Michael says. “The surrounding areas are all on the map for visitors and now it’s finally Gladstone’s turn."

While the region is best known for nearby boom towns Agnes Water and Seventeen Seventy, it is now time to raise a pint of Ward’s award-winning pale ale – it clinched gold at the Melbourne Royal Australian International Beer Awards – to exploring the country’s lesser-known contours. Cue the chorus… Gladstone, Miram Vale, the sun breaks through, Gin Gin and Bundaberg we’re coming for you…   

A traveller’s checklist

Getting there

Gladstone is about a six-hour drive north of Brisbane. Qantas offers direct flights from Brisbane to Gladstone with a flight time of about one hour and 10 minutes.

Staying there

Stay at Peppers Gladstone, where you can dine at Encore and watch your favourite team on the big screen at the adjacent Yaralla Sports Club.

Eating there

two women clinking their cocktail glasses at Gladstone Marina
Raise a glass at the waterfront marina.

Sample local beers at Ward’s Brewery , housed in a century-old cordial factory and serving craft beers and a menu of small bites and bigger plates. Enjoy pub grub and water views at Auckland House , which is open for breakfast and serves an all-day menu from 11am.

Playing there

a family heading to Gladstone Marina in the East Shores precinct
Gladstone Marina in the East Shores precinct. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland/Mark Fitz)

Join a Port of Gladstone Harbour Tour or visit the Gladstone Maritime Museum to learn about the city’s importance as a port and maritime history.

Gladstone Marina from above
Gladstone Marina offers access to the Southern Great Barrier Reef. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland/Mark Fitz)

Take a stroll in the city’s open spaces, along the Millennium Esplanade at Tannum Sands, which has a playground and barbecues, and East Shores Parklands, which includes Gladstone Marina and has a waterfront boardwalk, green space, barbecues and a water play area.

the Tondoon Botanic Gardens, Gladstone
Tondoon Botanic Gardens celebrates biodiverse regional plant species.

Visit the 83-hectare Tondoon Botanic Gardens, which has 3000 plant varieties, a Japanese tea garden, sculptures, a herbarium and a lake.  Agnes Water and Seventeen Seventy are also worth the detour.

Carla Grossetti
Carla Grossetti avoided accruing a HECS debt by accepting a cadetship with News Corp. at the age of 18. After completing her cadetship at The Cairns Post Carla moved south to accept a position at The Canberra Times before heading off on a jaunt around Canada, the US, Mexico and Central America. During her career as a journalist, Carla has successfully combined her two loves – of writing and travel – and has more than two decades experience switch-footing between digital and print media. Carla’s CV also includes stints at delicious., The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Australian, where she specialises in food and travel. Carla also based herself in the UK where she worked at Conde Nast Traveller, and The Sunday Times’ Travel section before accepting a fulltime role as part of the pioneering digital team at The Guardian UK. Carla and has been freelancing for Australian Traveller for more than a decade, where she works as both a writer and a sub editor.
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You haven’t heard of this Qld outback town, but history buffs can’t miss it

    Kassia ByrnesBy Kassia Byrnes
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    Under wide-open outback skies, discover a fossicking gem that’s managed to slip under the radar.

    While the name Clermont may feel new to even the most intrepid traveller, its gilded history stretches back centuries. You’ll find it just off the highway, humming quietly under the hazy veil of Queensland’s outback sun. It’s here, hemmed in by mountains and perched atop soil heavy with the earth’s treasures, that one of Australia’s most accessible outback adventures awaits.

    Thanks to deposits of gold, copper and gemstones – souvenirs left by exploding supernovas and the heave of tectonic plates – Clermont became a centre point of Queensland’s Gold Rush. And now? Australia’s fossicking capital is yours to discover.

    Getting there

    car driving along Capricorn Way in queensland
    Take a drive through Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. (Image: Sean Scott/ TEQ)

    You’ll find Clermont in Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. To get here, it’s an easy three-hour drive over sealed roads from Mackay. Or, if you’re heading from the Sapphire Fields of Emerald, the drive will carve out just over an hour from your day.

    Whether you’re road-tripping through outback Queensland or just tracing your way through all that Australia has to offer, Clermont is remote but easily accessible.

    Best accommodation in Clermont

    Theresa CreekDam in clermont
    Camp by Theresa Creek Dam. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)

    All accommodation comes with a generous helping of country hospitality here. The choice is yours between modern hotels, parking up the camper or pitching a tent.

    Theresa Creek Dam lies just outside town. Begin each day with crisp country air and bright outback sunrises. Spend the night under the sparkling country stars and your days out on the dam fishing or kayaking. Even if you aren’t camping, be sure to save space in your itinerary for an afternoon on the red dirt shore.

    To stay closer to town, opt for a central hotel to base yourself between exploring and fossicking, like Smart Stayzzz Inn and Clermont Country Motor Inn .

    Things to do in Clermont

    three people on a tour with Golden Prospecting
    Join a tour with Golden Prospecting.

    One does not visit Clermont without trying their hand at fossicking. There are strict rules when it comes to fossicking, so stick to areas dedicated for general permission and make sure you obtain your license beforehand. Try your luck at McMasters , Four Mile , Town Desert, McDonald Flat and Flat Diggings . To increase your odds, sign on for a tour with the expert team at Golden Prospecting . They’ll give you access to exclusive plots and expert advice along the way.

    Once you’ve tried your luck on the gold fields, head to the Clermont Township and Historical Museum . Each exhibit works like an archaeologist’s brush to dust away the layers of Clermont’s history. Like the steam engine that painstakingly relocated the entire town inch by inch to higher ground after it was decimated by flooding in 1916. See the tools that helped build the Blair Athol mine, historic fire engines, shearing sheds and all sorts of relics that make up Clermont’s story.

    The historic Copperfield Chimney offers a change of pace. Legend has it that fossickers found a solid wall of copper here, over three metres high, kick-starting Queensland’s first-ever copper mine.

    Bush Heli Services flying over clermont queensland
    See Clermont from above with Bush Heli Services. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)

    For hiking, nearby Dysart is the best place to access Peak Range National Park. Here, mountainous horizons stretch across the outback as if plucked from another world. Set off for a scenic drive along the Peak Downs Highway for access to countless geological wonders. Like the slanting rockface of Wolfang Peak. Summit it, and you’ll find yourself looking out across a scene surely conjured up by Banjo Paterson. Dry scrub dancing in the warm breeze, grazing cattle, eucalypts and the gentle creak of windmills. Don’t miss visiting Gemini Peaks, either, for one of the park’s best vistas, and a blanket of wild flowers after rain.

    Then, take to the skies with a scenic helicopter tour with Bush Heli-Services . Shift your perspective and cruise above all the sights from your trip. Spots like Lords Table Mountain and Campbell’s Peak are best viewed from the skies.

    Before you head home, be sure to explore the neighbouring townships. Spend a lazy afternoon in the shade of Nebo Hotel’s wrap-around verandahs . The hotel’s 1900s dance hall has since been replaced with one of the area’s biggest rodeo arenas, so consider timing your trip to line up with a boot scootin’ rodeo. Or, stop by a ghost town. Mount Britton was once a thriving town during the 1880s Gold Rush. It’s been totally abandoned and now lies untouched, a perfect relic of the Gold Rush.

    Best restaurants and cafes in Clermont

    meal at Commercial Hotel
    Stop into the Commercial Hotel Clermont.

    Days spent fossicking, bushwalking and cramming on history call for excellent coffee and hearty country meals. Luckily, Clermont delivers in spades.

    Lotta Lattes Cafe is beloved by locals for a reason. Start your days here for the best caffeine fix in town and an impeccable brunch menu.

    For a real country meal, an icy cold beer and that famed country hospitality, head straight to the town’s iconic hotel: the Commercial Hotel (known endearingly to locals as ‘The Commie’). It’s been a staple in Clermont since 1877. The hotel even survived the flood of 1916 when it was sawn in two and moved to higher ground.

    Naturally, time spent in the outback must include calling into the local bakery. For delicious pies and a tantalising array of sweet treats, make Bluemac Bakehouse your go-to while in town.

    Discover more of The Mackay Isaac region, and start planning your trip at mackayisaac.com.