Gladstone Airport (GLT)

Owned and run by Gladstone Regional Council, Gladstone Airport is 10 kilometres west of the city centre, and was opened in 1954. It was named the Australian Airport Association’s Regional Airport of The Year in 2011.Gladstone is about 100 kilometres south-east from Rockhampton, the other major city of Central Queensland. Car rentals are available at the airport from Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Thrifty. There are car parks for short-term and long-term stays, with the pick-up area located in the short-term area. Parking is free for the first half-hour. A taxi stand is just outside the domestic terminal. Door-to-door shuttle bus services are available through Gladstone Airport Transfer; book online or call at least 24 hours in advance on 0437 902 302.

Transportation

There is no bus route travelling to Gladstone’s city, but the 502 route bus travels to Seaview from the airport.

Attractions

Gladstone is a heavily industrially-focussed city, with major LNG developments, one of Australia’s biggest multi-commodity ports, and two of the country’s biggest alumina refineries. It is also the southern gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, with excellent diving sites, pristine beaches and the coral cay Heron Island off its coast. Heron Island is a superb diving site, and the peak turtle breeding time of October to March is a major attraction. There are also several National Parks in the Gladstone region, including Kroombit Tops, the crash site for the WWII bomber the B-24D, which features waterfalls and impressive sandstone cliffs.

Weather

Gladstone enjoys a tropical savanna climate, and has an average high and average low temperature of 31.2 and 22.5 degrees Celsius in January, and 22.8 and 13.3 in July.

The busiest air route from Gladstone Airport is Brisbane, travelled by the two airlines serving the airport, Virgin and QantasLink. QantasLink also provides services to Cairns, Rockhampton, Sydney, Townsville and Mackay.