Day 1,747 of Traveling the World | Gladstone, Australia | November 14, 2022

Ahh, Gladstone – good to know you, but “Slim Pickins’” on things to do and see. The big deal here is that Gladstone is the beginning of the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea. However, the city acknowledges that it is an industrial city with industrial ports. They try hard to provide experiences for cruise tourism – a whole schedule of things to do and where to go for the day! There is a hop-on hop-off bus, museums, a world class botanical garden (a little ways outside of town), and various tours of breweries, etc. Also, just outside the port, there is a waterside park where the city has set up all-day entertainment, kiosks with handcrafted items, and food/ice cream. So, it is nice that there is something to offer to incoming cruise ships. The water color is other-worldly here, an intro to the Great Barrier Reef! And walking along the bay, and taking some photos from the ship, was really the best part of Gladstone. Our photos are a mixed bag, as usual, of nature and of local flavor. Tonight, we head for Papua New Guinea!

A morning shot of the islands off the coast.
…and another!
This photo was taken along East Shores Park.
A tile mural on one of the park buildings.
Up on the bluff overlooking the bay is this house with a lookout porch!
Auckland House Brewery sits on the bay.
A line of these fir trees were planted along the shore.
The walkway zigzags along the bay, with views of the offshore islands.
There is even a small lighthouse in the park!
We love this “lineup!” They were looking at the people on benches, looking at THEM!
For the kids, there is this set of fountains and an adjacent playground.
Some of the entertainment scheduled for the day. They were pretty good!
One of the booths with handmade crafts – this one calls itself “A Little Bit of Lovely.”
A closeup of the art piece in the previous photo – pretty unusual.
This booth had every kind of cane topper imaginable.
BOOP-OOP-A-DOOP! – ??? We LOVE this license plate!
There is this little circular island out in the bay!
Another angle of the bay.
Calm and peacefulness out on the ocean side of Gladstone. THIS is why people come here!

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