Get lost with these great day trips from Gladstone

2. Though the neighbouring Town of 1770 may hold more appeal. This is one of only four places on the east coast of Australia where you can watch the sun rise and set over the ocean - an experience best enjoyed from the beachfront 1770 Beach Hotel and Restaurant.

3. Flex your 4WD skills with one of the best day trips from Gladstone being Curtis Island. Sitting just 12 kilometres off the mainland, you can clamber across on the ferry to the picturesque destination which has become a firm favourite among camping fans.

4. Grab your board and hit the waves of Queensland’s most northern surf beach with a visit to neighbouring Agnes Water. The beach stretches across six kilometres in length and has become a popular place for wave chasers to congregate thanks to its regular swell. Not surfed before? Gnarly Tours Surf School will show you the ropes.

5. Seek adventure in the Sandstone Wilderness, a cluster of 25 mountain ranges stretching out from the Great Dividing Range. There’s plenty to see and do here, with 100 state forests and national parks found within this stretch.

6. Go for a bushwalk. While these form a number of great day trips from Gladstone, one of the most popular is the walking trail dubbed Paperbark Forest Boardwalk, a 45-minute sojourn which weaves around the circular paperbark trail in Reedy Creek Reserve.

7. Call yourself an angler? Throw a line in the Boyne River, a fishing-favouring waterway that sits just an hour away from Gladstone central. The most popular species caught here include barramundi, queenfish, and surf bream. Fishing trips galore are also available offshore, thanks to the likes of 1770 Creek2Reef Fishing Charters.

8. Paddle in hand, make for Lake Awoonga. This local attraction beckons outdoors enthusiasts with its plentiful fishing, boating and kayaking potential - while you’re welcomed to bring your own vessel, there is plenty of watersport equipment to hire on the shoreline.

9. Spend a night under the stars on Facing Island. The beachfront campgrounds showcase the beauty of the pristine getaway, which resides just 12 kilometres from Gladstone and is accessible by private boat or regular public barge.

10. Satisfy your history craving with a trip to the wreckage of the B-24D Liberator Bomber Aircraft dubbed Beautiful Betsy that crashed into Kroombit Tops National Park back in World War II. Just keep in mind you’ll be travelling along unsealed roads to get there.

11. Work up a sweat with a climb of Mount Larcom, just 30 minutes from town. Be warned that the hike tends to take around 5 hours to complete, but you will be rewarded with 360 degree views of the surrounding landscape.

12. Treat your kids to some time spent in the past with a visit to the Calliope River Historical Village. One of the more historic day trips from Gladstone, this open air museum nudges the Calliope River and is host to regular country markets.

13. Following your own food tour is one of the best day trips from Gladstone. Drop by Gecko Valley Winery for a drink, tuck into one of the famous pies at Mount Larcom Café, and gorge on a seafood feast, fresh from the trawlers at Gladstone Fish Market.

14. Pedal your way along the 15 kilometres dubbed The Turtle Way, intertwining Tannum Sands and neighbouring Boyne Island. This bike path winds alongside the waterways and is an ongoing community project, with public art along the way. Enjoy the year-round swimming afterwards at the Tannum Sands patrolled surf beach.

15. Pack a hamper for one of the most relaxing day trips from Gladstone, enjoying a picnic at the free Tondoon Botanic Gardens, considered one of the country’s best regional gardens. Opened in 1988, this place sits on the cusp of Lake Tondoon, at the base of Mount Biondello. Stretch your legs post-feast with a light walking tour which takes around an hour.