Discover river- and lakeside camping, plus gold mining history, near coastal Gladstone.
Calliope, an old Queensland gold mining town, is an easy place to stop and enjoy the forests, historic homesteads, and native bush when travelling between Rockhampton and Bundaberg. Now essentially a dormitory town for coastal Gladstone, Calliope is a pleasant place to camp in its own right, with caravan parks in the town and beside the Calliope River. It also offers easy access to Lake Awoonga, formed by the damming of the Boyne River, where you can camp, swim, kayak, and fish the lake’s abundant stocks of various species. Nearby Gladstone is a gateway to the Southern Great Barrier Reef, so is a more peaceful alternative to jumping-off points in North Queensland, such as Airlie Beach or Cairns. Find coastal camping around Gladstone and the appropriately named Camp Island, nearby.