Did you know Curtis Island, just a short vehicle ferry ride off the coast of Gladstone, Qld, is made up of a conservation park, a national park and a state forest? There is a smaller (arguably an uglier side of the island) area dedicated to mining that is restricted, plus the small town of Beachton, where the ferry lands/departs. All up, it has a population of just a few dozen souls who call this their permanent residence. The workers, either itinerant or permanent, are not counted in these figures.
Getting to and from the island is via the pre-booked Curtis Ferry Service, which has just a couple of runs on select days, with a single run on Mondays. Times and services change during long weekends and Christmas. I’d imagine times might change with other factors, too, so it’s best to check in advance, closer to the time you hope to visit. You can’t just turn up at the dock and presume you can drive on.
The ferry also caters for the mining sector – earth-moving equipment and their vehicles. We had the pleasure of sharing our ride with a dozer, drilling rig, a 10,000-gallon rain tank and a Telstra work ute, so bookings are essential to reserve your space.
Once on the island, you are free to explore the (mostly) easily negotiated tracks, other than the restricted mining areas. Yes, you’ll need a 4WD, but most tracks are gravel and easily traversed, with sandy sections that vary with the weather. Beach driving is restricted to high tide, so timing must be carefully managed. As always, with any offroad adventure, you should be self-sufficient in negotiating all types of 4WD tracks, and your self-retrieval skills should be ready to be deployed at all times.
Offroad caravans and 4WD campervans can easily navigate most of the island, though some vans may need to dodge a few low-hanging branches.
CURTIS ISLAND EXPERIENCES
Don’t go to Curtis expecting an epic 4WD adventure, filled with winching, bogging, and mechanical mayhem. Nope, this island offers sedate, easy-to-mild 4WD driving conditions, complete with spectacular coastal scenery and breathtaking vistas – a perfect escape from your day-to-day living, with little worries of being stuck for days on end.
There are a few designated camp areas at Southend, Joey Lees, Turtle Street, plus Yellow Patch, which is accessible only by boat. All sites offer little luxuries, but all require you to bring everything you need for your camping comfort. No fires, no toilets, no water, and no power make this an ideal remote, off-grid experience. Generators and chainsaws are prohibited, so ensure you have cooking covered with gas or 12/240V variances.
All sites must be pre-booked online, and there is limited phone reception on the island.
For the fanatical fishos whose ‘tug is your drug’, you’re in for a dynamite time here, so long as the wind isn’t howling. Casting your eggbeaters from the beaches and rocky headlands will see your evening dinner plates overhanging with succulent fish, with a side plate of crabs and cold drinks if you so desire.
For sun-worshippers wanting to top-up their tan, there are plenty of sandy stretches and grassy patches to spread your beach towels. Beach swimming, along with exploring rock pools, will wash your worries away, as the warm waters offer all-day dips. Just watch out for stingers (in season) and sharks, as on most beaches in Australia.
Mountain-bikers and hikers will have their pedals pumping and their walking sticks striking Mother Earth on all-day treks, with some trails marked explicitly for you. No motorbikes or vehicles are allowed in these sections, so your serenity is secured. Do ensure you set off with adequate water, a first-aid kit, and some form of communication, and keep in mind you’re on a remote island. There’s no quick access for anyone to rescue you. There are dedicated driving, walking and cycling tracks in parts, of which the latter are graded, numbered and signposted, with distance markers to help you choose which tracks suit your abilities.
Loggerhead, green and flatback turtles include Curtis Island in their nesting areas. These are best seen during October to March – turtle nesting season, of course. Nesting sites are generally marked and signposted, but it’s best to check with local authorities for more information. Do keep your distance from any turtle in the water or on the beaches.
If you’re lucky enough to come across hatchlings (baby turtles) escaping their sandy nest, keep away and leave them alone. Don’t be tempted to help any of them into the water, thinking you’re saving them from birds, fish or other wildlife. They need to fend for themselves, build up strength and learn the way of the wild. Interference from well-intentioned humans doesn’t help in the long run.
Those into camping, photography and general lazing about will thrive on Curtis Island. The varied wildlife – we saw amazing spiders and webs, crabs, horses and dog/dingo footprints, to name a few – will have you snapping off rolls of film, filling memory cards, or maybe even flapping a few polaroids in excitement over a scene worthy of hanging on the lounge-room walls.
History buffs will be intrigued to learn that there were pilot and quarantine stations operational in the mid to late 1800s, although these operations were later closed and relocated. Cattle grazing on private property was also a highlight in years gone by, with feral cattle and horses undergoing ‘pest management’ with the lands now dedicated to eco-tourism and conservation.
There have been a couple of lighthouses on the island to warn passing seafarers, one of which was relocated to the Gladstone Maritime Museum. Others have been demolished and abandoned, while the latest is a smaller, modern beacon to guide ships off the gnarly, rocky coastline.
THE LAST WORD
During our adventures on Curtis Island, we found unexplained relics, fascinating snippets of times past, and the natural beauty we had little knowledge of just months before booking our ferry trip from Gladstone. This island is one of Australia’s little-known patches of paradise, perfect for a week’s respite from the hustle and bustle of our busy lives.
MARK’S WISE WORDS
Curtis Island may not be in the middle of nowhere, with it only being roughly an hour’s ferry ride from the mainland, but it is remote with few facilities. It’s not a huge Island, but it can take quite some time to traverse from end to end.
Take your time, enjoy the sights, and learn all about its natural beauty, along with the surprisingly large-scale industry that pipes coal seam gas to the island and turns it into liquified natural gas for export.
I guess these things must happen somewhere, but it seems crazy that parts of this unique island have been handed over for these purposes.
GENERAL INFO: www.parks.qld.gov.au/parks/curtis-island
FERRY SERVICE: www.curtisferryservices.com.au
CAMPSITES: www.book.parks.qld.gov.au/camping
