We’re delighted to be hosting #EverythingOpen in a regional area. Simply put, if you’re an open source developer, open hardware hacker, open data
designer, open GLAM practitioner or open education specialist living and working in Australia’s regions, then it’s harder to connect and collaborate
with like-minded people.
Everything Open is for Everyone Open and the good news is that getting to Gladstone is easier than you might think!
The Traditional Owners of the Gladstone area are the Port Curtis Coral Coast People, which comprise four groups: the Gurang, the Gooreng Gooreng, the Bailai, and the Taribelang Bunda. These Indigenous groups have deep connections to the land, culture, and community in the region.
Gladstone is tropical, and you can expect the weather to be in the mid-20s and a little humid.
It’s a 560 km, 6 to 7-hour drive from Brisbane depending on the route you take, there are daily flights from Brisbane Airport (BNE) to Gladstone Airport (GLT) which take around an hour, and twice-weekly flights from Tullamarine (MEL) with Bonza.
You could even ride the 160kph Tilt Train, or one of the more luxuious trains as a travel experience. (Important Note: See below for track works that have been tentatively scheduled at the start of the Conference.)
Everything Open will be held in the Gladstone Entertainment and Convention Centre - please note this is a different venue to the Gladstone Events Centre.
There are plenty of accommodation options to choose from, eateries to explore, and sights to see.
When you arrive at Gladstone airport, it’s a 10-minute taxi or Uber ride into central Gladstone and you can expect to pay $AUD 15-20.
The flight time from Brisbane to Gladstone is around an hour.
Qantas operates 6 flights a day between Brisbane and Gladstone, ranging in price from $AUD 240 to $AUD 300 one way or around $AUD 500 to 600 return.
Virgin operates 2 flights a day between Brisbane and Gladstone, and you can expect to pay $AUD 200 to $AUD 300 one way or around $AUD 400 to $AUD 600 return.
Bonza operate flights from Melbourne (Tullamarine) twice a week. You will need the Bonza app to check and book flights.
Virgin and Qantas do not fly direct from Melbourne and you will need to fly via Brisbane.
There are currently no direct flights from Sydney to Gladstone, so you will need to fly via Brisbane.
The Tilt Train will be running a reduced service of only one trip per day, instead of their normal two, due to major maintenance on the high-speed trains themselves.
There are also other trains for a more relaxed experience, such as The Spirit of Queensland which runs between Brisbane and Cairns, and The Spirit of the Outback which travels to Longreach.
Unfortuantely, Queensland Rail have tentatively scheduled track maintenance between the 11th and 16th of April, and are expecting to run no trains leaving Brisbane at all over that period, replacing them with a Bus. This does mean that if anyone does want to experience the 160kph Tilt Train on the way to Gladstone, they should organise their travel to be before the 11th of April.
There is currently no planned maintenance after that until the 26th of April.
For up to date information, please see the Service Updates page and scroll to the bottom of the page, and then select the ‘Planned Maintenance’ tab.
If you are planning on driving, there are several picturesque routes from all over Australia - but be aware that from Melbourne, it’s a 3-day drive. You can find several suggested itineraries below if you’re making Gladstone part of a longer road journey. You also need to be aware there are several roadworks in operation between Brisbane and Gladstone, and that the nearby roads are populated by large trucks, tankers and heavy goods vehicles.
Greyhound operates services between Brisbane and Gladstone twice daily. You can expect to pay around $AUD 80-200 for a one way trip depending how far in advance you book. The bus takes around 12 hours, and arrives lates at night.
Gladstone offers a range of accommodation options, catering to different needs.
There’s a wide variety of things to do when you’re not at Everything Open, or having some downtime, from Eco-Tourism all the way to Industrial Tours (PPE is usually required).