How often does a boat actually go to Facing Island? Nine times a week from Gladstone Marina, spread over five days, on the same vehicle ferry that serves Curtis Island. On Tuesdays and Thursdays it does not go at all.
Sailings as offered in Curtis Ferry Services' booking system for the week from Saturday 26 September 2026, read on 25 September 2026; Gladstone departure times match the operator's printed weekly timetable Curtis Ferry Services – Ferry timetables and online booking · 2026-09-25
Does a regular ferry really run to an island most visitors to Gladstone never notice? It does, and it is closer to a working service than a tourist one. Curtis Ferry Services, which has run in Gladstone Harbour since 1997, sails from its terminal at Gladstone Marina to two landings on the same trip: South End on Curtis Island and Farmers Point on the north-western tip of Facing Island. Its two ferries carry foot passengers, four-wheel drives, trailers, quad bikes and freight.
The frequency is what people get wrong. Counting from the operator's booking system for the week starting 26 September 2026, Facing Island has one sailing each way on a Monday, two on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and none on Tuesday or Thursday: nine a week in each direction. The Gladstone departure times match the weekly timetable printed on the company's website. The times back from Farmers Point appear only in the booking system, because that printed timetable lists South End and not Facing Island.
It is also a trip you plan around a vehicle or a tent rather than a whim. Vehicle bookings are essential and vehicles check in 30 minutes before the boat. On the island, access beyond the landing is by four-wheel drive only, the campground is about two kilometres from where the ferry drops you, and Gladstone Regional Council is blunt about the one thing that catches people out: there is no drinking water.
Every price here is for one leg, and it is the same whether you are going out to Farmers Point or coming back. A car fare includes its driver, and the family vehicle fares fold passengers in with the car, which is usually cheaper than paying for the car and the people separately.
Curtis Ferry Services publishes no fare table on its website, so these figures come from its booking system alone. We found them identical on three different sailings, but treat them as the price on the day we looked and confirm it when you book; the company's terms say fares are subject to surcharges and seasonal changes.
| Adult 15+ | $ 23 |
| Child 5–14 | $ 14 |
| Child 4 and under | Free |
| Family, 2 adults and 2 children | $ 63 |
| Family, 2 adults and 3 children | $ 74 |
| Family, 2 adults and 4 children | $ 79 |
| Car up to 5.5 m | $ 92 |
| Large vehicle up to 6.5 m | $ 110 |
| Car up to 5.5 m with a family of 2 adults and 2 children | $ 136 |
| Vehicle up to 6.5 m with a family of 2 adults and 2 children | $ 154 |
| Quad bike | $ 46 |
| Side-by-side buggy | $ 58 |
| Motorbike | $ 35 |
Fares shown in Curtis Ferry Services' booking system on 25 September 2026 for three sailings between 30 September and 2 October 2026; identical in both directions Curtis Ferry Services – online booking (CustomLinc) · 2026-09-25
From the marina the ferry heads out across Gladstone Harbour, home to what the operator calls one of the largest multi-cargo ports in Australia, to the two outer harbour islands. Farmers Point lies about ten kilometres from the terminal in a straight line, and about two kilometres from South End on Curtis Island, which is why one boat serves both landings on the same trip. The company gives no journey time for the Facing Island leg.
The terminal is on Alf O'Rourke Drive at the Gladstone Marina, though the company's own pages give it two different street numbers, 215 and 222, so follow the map pin rather than the number. Secure car parking is available at the terminal, which matters if you are leaving a car behind for a camping trip. Drivers have to be checked in no later than 30 minutes before the boat goes; foot passengers can walk straight on once the crew has finished loading. Camping permits are not sold here but at the Gladstone Visitor Information Centre on Bryan Jordan Drive in the marina complex.
The boat comes in at Farmers Point, a handful of houses on the island's north-western tip; the position here is the one in Queensland's place names register. Beyond the landing, vehicle access is by four-wheel drive only, and the tracks count as public roads, so vehicles must be registered and drivers licensed. The Oaks camping ground is about two kilometres from the drop-off.
Vehicle bookings are essential and check-in closes 30 minutes before departure. A standard vehicle is under 5.5 metres and a large one under 6.5; the declared length must include any load and a trailer is measured from the towball. The crew can refuse a vehicle whose size was wrongly declared.
Gladstone Regional Council states plainly that there is no potable water on the island. Campers must bring enough for their whole stay, and there is nowhere to empty a chemical toilet.
Overnight campers need a council permit for The Oaks camping ground, which has 32 unpowered sites, limited permits and a first-in allocation. You must be 18 to book, a family can take up to three sites, and stays can run to 42 days. Day visitors need no permit.
There is no sailing on either day. Miss the 15:15 from Farmers Point on a Monday and the next boat off the island is Wednesday's 08:45; the council's no-refund rule covers campers who miss the barge.
Dogs may travel but must be leashed unless restrained in a vehicle, and no animal is allowed in the saloon. Other animals go in a box or cage. On the island, the council wants dogs on a lead or tethered at all times.
The operator recommends Facing Island's southern reef for sweetlip, coral trout and mackerel and the northern beaches for whiting, bream and flathead, and asks anglers to understand the zoning and fishing rules first. The council adds that ticks are known at its island campgrounds.
Matthew Flinders named Facing Island on 6 August 1802, according to Queensland's place names register, during his voyage in HM Sloop Investigator. Today it is one of the two outer harbour islands that Curtis Ferry Services supplies with passengers and goods, and its settlement at Farmers Point is only about two kilometres from South End. The operator's pitch for the island is long sandy beaches, surfing, fishing and bush; the practical reality is that everything you need for your stay comes over on the boat with you.
Camping is the main reason to stay. The council runs The Oaks camping ground, 32 unpowered sites allocated on a first-in basis, with bookings through the Gladstone Visitor Information Centre up to 12 months ahead. Overnight campers need a permit; day visitors do not. Wood and charcoal fires are banned, gas and kerosene stoves are fine, and the council's refund policy names the ferry outright: miss the barge and the camping fee is not refunded. Further down the Queensland coast, the barge from Inskip Point to K'gari is another crossing where the permit and the boat are separate purchases, and the Kingfisher Bay ferry another where the vehicle fare decides the budget.
Nine each way. There is one on Monday, two on Wednesday, two on Friday and two each on Saturday and Sunday, and none on Tuesday or Thursday. The pattern comes from Curtis Ferry Services' booking system for the week from 26 September 2026.
At Farmers Point, a small settlement on the island's north-western tip. The same boat also calls at South End on Curtis Island, about two kilometres away across the channel.
$92 each way for a vehicle up to 5.5 metres, driver included, or $110 for one between 5.5 and 6.5 metres. With two adults and two children riding in the vehicle, those become $136 and $154.
No. Gladstone Regional Council only requires a permit for overnight camping at The Oaks. Day visitors can go across and back without one, for example on the 08:00 out and the 15:15 back on a Wednesday or at the weekend.
Foot passengers can: the company's terms tell them to go to the bar in the saloon on the middle deck to pay their fare or hand in a ticket. Vehicles must be booked in advance, and full payment is taken when you book.
Only on Fridays, when the last sailing leaves Farmers Point at 18:15. On Mondays, Wednesdays and weekends the final departure from the island is at 15:15.
No. The council says there is no potable water on the island, so campers must bring enough for their entire stay. There are composting toilets at The Oaks, but no chemical toilet disposal point.