Lady Musgrave Island camping upgrades improve accessibility and amenities

The $765,000 revitalisation of Queensland’s popular Lady Musgrave Island is now complete with upgrades to provide accessibility and new amenities.

Sitting about 60 kilometres north-east of Seventeen Seventy, Lady Musgrave Island is one of the more popular islands for campers in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area with more than 150,000 people visit Lady Musgrave every year.

The revitalisation by Queensland-based companies Be! Building Group and Gladstone Drafting Pty Ltd involved replacing amenities on Lady Musgrave with a new advanced composting toilet system and a building that is accessible for people of all abilities.

The design and construction uses low-maintenance materials and installation methods that reduces the long-term impact on the sensitive environment. The zero-discharge treatment system safely manages visitor waste, protecting the fragile coral cay ecosystems.

The new amenities block also includes an upgraded storeroom, which makes the camping area easier to manage for volunteer campground hosts.

Campground host Sarah Salmon provides advice and support to visitors staying on Lady Musgrave, and said the new facilities benefited volunteers like herself.

“The upgraded facilities here on Lady Musgrave Island will mean us campground hosts can more easily maintain the area, meaning we’ll have more time to give visitors a better experience while they’re here,” Salmon said.

“The upgrades also create a more inviting atmosphere for visitors as they explore this beautiful part of the Great Barrier Reef.”

The works are part of the Reef Joint Field Management Program and delivered in partnership by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.

The project was funded by the program and Reef Trust in collaboration with Australia Pacific LNG, QGC, and Santos GLNG.

QPWS contracted Gladstone Drafting Pty Ltd to design the new area and Be! Building Group to carry out the works.