During WWII, Gladstone was home to the Port Curtis Seaplane Base and its accompanying alighting area. Located within the Port Curtis channel, north of Auckland Point, the alighting area was approximately six square kilometres in area. It also, included a number of mooring buoys just near the mouth of Auckland Creek. Land based facilities were limited to crew quarters and a bomb dump.

There was also an alternative alighting area within the Calliope River, west of the main town centre.