Bill McKinstrey starts his day with a coffee and crosswords before taking an ocean-side walk around the central Queensland town of Southend with his best friend, a fierce dachshund named Peaches.
About 10 kilometres away, three liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants are in full production, exporting roughly five per cent of the world's LNG.
The retiree had been visiting what he calls the "beautiful paradise" of Curtis Island, off Gladstone, for 25 years before he decided to call it home in the 1990s.
"[It's] a very well-kept secret," he said.
Located in the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) World Heritage Area, the island is a major habitat for critically endangered Capricorn yellow chats and a nesting site for vulnerable flatback turtles.
In 2014 the last herd of cattle was mustered off the island's Monte Christo cattle station to the mainland to make way for the multi-billion-dollar LNG plants.
The Gladstone Conservation Council (GCC) opposed the development from the start, arguing detrimental environmental impacts were likely, but many residents said life in Southend had not changed.
Living with gas 'in your backyard'
The three facilities on the island are owned by QGC Pty Ltd, Santos GLNG, and Australia Pacific LNG.
Coal seam gas (CSG) is pumped through underground pipelines from southern and western Queensland to Curtis Island, where it is condensed into LNG for international export.
A Shell QCLNG spokesperson said the plants were built on the island because LNG production needed deepwater port access to accommodate the vessels and a suitable clearance from other activities.
The first shipment left the island in 2015, with production increasing ever since.
"I've spoken to people in Gladstone and they've said, 'Oh, it's a bit dangerous for you people on Southend with the gas company in your backyard'," Mr McKinstrey said.
"But I mean, we've got that huge hill there and if anything did happen to the gas plant, a major explosion, I think it'd affect Gladstone more so than it'd affect here."
At the height of construction, thousands of jobs were created.
Gas in a World Heritage Area
Coordinator Anna Hitchcock said the GCC was formed in 2011 by a group, including some residents, fighting to stop LNG development.
"It was really a very visible industrial encroachment on people's way of life, because Curtis Island had always been very, very green, covered in vegetation," Ms Hitchcock said.
A 2011 UNESCO report, said the World Heritage Committee's position on oil and gas exploration and exploitation is that these activities are "incompatible with World Heritage status".
It noted "with extreme concern" the approval of the LNG facilities on Curtis Island and said it was a clear "potential danger" to the GBR's Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and integrity.
Ms Hitchcock said despite the report, and subsequent recommendations, the projects went ahead.
"We've had huge swathes of mangroves cleared, the dredging of the harbour, which caused all sorts of environmental damage and now we have great gas plants and light pollution, flaring, black smoke," she said.
Environment and Heritage Protection disclosure log documents showed a $8,538 penalty infringement notice was issued to QGC for black smoke in 2015, and a $13,000 fine to Santos GLNG in 2019.
Environmental impacts
A Queensland Department of Environment and Science (DES) spokesperson said the LNG plants were declared Coordinated Projects and required environmental impact statements (EIS) prior to approval.
"There are a range of monitoring conditions associated with each of the EAs [environmental authorities] for the release of contaminants such as air emissions, water, wastewater, and noise," the spokesperson said.
"DES is not aware of any current compliance issues in relation to the EA."
The department spokesperson said an offset deal between the DES and all three LNG operators had resulted in 25,700 hectares of land being turned into national park or conservation park.
"The acquisition of this land and the financial contributions from the LNG companies has assisted the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) with the establishment and management of the island's protected areas, which includes threatened species and their habitat."
'No direct impact'
About 40 permanent residents live in the tight-knit community. Many are multi-generational, including Linda Strickland who purchased her home from her parents in 2018.
She has frequented the island for 40 years and watched the town's infrastructure develop.
"[The LNG operation] doesn't really have a direct impact," Ms Strickland said.
"The only thing I could gripe about is you see the glow from the plant at night time.
"The gas plant hasn't been there long enough to really notice long-term impacts on the environment."
Kerry and Eileen Freney, who have owned a home on the island for 20 years, said the hall built through gas company grant funding had provided a place for everyone to meet.
"It's a real asset to the whole community," Mr Freney said.
"The day-to-day operation of the plants goes unnoticed over here and really has no affect on us in the slightest."
The future of Curtis Island
Mr McKinstrey said the elderly people he met on the island years ago, who have died or moved away, passed their homes down to the next generation.
"Ten or 12 houses have changed hands in the last 12 to 18 months so that's a lot of new people in a little community like this," he said.
Tyson Sellin purchased a block of land on the island in 2021 and has built a temporary house for his family to live in on holidays and weekends.
"We were walking around, and one thing led to another, there was a for sale sign out the front and we went for it, never looked back," he said.
The electrician, who plans to retire on the island, said he had worked at every gas plant on Curtis Island and understood opinions for and against.
"It's just one of those things, we need the industry, you need work somewhere, you need to make the money somehow," he said.
"It's just the way it is, you learn to live with it – you've just got to have that balance."
