Gladstone, Queensland, Australia

View of Gladstone from the Auckland Inlet
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gladstone,_Queensland,_Australia_-_Auckland_Inlet,_with_the_Power_House_in_the_background.JPG
Author: Nickj


Gladstone is a city on the coast of Queensland, Australia. It is located about a hundred kilometers to the southeast of Rockhampton, between the Calliope and Boyne Rivers. Gladstone has a population of around 30,000 people (2012 estimate).

The city of Gladstone was named after British statesman William Ewart Gladstone, who was the Prime Minister of Great Britain for four separate times. Until the arrival of Europeans in the area, the city bearing his name was the traditional home of the Baiali, Goereng and Goreng Goreng tribes of indigenous people.

British explorer James Cook sailed into Gladstone Harbour in the cover of darkness in 1770. In 1801-03, Matthew Flinders became the first European tosight it in daylight, in August 1802. He proceeded to name it Port Curtis, after Admiral Roger Curtis. The site was again explored, by John Oxley, in 1823. He was dismissive of the site, finding it difficult to access and not worth the effort to establish a settlement.

Despite Oxley's unpromising assessment, a colony was established at Port Curtis through the expedirion by Colonel George Barney in 1847. He arrived with soldiers and convict laborers, but ran aground on the southern tip of Facing Island, where they spent seven weeks before being rescued. The intended site of settlement nonetheless was named after him, becoming Barney Point.

The town that became Gladstone was established around 1853, following the survey conducted by Francis MacCabe on the shores of Port Curtis. From the 19th to the mid 20th century, Gladstone had a meatworks at Parsons Point. The present development and growth of Gladstone was largely due to the Queensland Alumina refinery which was set up in 1963. Tourism remains a small part of its economy.

View of the powerhouse in Gladstone from a helicopter
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gladstone,_Queensland,_Australia_-_Power_House_from_Helicopter.JPG
Author: Nickj

Visiting Gladstone

There are domestic flights connecting Gladstone with Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, Rockhampton and Mackay. You can also drive to Gladstone from all the aforementioned towns on the A1 (Bruce Highway).

Places of Interest in Gladstone

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