Gladstone, Queensland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gladstone Queensland |
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 Location of Gladstone in Queensland (red) |
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| Population: | 28,500 (2004 est.) |
| Area: | 147 km² |
| Location: | 532 km from Brisbane |
| LGA: | Gladstone City Council |
| State District: | Gladstone |
| Federal Division: | Hinkler |
- For other uses, see Gladstone (disambiguation).
Gladstone is an industrial port city located on the coast of Queensland, Australia. The city's population stands at 28,500 (2004 estimate), of whom 3.5 percent are of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin, with the remainder being of primarily European descent. An additional 15,800 (2003 estimate) persons live in the adjoining Calliope Shire. Being a port city, its local commerce is primarily industrial-based and include large-scale industrial plants include alumina refineries, aluminium smelting, heavy chemicals and shale oil.
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[edit] Facilities & Attractions
Gladstone has several primary schools (Clinton State School, Kin Kora State School, South State School, West State School, Central State School, St John's College, Star of the Sea, Trinity College and St Stephens Lutheran College(Prep-12)), three high schools (Gladstone State High, Toolooa State High and Chanel College), and one university campus, Central Queensland University. It is also home to award winning CQIT (TAFE) Gladstone Campus. It was once branded "Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef" as it has access to Heron Island and other islands from the marina.
Gladstone has much to offer both tourists and locals alike. Gladstone attained the title of "Tidy Town of 2003". Some of the local attractions include Gladstone Marina where people can relax and enjoy a picnic or make use of the barbecues.
[edit] Spinnaker Park
Spinnaker Park provides a small netted swimming area, shelters, and barbecues, and some great walking paths. At certain times of the day you may spot the pods of dolphins which frequent the harbour. From Auckland Point lookout you can view the harbour and get a look at the workings of a major wharf.
[edit] Barney Point
Barney Point provides barbecues, shelters and walking areas and a local park. Lake Callemondah is a very quiet, has several walking paths around the lake and a few nice spots to stop, relax, and watch the birdlife.
[edit] Boyne Island
Boyne Island and Tannum Sands have grown in popularity because of their beautiful beaches and relaxed lifestyle. The Millennium Esplanade is a big attraction where there are lots of shelters, barbecues and walking paths, and long stretches of beach.
[edit] Lake Awoonga
A little further afield (25km south of Gladstone) is Lake Awoonga. The recreation area continues to draw visitors from all over Australia, with free barbecues, swimming, landscaped walking trails, as well as a cafe and caravan park. The lake has been stocked with several fish species since 1996, and over 2 million barramundi have been released, with the largest caught at the end of 2005 weighing in at a hefty 30.3kg.[citation needed] In addition to the fishing, Lake Awoonga has many wonderful natural attractions, especially the wildlife. With 200 species of birds (or 25% of Australia's bird species) found in the region. Lake Awoonga is also the primary source of Gladstone's water supply.
[edit] Tondoon Botanic Gardens
Established in 1988, the Tondoon Botanic Gardens in Glenlyon Road, Gladstone, specialize in Australian native plants, particularly those of Central Queensland.
[edit] Shopping
While Gladstone at present has a small number of shopping precincts, this is improving. The main shopping malls/centres are Stockland Gladstone (formerly the Kin Kora Centre/Mall which has a number of major national retailers such as Woolworths, Big W, Kmart, Target Country, Coles and Best and Less); Centro Gladstone (Woolworths and The Warehouse are the two biggest retailers) and Gladstone Central (that includes the Night Owl Centre, with a number of franchises including Dominos Pizza, The Cheesecake Shop, Subway, Nightowl, Civic Video, Sportspower and Toyworld. IGA Express has recently been constructed and the Gladstone Cinemas have also moved here. The centre is undergoing futher expansion with a Dicey O'Rielys Restaurant now open for business). There are also many smaller shops located along the "main" street of town in the CBD (Goondoon Street).
[edit] Transport
Peak hour traffic along the Dawson highway (the main thoroughfare into the city centre for residents living in the outer suburbs of Clinton and New Auckland) can be a headache for commuters with waits of up to 10 mins at times. Gladstone City Council has finished construction of a four-lane section of road, which was previously only two lanes (between the Chapman Drive roundabout and the Penda Avenue roundabout). However, this is currently undergoing reconstruction with the iminent opening of a new Bunnings Warehouse and Harvey Norman Superstore.
It is also a major stop on the North Coast railway line, with many long-distance passenger trains operated by QR TravelTrain stopping in the area. Freight trains also pass through the region.
The city of past few years has experienced major growth booms with industries setting up and expanding, new services have been provided to cope but are not doing quite well. The city centre is being re-developed (and currently open) to attract visitors back to the city instead of outer suburban malls.
[edit] Airport
Gladstone is serviced by the Gladstone-Calliope Domestic Airport with daily flights to the state's capital city Brisbane and other locations around the state. A train station is serviced by the famous QR Tilt Train and other state trains.
[edit] Sport
Much of the city is passionate about sports, especially rugby league, horse racing, touch football and hockey. Notable tennis player Rod Laver is a local.
[edit] History
Prior to European settlement, the Gladstone region was home of the Baiali (or Byellee) and Goreng goreng Aboriginal tribes.
In May 1770, the HM Bark Endeavour, under the command of James Cook, sailed by the entrance to Gladstone Harbour under the cover of darkness. Matthew Flinders, during his 1801-1803 circumnavigation of Australia, became the first recorded European to sight the harbour in August 1802. He named the harbour Port Curtis, after Admiral Roger Curtis, a man who was of assistance to Flinders years earlier at the Cape of Good Hope. John Oxley conducted further exploration of the harbour and surrounding countryside in November 1823. Oxley was dismissive of the region, noting the harbour was difficult to enter, the countryside was too dry, and the timber useless for construction purposes.
Nevertheless, a colony was eventually established at Port Curtis. Colonel George Barney's expedition was eventful. On January 25, 1847, the Lord Auckland, carrying 87 soldiers and convicts, arrived off the southern entrance of Port Curtis and promptly ran aground on shoals off the southern tip of Facing Island. The settlers spent seven weeks on the island before being rescued by the supply ship Thomas Lowry and delivered the intended site of settlement, the region now known as Barney Point.
The convict settlement lasted barely two months. A change of government in Britain ordered the withdrawal of Barney and the settlers. However, interest in the region remained. By 1853, Francis MacCabe was surveying the site of a new town on the shores of Port Curtis. Maurice O'Connell was appointed government resident the following year, resulting in an influx of free settlers as land became available throughout the region. In 1863, the town became a Municipality with Richard Hetherington elected Gladstone's first mayor.
For a brief moment in its history, Gladstone was considered as a potential capital city for a new colony. Queen Victoria signed the Letters Patent on February 17, 1846 resulting in the establishment of the Colony of North Australia, with the intended capital of this colony being the settlement on Port Curtis. These plans were shelved when the colonists were withdrawn in 1847. In 1859, Gladstone was again considered as a potential capital as the colony of Queensland seceded from New South Wales - this honour later went to Brisbane, a decision that caused some disquiet north of Brisbane.
Development of Gladstone was slow until 1893, when a meatworks was established at Parsons Point. In 1963, Queensland Alumina Limited established its alumina refinery on the site of the old meatworks. Gladstone's port facilities were expanded and the city launched into an era of industrial development and economic prosperity.
[edit] Sister city
In the sister city program, Gladstone is twinned with the Japanese port of Saiki.
[edit] Suburbs
The following is a list of Gladstone suburbs recognised by the Committee for Geographical Names in Australasia.
- Gladstone City
- Barney Point (site of first settlement)
- Byellee
- Callemondah (primarily industrial)
- Clinton
- Glen Eden
- Kin Kora (site of main shopping centre)
- Kirkwood
- New Auckland
- South Gladstone
- Sun Valley
- Telina
- Toolooa
- Watson (primarily light industrial)
- West Gladstone
[edit] Persons of note from Gladstone
- Paul Bishop, (1966 - ), actor, best known for his role in Blue Heelers
- Jason Hetherington, (born 1971), rugby league player, former captain of the London Broncos
- Shannon Long (1969 - ), model
- Chris Luder, (born May 17, 1979), a final 13 contestant from the 2005 Australian Idol Series.
- PJ Marsh, (Born February 19, 1980), rugby league player, Parramatta Eels (2000-2001, 2005), NZ Warriors (2002-2003) (Career Pts: 94)
- Tony Martin, (Born October 7, 1978), rugby league player, NRL Premiership Winner (Melbourne), 2004 Auckland Warriors (Career Pts: 132)
- Frederick Woolnough Paterson, (1897-1977), Australian politician
