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32
Be here: Gladstone
AROUND CENTRAL QUEENSLAND
Gladstone – a real
contrast of industry
and nature
by Joanne Perry
Originally dubbed Port Curtis
in 1802, Gladstone received its
current moniker in 1853 in honour
of the then-English Chancellor
of the Exchequer and future
prime minister, William Ewart
Gladstone. After modest beginnings, in the late
20th Century Gladstone became one of Queensland’s
fastest-growing towns, drawing its strength from
coal mining and other industries, and a flourishing
export trade, especially to Japan and China.
Positioned between two large rivers, the Calliope
River and the Boyne River, the city is home to
Queensland’s largest multi-commodity port. Gladstone
Harbour is also protected by Facing and Curtis Islands –
just two of 14 islands within the Gladstone region.
From the majestic heights of Kroombit Tops
National Park in the west through to the deep coral
lagoons of the Southern Great Barrier Reef, Gladstone
is home to some of the State’s top tourist attractions
including one of the best dive and snorkelling sites in
the world.
Whereabouts
Proclaimed as a city in 1976, Gladstone is located about 550
kilometres by road north of Brisbane and 100 kilometres
south-east of Rockhampton. It covers a land area of about
128 square kilometres and is in close proximity to the
seaside twin towns Tannum Sands and Boyne Island.
People and property
In 1853, the town of Gladstone was surveyed and
the first sale of town and suburban allotments took
place the following year. The population increased
from about 6,000 to 20,000 in the period between
1960 to 1980, which strained the social fabric and local
infrastructure, and branded Gladstone a ‘caravan’ town.
More recently, the Gladstone community has grown
dramatically from a ‘sleepy hollow’ township to a major
industrial city, with an estimated population of 60,000
in the wider Gladstone region. The population boom is
tipped to continue in the near future as the city meets
the needs of an emerging liquefied natural gas industry.
Goondoon Street, in Gladstone’s city centre, has four
heritage-listed sites – the Catholic church and school
(1920s), a former Commonwealth Bank (1920s), the
former town hall which now is the gallery and museum
(1930s) and the former post office (1924). The Port Curtis
dairy complex in Short Street is also heritage-listed.
What goes on here
Known for being Queensland’s premier port city
and boasting several of the nation’s most significant
industries, Gladstone is home to the world’s largest
alumina refinery, built in 1963, and Australia’s largest
aluminium smelter.
With a sub-tropical climate, the Gladstone region
has a diverse range of environmental beauty and
outdoor recreation options. Gladstone’s Tondoon
Botanic Gardens are home to more than 1,500 species of
plants from the Port Curtis Region and Tropical North
Queensland. The gardens are set upon an 83-hectare
site with a wide variety of flora and fauna. Lake
Tondoon, situated in the centre of the gardens, once
provided the source of Gladstone’s water supply until
1945.
The city’s primary water supply is now Lake
Awoonga. Located 25 kilometres south of Gladstone,
the lake has been stocked with several fish species
since 1996, with about 200,000 fish released each year
including barramundi.
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