Gladstone () is a coastal city in the Gladstone Region,

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. Gladstone has an urban population of 34,703, and together with Boyne Island and

Tannum Sands Tannum Sands is a coastal town and locality in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia. Geography The locality is bounded to north-east by the Coral Sea, to the north-west and west by the Boyne River, and to the south-west by Station Cr ...

, had an estimated population of 50,317 at August 2021. This urban area covers . It is by road north-west of the state capital,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

, and south-east of

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of t ...

. Situated between the

Calliope In Greek mythology, Calliope ( ; grc, Καλλιόπη, Kalliópē, beautiful-voiced) is the Muse who presides over eloquence and epic poetry; so called from the ecstatic harmony of her voice. Hesiod and Ovid called her the "Chief of all Muse ...

and Boyne Rivers, Gladstone is home to Queensland's largest multi-commodity shipping port, the Port of Gladstone. Gladstone is the largest town within the Gladstone Region and the headquarters of Gladstone Regional Council is located in Gladstone. The Gladstone Region was formed in 2008 through the amalgamation of three former local government areas.. hich areas?

History

StateLibQld 1 254231 Ships moored at the docks at Gladstone, ca

Before European settlement, the Gladstone region was home of the Gooreng Gooreng, Toolooa (or Tulua), Meerooni and Baiali (or Byellee) Aboriginal tribes. In May 1770, , under the command of

James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean and ...

, sailed by the entrance to Gladstone Harbour under the cover of darkness.

Matthew Flinders Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British navigator and cartographer who led the first inshore circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then called New Holland. He is also credited as being the first person to ut ...

, 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 Port Curtis is a suburb of Rockhampton in the Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Port Curtis had a population of 281 people. Geography The Fitzroy River bounds the suburb to the north-east. Gavial Creek, a tributary of th ...

, after Admiral

Roger Curtis Admiral Sir Roger Curtis, 1st Baronet, GCB (4 June 1746 – 14 November 1816) was an officer of the British Royal Navy, who saw action in several battles during an extensive career that was punctuated by a number of highly controversial incide ...

, a man who was of assistance to Flinders a year earlier at the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is ...

John Oxley John Joseph William Molesworth Oxley (1784 – 25 May 1828) was an explorer and surveyor of Australia in the early period of British colonisation. He served as Surveyor General of New South Wales and is perhaps best known for his two exp ...

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, in 1847 the British attempted to establish the new colony of North Australia at Port Curtis. Colonel

George Barney Lieutenant Colonel George Barney (19 May 1792 – 16 April 1862) was a military engineer of the Corps of Royal Engineers and became Lieutenant Governor of the Colony of North Australia. Early life George Barney was born in Wolverhampton, ...

was chosen to lead this experiment in colonisation and his expedition was eventful. On 25 January 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 Facing may refer to: *Facing (machining), a turning operation often carried out on a lathe *Facing (retail), a common tool in the retail industry to create the look of a perfectly stocked store *Facing (sewing), fabric applied to a garment edge on ...

. 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. On 30 January at a proclamation ceremony, Barney was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of the colony of

North Australia North Australia can refer to a short-lived former British colony, a former federal territory of the Commonwealth of Australia, or a proposed state which would replace the current Northern Territory. Colony (1846–1847) A colony of North Austr ...

. The convict settlement lasted barely two months and cost the Imperial government £15,000. 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

under the protection of several detachments of Native Police. Maurice O'Connell was appointed government resident the following year, resulting in an influx of free settlers as land became available throughout the region. Gladstone State School opened on 1 April 1861 and is one of the oldest state primary schools in Queensland. On 14 November 1968 its name was changed to be Gladstone Central State School. In 1863, the town became a Municipality with Richard Hetherington elected Gladstone's first mayor. The fledgling town was named after the British Prime Minister

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-con ...

and has a 19th-century marble statue on display in its town museum. Development of Gladstone was slow until 1893 when a meatworks was established at Parsons Point. Parson's Point Provisional School opened on 1 August 1898, becoming Parson's Point State School on 1 February 1913. The school was relocated and renamed Gladstone South State School in 1945. On 2 March 1949, a major cyclone hit Gladstone, resulting in extensive damage to the town. Gladstone State High School opened on 2 February 1953. In 1963,

Queensland Alumina Limited Queensland Alumina Limited (QAL) is one of the largest alumina refineries by alumina production capacity in the world, located in Parsons Point, Gladstone, Queensland, Australia. The refinery was planned in 1964 and has been operating since ...

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. Gladstone West State School opened on 24 January 1966. Rosella Park State School was opened on 17 May 1971. Clinton State School opened on 29 January 1974. Toolooa State High School opened on 27 January 1981. Kin Kora State School opened on 9 October 1981. In 1985 the Gladstone Christian Community School opened as a primary school operated by the Gladstone Baptist Church. In 1998, it changed its name to Trinity College. From 2013 it offered classes from Prep to Year 12. St Stephens Lutheran College opened in 1998, but closed at the end of 2016. The school had lost 20% of its enrolment due to families moving away to find work, leaving only 216 students in classes ranging from Prep to Year 12 making it no longer viable to operate the school. Gladstone Cinemas, a locally owned and operated independent cinema, opened in March 2001. The Gladstone Library building opened in 2003. In the Gladstone had a population of 33,418 people. At June 2018 Gladstone, together with Boyne Island and

, had an estimated urban population of 45,130. Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018.

Heritage listings

Gladstone has a number of

heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many i ...

sites, including: * 94 Auckland Street: Gladstone Central State School, Block B * Gladstone-Monto Road: Glengarry Homestead * Goondoon Street:

Our Lady Star of the Sea Church & School Our Lady Star of the Sea Church & School is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic church and school at Goondoon Street, Gladstone, Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1924 to 1950. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Re ...

* 1 Goondoon Street:

Port Curtis Sailing Club Clubhouse Port Curtis Sailing Club Clubhouse is a heritage-listed club house at 1 Goondoon Street, Gladstone Central, Gladstone, Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Philip Hanman and built from 1949 to 1959. It is also known as ...

* 33 Goondoon Street: Gladstone Post Office * 40 Goondoon Street: Kullaroo House * 114 Goondoon Street: Commonwealth Bank Building * 144 Goondoon Street: Gladstone Regional Art Gallery and Museum (Old Town Hall) * Roseberry Street:

Fig Tree ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending int ...

* 6 Short Street: Port Curtis Co-operative Dairy Association Ltd Factory * 16 Yarroon Street:

Gladstone Court House Gladstone Court House is a heritage-listed courthouse at 16 Yarroon Street, Gladstone, Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Raymond C Nowland and built from 1940 to 1942. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register ...

File:Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church, corner of Goondoon Street and Herbert Street (view from Goondoon St), Gladstone, 2014.JPG, Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church, 2014 File:Port Curtis Sailing Club (view from water), Gladstone, 2014.JPG,

Sailing Club (view from Auckland Inlet), 2014 File:Old Gladstone Post Office, 2014.JPG, Old Gladstone Post Office, 2014 File:Kullaroo House, 2014.JPG, Kullaroo House, 2014 File:Santos House, former Commonwealth Bank (front view), 114 Goondoon Street, Gladstone, 2014.JPG, Former Commonwealth Bank, 2014 File:Gladstone Regional Art Gallery and Museum (Old Town Hall), 144 Goondoon Street, Gladstone, 2014.JPG, Gladstone Regional Art Gallery and Museum (Old Town Hall), 2014

Population

According to the 2016 census of population, there were 33,418 people in the Gladstone urban centre. * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 4.6% of the population. * 76.0% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were New Zealand 3.7%, Philippines 2.3%, England 2.1%, India 1.3% and South Africa 1.0%. * 84.4% of people only spoke English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Tagalog 1.1%, Filipino 0.8%, Afrikaans 0.5%, Mandarin 0.4% and Hindi 0.4%. * The most common responses for religion were No Religion 29.9%, Catholic 22.2% and Anglican 15.7%.

Geography

Gladstone and Rockhampton are the two major cities in the Central Queensland region. Gladstone Landscape

Suburbs

Gladstone Central Gladstone Central is a coastal suburb of Gladstone in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia. It is the historic centre and central business district of the city of Gladstone and the seat of the Gladstone Regional Council. In the , Gladst ...

^* * Barney Point * Callemondah * Clinton * Glen Eden * Kin Kora * Kirkwood *

New Auckland New Auckland is an urban locality in Gladstone in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , New Auckland had a population of 5,085 people. It is on the outskirts of the Gladstone urban area, but, as at December 2020, is experiencing ...

O'Connell O'Connell may refer to: People *O'Connell (name), people with O'Connell as a last name or given name Schools * Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School, a high school in Arlington, Virginia Places * Mount O'Connell National Park in Queensland ...

* South Gladstone * South Trees * Sun Valley * Telina * Toolooa * West Gladstone ^* – the historic center of the city and major business district

Climate

Gladstone experiences a

Tropical Savanna Climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

''aw'') and is one of the southernmost places in Australia to have this classification. Extreme temperatures in Gladstone have ranged from . These temperatures were recorded by the Bureau of Meteorology. The temperature recording for the below table were performed at the following location— 23.86°S 151.26°E 75 m AMSL

Industry

Gladstone's primary industries are mining-related. The Port of Gladstone is the fifth-largest multi-commodity port in Australia and the world's fourth-largest coal-exporting terminal. The port consists of a number of wharves and terminal facilities. Boyne Wharf is used by the Boyne Island aluminium smelter and was opened in August 1982. The western harbour basin has been expanded, primarily to allow increased exports of liquified natural gas (LNG). Furthermore, in 2016, a plant was constructed on Curtis Island to produce and export LNG, a construction project that contributed heavily to city's population and housing boom. Major exports include coal, alumina, aluminium, cement products,

sodium cyanide Sodium cyanide is a poisonous compound with the formula Na C N. It is a white, water-soluble solid. Cyanide has a high affinity for metals, which leads to the high toxicity of this salt. Its main application, in gold mining, also exploits its hi ...

and

ammonium nitrate Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is a white crystalline salt consisting of ions of ammonium and nitrate. It is highly soluble in water and hygroscopic as a solid, although it does not form hydrates. It is ...

. Each year 50 million tonnes of coal passes through the port, making up 70% of the total exports. Gladstone harbor is within the World Heritage Area of the

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, A ...

and has historically supported a thriving seafood industry. In August 2011, a Fisheries Queensland spokesman said they received reports of fish with milky eyes. A spokesman from the Gladstone Fish Markets claimed that diseased fish were still being caught in large numbers in November 2011. Losses to the local seafood industry have been estimated at A$36 million a year. Gladstone is also a tourism destination, with

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as ...

s regularly docking at the port.

Education

Gladstone has a range of primary schools and secondary schools. Gladstone Central State School is a government primary (P-6) school for boys and girls at 74 Auckland Street. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 342 students with 24 teachers (22 full-time equivalent) and 16 non-teaching staff (12 full-time equivalent). Gladstone West State School is a government primary (P-6) school for boys and girls at Boles Street, West Gladstone. In 2017 the school had an enrolment of 647 students with 46 teachers (43 full-time equivalent) and 31 non-teaching staff (20 full-time equivalent). Gladstone South State School is a government primary (P-6) school for boys and girls at 153 Toolooa Street, South Gladstone. In 2017 the school had an enrolment of 330 students with 22 teacher (20 full-time equivalent) and 24 non-teaching staff (16 full-time equivalent). Clinton State School is a government primary (P-6) school for boys and girls at Harvey Street, Clinton. In 2017 the school had an enrolment of 912 students with 64 teachers (59 full-time equivalent) and 46 non-teaching staff (28 full-time equivalent). Kin Kora State School is a government primary (P-6) school for boys and girls at 43 Hibiscus Avenue, Kin Kora. In 2017 the school had an enrolment of 801 students with 57 teachers (51 full-time equivalent) and 27 non-teaching staff (19 full-time equivalent). Rosella Park School is a government school for boys and girls aged from five to eighteen years who have moderate to severe intellectual impairments at 20 Park Street (corner of Rosella Street), West Gladstone. In 2017 the school had an enrolment of 75 students with 20 teachers (19 full-time equivalent) and 30 non-teaching staff (19 full-time equivalent). Due to the specialised nature of the school, its students are drawn from all over Gladstone and beyond into the wider Gladstone Region. Gladstone State High School is a government secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at 30 Dawson Road, West Gladstone. In 2017 the school had an enrolment of 1509 students with 123 teachers (115 full-time equivalent) and 61 non-teaching staff (45 full-time equivalent). Toolooa State High School is a government secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at 2 Phillip Street, South Gladstone. In 2018 the school had an enrolment of 1,004 students with 85 teachers (79 full-time equivalent) and 51 non-teaching staff (33 full-time equivalent). It has two main private schools: St Johns and Trinity College. It also has two university campuses,

Central Queensland University Central Queensland University (alternatively known as CQUniversity) is an Australian public university based in central Queensland. CQUniversity is the only Australian university with a campus presence in every mainland state. Its main campu ...

. Gladstone was also formerly home to CQIT (

TAFE Technical and further education or simply TAFE (), is the common name in English-speaking countries in Oceania for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational cours ...

) Gladstone Campus, before it combined with Central Queensland University, becoming the Gladstone City Campus.

Community facilities

The Gladstone Regional Council operates Gladstone Library at 39 Goondoon Street, Gladstone. The Gladstone branch of the

Queensland Country Women's Association The Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) is the Queensland chapter of the Country Women's Association in Australia. The association seeks to serve the interests of women and children in rural areas in Australia through a network of loca ...

meets at the QCWA Hall at 88 Oaka Lane, Gladstone Central.

Recreation

Gladstone has direct access to Heron Island, Wilson Island, Curtis Island and other islands from the

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or ...

and local airstrips.

Boyne Island and Tannum Sands

Boyne Island and

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. Boyne Island and Tannum Sands are not part of the Gladstone township but are part of the Gladstone region and formerly part of the Calliope Shire.

Lake Awoonga

A little further afield (25 km south of Gladstone) is Lake Awoonga. The recreation area has free barbecues, swimming, landscaped walking trails, as well as a caravan park. The lake has been stocked with several fish species since 1996, and over 2 million barramundi have been released. In addition to the fishing, Lake Awoonga has many natural attractions, especially the wildlife, with more than 225 species of birds (or over 27% of Australia's bird species) found in the region. Lake Awoonga is also the primary source of Gladstone's water supply. Awoonga dam is not part of the Gladstone township but is part of the Gladstone region and formerly part of the Calliope Shire.

Politics

In the House of Representatives, Gladstone is located within the division of Flynn, a traditionally marginal seat currently held by Liberal National MP

Colin Boyce Colin Einar Boyce (born 30 October 1962) is an Australian politician who is a member of the House of Representatives, representing the Division of Flynn since 2022. He is a member of the Liberal National Party and sits with the National Party ...

, who was first elected in 2022. At the state level, it is within the electorate of

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-cons ...

, and is a safe

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the la ...

seat held by

Glenn Butcher Glenn Donald Butcher (born 1961) is an Australian actor and writer. He first came to prominence as a member of the cult Newcastle-based comedy musical troupe The Castanet Club (1982-1991), in which he played parodic lounge singer Lance Norton. ...

, who has represented it since the

2015 Queensland state election The 2015 Queensland state election was held on 31 January 2015 to elect all 89 members of the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The centre-right Liberal National Party (LNP), led by Premier Campbell Newman, attempted to win a ...

Transport

The

Dawson Highway The Dawson Highway is a state highway in Queensland, Australia. It runs for between Gladstone and Springsure where it terminates. From Gladstone to Rolleston it is signed as State Route 60, and then A7 onwards to Springsure. It continues we ...

originates in Gladstone, and it runs westwards for approximately to

Springsure Springsure is a town and a locality in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia. It is south of Emerald on the Gregory Highway. It is the southern terminus of the Gregory Highway and the northern terminus of the Dawson Highway. It i ...

Rail

Gladstone is a major stop on the North Coast railway line, with long-distance passenger trains operated by QR

Traveltrain Queensland Rail (QR) is a railway operator in Queensland, Australia. Owned by the Queensland Government, it operates local and long-distance passenger services, as well as owning and maintaining approximately 6,600 kilometres of track and relate ...

stopping in the area. Gladstone is also the transshipping point for export coal from the Moura and Blackwater coal basins and is one of the largest coal export ports in The Southern Hemisphere. Currently, coal trains of up to 1.7 km in length and 10,600 tonnes' gross weight are run by rail operators

Aurizon Aurizon ( ) is a freight rail transport company in Australia, formerly named QR National. it was the world’s largest rail transporter of coal from mine to port. Formerly a Queensland Government-owned company, it was privatised and floated o ...

and

Pacific National Pacific National is one of Australia's largest rail freight businesses. History In February 2002, National Rail's freight operations and rollingstock (owned by the Federal, New South Wales and Victorian Governments) were combined with Freig ...

to unload at coal terminals at Barney Point, Clinton, and Yarwun. Domestic coal is also railed to the

Gladstone Power Station The Gladstone Power Station is a power station at Callemondah, Gladstone, Queensland, Australia. It is Queensland's largest power station, with six coal powered steam turbines generating a maximum of 1,680 MW of electricity. Power from ...

and the

refinery. An extensive rail facility is located at Callemondah to support these operations. Gladstone was also a major terminus for rail freight and bulk fuel, with extensive marshaling yards at Gladstone, South Gladstone, and Auckland Point. As is the case in much of Queensland this traffic, declining from the 1990s, has now ceased with goods carried by road.

Air

Gladstone Airport Gladstone Airport is an airport serving Gladstone, a city in the Australian state of Queensland. It is located in the suburb of Clinton, about from the town's centre, off Aerodrome Road. The airport is owned and operated by the Gladsto ...

is located in the western suburbs of Gladstone about (8-minute drive) from the centre of the city. The main provider of scheduled passenger air services has been

QantasLink QantasLink is a regional brand of Australian airline Qantas and is an affiliate member of the Oneworld airline alliance. It is a major competitor to Regional Express Airlines and Virgin Australia Regional Airlines. As of September 2010 Qant ...

, using mostly Bombardier Q400 aircraft though

Flight West Airlines Flight West Airlines was an Australian regional airline headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland. Established in May 1987, it operated predominantly in Queensland. The airline went into voluntary liquidation on 19 June 2001 before being sold to Qu ...

and Ansett also previously offered service. Strategic Airlines briefly offered services in 2011 and

Virgin Australia Virgin Australia, the trading name of Virgin Australia Airlines Pty Ltd, is an Australian-based airline. It is the largest airline by fleet size to use the Virgin brand. It commenced services on 31 August 2000 as ''Virgin Blue'', with two ...

commenced flights in October 2011 and now offers up to 6 return flights a day to

mostly on

ATR 72 The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop, short-haul regional airliner developed and produced in France and Italy by aircraft manufacturer ATR (french: Avions de transport régional or it, Aerei da Trasporto Regionale), a joint venture formed ...

aircraft with

Embraer 190 The Embraer E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast narrow-body short- to medium-range twin-engine jet airliners designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer. The E-Jet was designed as a complement to the preceding ...

and

Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two u ...

also a regular appearance in the schedule. New player
JetGo
started flying direct services from Sydney in December 2014. The service was offered twice daily, in 36-seat Embraer 135LR jets but ceased in February 2015. In May 2009, a $65 million upgrade to the airport and nearby area was undertaken, which reached completion in 2011.

Sea

The Port of Gladstone is Queensland's largest multi-commodity port and the fifth-largest multi-commodity port in Australia. It is the world's fourth-largest coal-exporting terminal.

Media

News Publications

Gladstone has a free fortnightly independent community newspaper called ''Gladstone News'', delivered to 220 business hotspots and community points.

Radio

4CC is Gladstone's local AM commercial radio station, owned by Grant Broadcasters. 4CC has one full-time announcer based in Gladstone to present the station's local breakfast show. The station broadcasts to Central Queensland on four separate frequencies via three AM transmitters in Gladstone,

Biloela Biloela ( ) is a rural town and locality in Shire of Banana, Central Queensland, Australia. It is situated inland from the port city of Gladstone at the junction of the Burnett and Dawson highways. Biloela is the administrative centre of Ban ...

and

, and an FM translator in

Agnes Water Agnes Water is a coastal town and a locality in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Agnes Water had a population of 2,729 people. Geography Agnes Water is in Central Queensland approximately south-east of the Bruce Highway, ...

on the Discovery Coast.

Hit Central Queensland hit Central Queensland is a radio station in Central Queensland part of the Hit Network. The station is owned by Southern Cross Austereo. History In the late 1990s, DMG Regional Radio successfully bid for an FM broadcasting license for a radi ...

is Gladstone's local FM commercial radio station, owned by

Southern Cross Austereo Southern Cross Media Group Limited, doing business as Southern Cross Austereo, is an Australian media company which operates broadcast radio and television stations. It is the largest radio broadcaster in Australia, operating 86 radio stati ...

. Hot FM has two full-time announcers based in Gladstone to present the station's flagship weekday breakfast program, which is also broadcast to Rockhampton and Emerald. Gladstone also receives radio stations that carry local programming from Rockhampton including commercial radio stations

Triple M Central Queensland Central Queensland's Triple M is a commercial radio station broadcasting from Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. It is currently owned by Southern Cross Austereo and broadcasts an Adult Contemporary (AC) format. It features both locally pro ...

and

4RO 4RO is an AM radio station broadcasting to Central Queensland from Rockhampton, Queensland on 990 kHz. History The station was launched on 2 July 1932 and was the second station in Rockhampton - the first being 4RK, now ABC Capricornia. The op ...

. Triple M broadcasts on a separate FM frequency in Gladstone.

ABC Capricornia 4RK, better known as ABC Capricornia is one of the ABC's original regional radio stations, predating the corporation's inception on 1 July 1932. 4RK, as it was known at the time, began broadcasting on 29 July 1931 and was owned by the Australi ...

also broadcasts into Gladstone from Rockhampton, using a separate FM frequency. Until November 2014, ABC Capricornia maintained a local news bureau in Gladstone where a local journalist was based to cover the Gladstone region. Some local news bulletins on ABC Capricornia were also broadcast live from Gladstone. However, in what was a controversial decision, the ABC's Gladstone office was permanently closed in late 2014 as a cost-cutting measure following the Federal Government's decision to withdraw $254 million in funding to the ABC. 91.9 Fresh FM is Gladstone's local

community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popu ...

radio station, which has a

Christian radio Christian radio is a Christian media radio format that focus on programming with a Christian message. Many such broadcasters play contemporary Christian music, though many programs include sermons, radio dramas, as well as news and talk program ...

format.

Television

WIN Television, Seven Queensland, Southern Cross Ten, ABC and SBS stations are all able to be received in Gladstone. The Central Queensland editions of ''WIN News'' and ''Seven Local News'', both regularly feature news content directly relating to the Gladstone region. Seven Queensland employ a journalist and camera operator in Gladstone, while WIN Television dispatch a news crew from Rockhampton to cover news stories in Gladstone. The weekly 'What's On' segment on ''Seven Local News'' is also presented from Gladstone.

Sports teams

* Gladstone PCYC Roller Derby: ''Gladstone Hustlers'', ''Gladstone Haul Stars'' *

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

/ AFL Capricornia: ''Gladstone Mudcrabs'' *

Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

/ Gladstone Cricket Inc.: ''Gladstone Brothers'', ''The Glen'', ''Yaralla'' * Basketball / Queensland Basketball League: ''

Gladstone Port City Power Gladstone Port City Power is a Queensland State League (QSL) basketball club based in Gladstone, Queensland. The club fields a team in both the Men's QSL and Women's QSL in the 2021 competition. The club is a division of Gladstone Amateur Basketb ...

'' (Men's) & (Women's) *

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

/ CQ Premier League: ''Clinton FC'' * Soccer / Gladstone Senior Mens: ''Central SC'', ''Clinton FC'', ''Gladstone United FC'', ''Meteors FC'', Yaralla FC''. *

Rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

/ Rockhampton District Rugby League: ''Past Brothers'', ''Valleys'' * Rugby league / Gladstone District Rugby League: ''Rebels'', ''Wallabys'' *

Rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

/ Central QLD Rugby Union: ''Gladstone RUFC'' *

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

/ Volleyball Queensland: ''Gladstone Thunder''

Notable residents

* James Henry Ashton (1819–1889) – founder of Ashton's Circus, died and buried in Gladstone *William Robert (Bill) Golding (1890–1985) – builder, historian, local government councillor, local government head, public servant, public service head. * Percival Albert Gourgaud (1881–1958) – public servant, public servant head. *

Gary Larson Gary Larson (born August 14, 1950) is an American cartoonist, environmentalist, and former musician. He is the creator of ''The Far Side'', a single-panel cartoon series that was syndicated internationally to more than 1,900 newspapers for fif ...

(b. 1967) – Former Queensland and Australian Rugby League player. *Henry John (Jack) Manning (1889–1978) – company managing director, journalist, newspaper executive, newspaper owner. * Hayley Marsten (b. 1994) – awarded country singer/songwriter. * Frederick Woolnough Paterson (1897–1977) – barrister, communist, farmer, local government councillor, Member of Lower House, school teacher, soldier. * Valentine Thomas Vallis (1916–2006) – poet, opera critic, university reader, soldier, local government counter clerk

Sister City

As part of Sister Cities Australia Inc. (SCA) the Gladstone Region began a

Sister City A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

relationship with Saiki City, Oita Prefecture,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

in 1996.

References

External links

*
University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Gladstone

Gladstone Information
{{Authority control 1847 establishments in Australia Coastal cities in Australia Gladstone Region Populated places established in 1847 Port cities in Queensland Fishing communities in Australia