Gladstone, city and port on the central coast of eastern Australia just south of the tropic of Capricorn in the state of Queensland. Gladstone is located on the Port Curtis inlet of the Coral Sea, southeast of Rockhampton. Its port is among Australia's busiest, and the town is dominated by open-pit mining. The port exports farm products from the nearby area and, since the 1960s, coal and aluminum processed from the extensive reserves in the nearby Bowen Basin and from Weipa on the Cape York Peninsula. Gladstone is served by the coastal Bruce Highway, a railway that also travels the coast, and an airport. Tourists come to Gladstone for the coast, which marks the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef.
Gladstone was abandoned shortly after it was founded in 1847, then reestablished in 1853. It was named after British prime minister William Ewart Gladstone. During World War II (1939-1945), Port Curtis served as a gathering point for naval convoys. Population (1998) 38,600.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Gladstone Information info
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