Gladstone (Queensland)

Gladstone is located on the shores of the Coral Sea , between the Colliope River ( English Calliope River ) in the north and the Boyne River ( English Boyne River ) in the south. Between the mouths of these rivers lies a deep-water harbor, thanks to which Gladstone arose as a city - a seaport. The nearby Curtis Islands and Facing Islands protect the harbor well from waves and wind.

In the area of ​​Gladstone, at a distance of 50 kilometers from the coast, begins the Great Barrier Reef , which is the "hallmark" of the Queensland tourism business.

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the Australian Baial and Goreng Goreng tribes traditionally lived in the Gladstone area.

The first European to sail past the shores of Gladstone was James Cook . This was in May 1770 , during his first circumnavigation of the world. The first European to visit Gladstone Harbor was Matthew Flinders . This was in August 1802 , during his voyage around Australia in 1801-1803. He named this place "Port Curtis", in honor of Admiral Roger Curtis ( born Roger Curtis ). In November 1823, a further study of the area was done by John Oxley. In his notes, he noted that access to the harbor is difficult, the land is too dry for agriculture, there is not enough wood in the area for construction.

The creation of a colony in Port Curtis was accompanied by great difficulties. On January 25, 1847, the ship of Colonel George Barney, transporting 87 soldiers and convicts, tried to approach the shore, but ran aground near Fasing Island. Polesensy spent seven weeks on the island until they were rescued by the ship of Thomas Lowry, which was carrying food and other goods. The settlers were transported ashore to the place chosen for the new settlement, now known as Barney Point .

On January 30, George Barney was formally sworn in as lieutenant governor of the colony in Northern Australia. The settlement of prisoners lasted only two months. The replaced government in the UK decided to liquidate the colony. Despite this, interest in this region has remained. In 1853, Francis McCabe defined a place for a new city on the banks of Port Curtis. The city was named after the British statesman William Gladstone . Gradually, free settlers began to arrive here. In 1863, Gladstone received self-government and his first mayor - Richard Hetherington.

Water

Due to the lack of large reservoirs throughout Queensland in the Gladstone area, there are times when there is a shortage of fresh water. The main source of fresh water for this area is Lake Awoonga on the Boyne River. Using a dam ( Awoonga Dam ), the area of ​​the lake was increased to 2,240 km², and can hold up to 777 million m³ of water ^[4] . In the summer rainy season, the lake is filled with water flowing from the surrounding hills and small mountains, which is used all year for the needs of the population, industrial enterprises and agriculture of the region.

Transport

Gladstone is a major freight hub in central Queensland . There is a seaport and large plants. A large amount of cargo is delivered by rail and road.

The Bruce Highway , starting in Brisbane , runs along the Queensland coast and connects to the city via the Gladstone Benarady Highway in the south and Mount Lark Gladstone in the north.

Gladstone Marina has marinas in the port of Gladstone for cruise ships, speed boats, yachts and catamarans. From here, boat trips to Heron Island , Lady Elliot Island and other islands of the Great Barrier Reef are organized . For diving enthusiasts, there are special diving tours. With large neighboring islands, for example with the island of Curtis , regular ferry services are established.

On the southwestern outskirts of the city there is a small local airport - Gladstone Airport . The nearest international airport is Brisbane Airport . The main destination of Gladstone Airport is flights to Brisbane , on Dash 8 aircraft, accommodating from 50 to 72 passengers. There are also flights to cities to the north, including Rockhampton , Mackay , Townsville and Cairns . Also, from Gladstone Airport, tourists can enjoy air excursions to the Great Barrier Reef .

Unlike other coastal cities in Queensland , which are largely focused on the tourism business, Gladstone is an industrial city. There are no beaches in the city, the banks of two rivers and the sea coast are occupied by factories , a power plant and a large seaport .

Energy

For the uninterrupted supply of electricity to a large number of enterprises in the district, large power generation capacities are needed.

On the western outskirts of the city is the Gladstone Power Station - the largest Queensland power station . The power plant was commissioned in 1976 , equipped with six steam turbines , electric power - 1,680 MW . Another large power station, the Stanwell Power Station with a capacity of 1,400 MW, is located in the neighboring major city, Rockhampton . Coal mined two hundred kilometers west of Rockhampton is used as fuel at both power plants.

Largest Enterprises

Queensland Alumina is the world's largest alumina producer. The plant was commissioned in 1967 . The plant's capacity is 3.9 million tons of alumina per year. Alumina is obtained from bauxite by the Bayer method. Raw materials are shipped from the Rio Tinto Alcan bauxite mines in Weipa , northern Queensland . The plant's infrastructure includes fully equipped workshops, a warehouse, various support services, as well as access to a deep-sea port. The factory employs more than 1000 people. Currently, the enterprise is managed by a consortium of two leading world aluminum companies: the share of UC RUSAL - 20%, Rio Tinto Alcan - 80% ^[5] .

The port of Gladstone is Queensland 's largest sea cargo port and the third largest port in the country through which Australian coal is exported. Its coal loading terminals rank fourth in the world in terms of throughput. By 2010, it is planned to complete the construction of the third Wiggins Island coal loading terminal ( Eng. Wiggins Island Coal Terminal ). The new terminal will increase annual coal export shipments from the current 45 million tons to 140 million tons ^[6] . The new terminal will serve the new Wandoan, Monto, and West Rolleston steam coal mines in the Bowen and Surat basins, which are under construction south of Gladstone.

Development

GLNG , the Australian company Santos, together with the Malaysian oil and gas company PETRONAS, are planning to build a $ 7.7 billion liquefied natural gas ( LNG ) plant near the city on Curtis Island. The plant will process coal bed methane ( Eng. Coalbed methane ), mined in eastern Queensland . The project should start at the beginning of 2010, the estimated time for commissioning is 2014. According to company estimates, the plant will create 3,000 jobs during construction and 200 jobs during operation.

Against this project are actively advocates of nature. They note the fact that the construction of the GLNG plant, the gas pipeline to it and the new port will cause irreparable damage to the ecology of Curtis Island and the coastal territory ^[7] .

Gladstone is located in the subtropical climate zone according to the Köppen classification ^[8] . The city is located 0.2 ° south of the Tropic of Capricorn line. In general, the climate can be described as comfortable. In the year, two different periods can be distinguished here - the rainy season, which lasts from October to February and the dry season from March to September, with an average of about 800 mm of rainfall per year. In summer, during the day, the temperature can exceed 30 ° C, and by night it drops to 22 ° C. During winter, the daytime temperature fluctuates around 24 ° C, and the average nighttime temperature is around 13 ° C.

• Gladstone Regional Council - Gladstone Regional Council
• Gladstone Ports Corporation (GPC) - Gladstone Port
• Lake Awoonga Fishing Information - Avunga Lake
• SunWater Storage Levels - Queensland Reservoir Water Levels
• Queensland Alumina Ltd - Queensland Alumina Ltd factory
• Gladstone Liquefied natural gas - Santos LNG plant
• Curtis LNG - LNG Plant Construction Plan on Curtis Island
• Save Curtis Island - “green” in defense of the island of Curtis, against the LNG plant