Gladstone Harbour
Queensland
Gladstone Harbour is located in Queensland
Gladstone Harbour
Gladstone Harbour
Coordinates23°48′01″S 151°17′06″E / 23.8002°S 151.285°E / -23.8002; 151.285 (Gladstone Harbour (centre of locality))
Population29 (2016 census)[1]
 • Density0.1777/km2 (0.460/sq mi)
Postcode(s)4680
Area163.2 km2 (63.0 sq mi)
LGA(s)Gladstone Region
State electorate(s)Gladstone
Federal division(s)Flynn
Suburbs around Gladstone Harbour:
Callemondah Curtis Island Coral Sea
Gladstone Central
Barney Point		 Gladstone Harbour Coral Sea
South Trees Coral Sea Coral Sea

Gladstone Harbour is a locality in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2016 census, Gladstone Harbour had a population of 29 people.[1] There are three towns in Gladstone Harbour, all on Facing Island: Northcliffe, Farmers Point and Gatcombe.[3][4][5]

Geography

Although predominantly water, the locality includes Facing Island and Quoin Island (both of which are partially developed) and a small undeveloped part of southern Curtis Island which may be a separate unnamed island at high tide.[6]

Facing Island (23°48′35″S 151°21′29″E / 23.80972°S 151.35806°E / -23.80972; 151.35806 (Facing Island)) is 14.2 kilometres (8.8 mi) long and protects the harbour from the Coral Sea.[7] There are two passages from the harbour to the sea. The North Channel (23°45′52″S 151°19′23″E / 23.76457°S 151.32309°E / -23.76457; 151.32309 (North Channel)) exits the harbour between the south of Curtis Island and the north of Facing Island, while the Gatcombe Channel (23°53′18″S 151°21′53″E / 23.88847°S 151.36469°E / -23.88847; 151.36469 (Gatcombe Channel)) exits the harbour to the south of Facing Island and Boyne Island.[6][8][9]

There are three small towns on Facing Island:

None of the towns are fully developed with typically half the blocks being undeveloped.[6] Nonetheless the number of houses on the island is still high relative to the population, suggesting many houses are not permanently occupied but are "weekenders" or holiday homes.

Quoin Island is in the middle of Gladstone Harbour is approx 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) in length. It is thought the island was so named because its shape resembled a quoin used in conjunction with cannons. While there is no town on Quoin Island (23°48′21″S 151°17′11″E / 23.80583°S 151.28639°E / -23.80583; 151.28639 (Quoin Island)), it is partially developed with residential lots in the north of the island and a resort and turtle rehabilitation centre in the south of the island.[6][10][11] Quoin Island Turtle Rehabilitation Centre is a non-governmental organisation that opened in March 2012 when the Fitzroy River flooded and turtles washed up on the beaches sick injured or dead.[12][13][14]

History

Facing Island was named on 6 August 1802 by Matthew Flinders on his voyage on HMS Investigator (1801) to map the coastline of New Holland (as the continent of Australia was then called).[7] He also named Gatcombe Head, the southern tip of Facing Island (23°52′51″S 151°22′27″E / 23.88083°S 151.37417°E / -23.88083; 151.37417 (Gatcombe Head)), after Gatcombe House after the Hampshire residence of Vice Admiral Sir Roger Curtis, who had assisted Flinders with dockyard repairs to the Investigator in October 1801.[15] Gatcombe Channel takes its name from Gatcombe Head.[9]

The locality takes its name from the harbour which named in 1847, when the Port Curtis settlement was called Gladstone after the British Secretary of State for the Colonies, William Ewart Gladstone. Gladstone was later Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1868–1874, 1880, 1886 and 1892.[2]

The town of Northcliffe first appears on 1912 survey plan N6211.[3]

The first Brisbane to Gladstone yacht race took place at Easter 1949.[16]

The town of Farmers Point was named on 1 December 1961,[4] but the name of the point itself first appeared on 1901 survey plan N6211.[17]

The Gladstone Harbour Festival commenced in 1963 attracting an estimated 5000 people.[18]

The town of Gatcombe was named on 1 November 1967, taking its name from Gatcombe Point.[5]

The Quoin Island Turtle Rehabilitation Centre opened in March 2012; it has holding tanks, swimming pools and treatment rooms to support the recovery and rehabilitation of up to 10 injured native turtles. The centre mostly cares for green turtles but has also cared for hawksbill turtles, flatback turtles and loggerhead turtles.[11]

In the 2016 census, Gladstone Harbour had a population of 29 people.[1]

Events

The Brisbane to Gladstone yacht race takes place annually at Easter with the yachts leaving Brisbane from the Shorncliffe pier in Moreton Bay on Good Friday arriving one to two days later (depending on ocean and weather conditions) in Gladstone Harbour, just off Auckland Creek.[19] The arrival of the yachts and the presentation of trophies to the winners occurs as part of the Gladstone Harbour Festival. The finish is hosted by the Port Curtis Sailing Club.[20]

Transport

As the Port of Gladstone is a major commodity export facility, many ships transit the Gladstone Harbour every year. However, the port facilities are not within the locality of Gladstone Harbour as the locality boundaries are established off-shore so that the port facilities are within the land-based suburbs of Gladstone.[6]

As at April 2019, a vehicular and passenger ferry runs services from Gladstone to Farmers Point on Facing Island and then to Southend on Curtis Island on five days of the week.[21]

Education

There are no schools in Gladstone Harbour, but there are many schools within Gladstone's mainland suburbs.[22] Distance education would also be an option.[23]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Gladstone Harbour (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Gladstone Harbour – suburb in Gladstone Region (entry 47385)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 "Northcliffe – population centre in Gladstone Region (entry 48155)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 "Farmers Point – population centre in Gladstone Region (entry 12226)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 "Gatcombe – population centre in Gladstone Region (entry 13483)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Facing Island – island in Gladstone Region (entry 12105)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  8. ↑ "North Channel – channel in the Gladstone Region (entry 24617)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  9. 1 2 "Gatcombe Channel – channel in the Gladstone Region (entry 13485)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  10. ↑ "Quoin Island – island in the Gladstone Region (entry 27855)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  11. 1 2 "Quoin Island Turtle Rehabilitation Centre". Quoin Island Retreat. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  12. ↑ "Quoin Island Retreat and Turtle Rehabilitation Centre". Tourism & Events Queensland. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  13. ↑ "Quoin Island Turtle Rehabilitation Centre". Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  14. ↑ McGhee, Rachel; Semmler, Erin (20 November 2020). "'Their DNA takes over': 150th green sea turtle released from privately owned rehab centre". ABC News. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  15. ↑ "Gatcombe Head – cape in the Gladstone Region (entry 13486)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  16. ↑ "Brief History". Queensland Cruising Yacht Club. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  17. ↑ "Farmers Point – point in Gladstone Region (entry 12227)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  18. ↑ Fountain, Rachel From the back of a truck to mega-festival status, ABC Capricornia, 3 February 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  19. ↑ "History". Brisbane to Gladstone Yacht Race. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  20. ↑ "About the Festival". Gladstone Harbour Festival. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  21. ↑ "Ferry Timetables". Curtis Ferry Services. Archived from the original on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  22. ↑ "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  23. ↑ "Distance Education". Education. Queensland Government. 25 July 2019. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
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