The fledgling town was named after the British statesman William Ewart Gladstone and has a 19th century marble statue on display in its town museum.
Development of Gladstone was slow until 1893, when a meat works was established at Parsons Point. In 1963, Queensland Alumina Limited 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.
In the sister city program, Gladstone is twinned with the Japanese port of Saiki
