waterways

In the year of Australia's Federation, Gladstone was a small country town on a glorious seafront, described as 'one of the finest natural harbors in Australia' (Pugh's Almanac 1907). The town seems to have been a thriving commercial and administrative centre. The Post Office Directory 1901 lists: * five hotels, four churches *one bank (Commercial Bank of Sydney), and two newspapers (The Observer and The Advocate). * a State School with 110 pupils, and one run by the Sisters of Mercy (with 150 pupils when it opened in 1900, which became Our Lady, Star of the Sea in 1902). * at least one doctor and one architect, a barrister and a couple of lawyers, numerous tradesmen and businesses, including several saw mills and a manufacturer of aerated water. * a public hospital, a School of Arts, a Chamber of Commerce, a manganese mine, and of course, the Gladstone Meat works. In 1911 electricity came, with the lighting of the Meat works jetty, and by 1916 town supply commenced under a franchise agreement. Roads only slowly improved, and not until 1929 was there any bitumen (Goondoon and Auckland Streets). In 1914 the Harbour Board was formed to be restructured in 1926 to represent Gladstone, Calliope and Miriam Vale communities. In 1926 the Gladstone Butter Factory became the Port Curtis Dairy Association and its first shipment of butter went overseas. In 1920 the CWA built a holiday house on Barney Point, and in 1936 opened their own rooms in town. The first open air theatre was opened in 1922, and in 1927 the QATB and Fire Brigade moved into a purpose-built accommodation in Goondoon Street. The following year the British Imperial Oil Company occupied premises at Auckland Point. Source: gragm.qld.gov.au/media/1017/waves-of-settlement-1901-1939...

In addition to the 8 glorious pictures of bridges The Library of Congress has posted over each of the last eight days, a few of the birthday tributes to Flickr Commons can be seen here: 8th Birthday for Flickr Commons A gallery curated by swanq Happy Birthday Flickr Commons! A gallery curated by Pixel Wrangler Happy 8th Birthday, Flickr Commons! An album curated by Katya Henry and Jacinta Sutton, Project Officers at State Library of Queensland

I've crossed this bridge many times.

Very nice

I'm glad to have stumbled across this photo stream last year. Or perhaps it was the year before? Fascinating history, and often superb photography.

Awesome photo - beautiful in black and white. Does the bridge look the same today as it did then?

this station still around today?