Gladstone East Shores Precinct & Maritime Museum Development
Gladstone East Shores Precinct & Maritime Museum
Client
Gladstone Ports Corporation
Location
Gladstone QLD
Masterplan
Urbis
Architect
MODE
Budget
Stage 1A - $12.5 million
Stage 1B - $29.5 million
Traditional Custodians
Gooreng Gooren
The Gladstone East Shores precinct is a flagship public place development. It transforms the former industrial waterfront of Gladstone on the Central Queensland coast into a vibrant, activated recreation precinct.
East Shores restores public access to the harbour and foreshore, and repositions the city as a major regional destination, cultural hub, and gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. The staged development has restored vitality and community pride, and delivered economic stimulus to the region, diversifying the city's economy beyond its traditional industrial and export base.
Leveraging early reworks, the final stage establishes a focal point to fully engage and activate the precinct, re-establishing connections between waterfront, parkland, and city. It leverages Gladstone's natural deep-water harbour and protected waters to establish a dedicated cruise ship passenger terminal, positioning the city as a key gateway for regional tourism.
Celebrating the region's maritime heritage, the centrepiece of East Shores is the installation of HMAS Gladstone and delivery of an interpretative centre and Maritime Museum.
The commercial strategy and design brief for the Maritime Museum balanced public access and learning with sustainable commercial returns. Exhibition spaces were scaled to showcase the region's rich maritime heritage. Interactive displays provide flexible, programmable spaces.
Leveraging experience in placemaking and public place programming, and commercial strategy, Maytrix informed site and functional planning for the co-located cafe and museum to activate the waterfront promenade. The design brief addressed external programming embedding infrastructure for flexible outdoor programming and evevents including outdoor cinema opportunities to establish a vibrant, engaging, and connected foreshore.
“The opening ... represented a significant positive economic opportunity for Gladstone in terms of tourism, liveability, social enterprise, and port interface and job creation.”
East Shores is a major community and regional asset. Framed by the masterplan, the integrated approach has established primary connections and delivered optimised commercial and cultural assets to anchor and activate the precinct.
Spearheaded by Gladstone Ports Corporation, the 3.5-hectare, $42 million revitalisation realises Gladstone's long-term vision to be a vibrant, liveable, and attractive regional city, expanding on its mantle as an industrial powerhouse. The multi-award-winning East Shores development delivers a world-class public space that honours Gladstone's heritage while looking to the future.
It balances economic growth with sustainable design and environmental stewardship, protecting the Outstanding Universal Value of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and ensuring the sustainable use of port and waterfront assets.
Gladstone East Shores Precinct & Maritime Museum
Development
Image - Gladstone Ports Corporation
Gladstone East Shores Precinct & Maritime Museum Development
Image - Gladstone Ports Corporation
Gladstone East Shores Precinct & Maritime Museum Development
Image - Gladstone Ports Corporation
Gladstone East Shores Precinct & Maritime Museum Development
Image - Gladstone Ports Corporation
“The master plan shows a genuine effort to maintain a connection with the site’s industrial heritage using evocative and powerful imagery and concepts, grounded in an understanding of the potential of the site.”
East Shores Precinct Features
Cultural & Commercial
• Waterfront Café & Major Pontoon
• Outdoor Cinema & Program Space
• Maritime Museum & Interpretative Centre
• Exhibition & Flexible Event Spaces
• HMAS Gladstone Wet Dock
• Cruise Ship Passenger Terminal
Recreation & Amenity
• Cruise Terminal Plaza
• Waterfront Boardwalk & Promenade
• Water Play Park & Playgrounds
• Boot Camp Area
• Picnic Shelters & Barbeques
• BBQ Facilities
• Public Artworks
• Parking & Landscaping
Related Projects
Cultural & Commercial
• Waterfront Café & Major Pontoon
• Outdoor Cinema & Program Space
• Maritime Museum & Interpretative Centre
• Exhibition & Flexible Event Spaces
• HMAS Gladstone Wet Dock
• Cruise Ship Passenger Terminal
Recreation & Amenity
• Cruise Terminal Plaza
• Waterfront Boardwalk & Promenade
• Water Play Park & Playgrounds
• Boot Camp Area
• Picnic Shelters & Barbeques
• BBQ Facilities
• Public Artworks
• Parking & Landscaping
