Gladstone Park is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Hume local government area. Gladstone Park recorded a population of 8,213 at the 2021 census. Gladstone Park is bounded by the Tullamarine Freeway and Mickleham Road to the west, Broadmeadows Road to the north, the Jacana Valley to the east and the Western Ring Road to the south. History The Broadmeadows district was originally home to the Wurundjeri nation of Indigenous Australians. European settlement of the area now known as Gladstone Park began in the 1840s, with the land used for agriculture. The modern suburb is named after Thomas Gladstone, who was a local land owner in the 1800s. Development of the residential suburb began in the 1960s as an estate of Tullamarine. Most of the homes in the suburb were built between 1972 and 1975, as a typical part of (then) Melbourne's outer suburban expansion. The post office was opened on 4 February 1985, as the suburb developed. Carl Williams was shot in the stomach by Jason Moran at a small park in Barrington Crescent in 1999, in one of the early events of the Melbourne gangland killings. Demographics In the , there were 8,338 people in Gladstone Park. 60.4% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were Italy 3.6%, India 2.6%, Lebanon 2.1%, Sri Lanka 2.0% and England 1.8%. 59.6% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Arabic 7.6%, Italian 5.5%, Greek 3.6%, Turkish 2.4% and Assyrian Neo-Aramaic 1.5%. The most common responses for religion were Catholic 38.5% and No Religion 18.2%. Community Facilities Gladstone Park Community Centre The Gladstone Park Community Centre is located on South Circular Road, and hosts a number of community bodies, such as the basketball club and mothers' groups. It is located adjacent to the Meadow Park Eagles soccer clubrooms. Gladstone Park Hotel The hotel is located on Mickleham Road. It has extensive pokies and betting facilities, as well as a bistro and bar. It also contains hotel rooms and a drive through bottle shop. It is part of the shopping centre precinct. Gladstone Park Secondary College Library The high school contains a public library which is part of the Hume Libraries network. Gladstone Park Shopping Centre Gladstone Park Shopping Centre is a minor shopping centre. Its major stores include Woolworths,