Calliope is a town located in Central Queensland, Australia. It is located near the 'cross-roads' of the Bruce Highway and the Dawson Highway, 20 kilometres (12 mi) SSW of the port city of Gladstone. At the 2011 census, Calliope had a population of 3,058. The town is reputedly named after the ship Calliope, which brought the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy to Port Curtis in 1854. Industries of the town and surrounds since that time have included gold mining, beef, timber, and more recently heavy industry (Aluminium, Coal, LNG), shipping and tourism.