Gladstone Region, QLD
industrial-port · harbour · reef-access · regional
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Move Regional compares towns across QLD, NSW and WA on price, work, schools and lifestyle, so you can find the one that fits.
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Drive to the coast
2 min
By road
Nearest major hospital
4 min
By road
Airport access
9 min
By road
Schools access
Excellent
Average daytime temp
27.5°C
Rainfall
Dry
Gladstone is a harbour city where heavy industry is not hidden in the background; it is part of the skyline, economy and local identity. Around 34,700 people live here, the median age is a young 35 and population has grown by roughly 11% since 2016. Schools, healthcare, shopping and the airport are all strong and close, which gives families and workers a practical regional base.
The housing market is still within regional reach, with a median around $614,000 and three-bedroom rents near $510 a week. The East Shores precinct, botanic gardens and maritime history add places to spend time locally, while island access provides a very different side of the region beyond the industrial port.
The coast is technically immediate, although classic beach living generally involves travelling outside the central urban area. Summers are hot, rainfall is lower than farther north and the city is car-oriented. Brisbane is about 6 hours 20 minutes away by road, so flying from the airport nine minutes away is often the easier option.
Gladstone is a strong fit when employment, affordability and regional services lead the decision. People moving purely for a romantic sea-change atmosphere need to be comfortable with the fact that this is first and foremost an industrial working city on the coast.
10 photos
Engineers, tradespeople, resources and energy workers, healthcare staff and families wanting affordable housing with solid services are the clearest fit. It can also work for people who value boating and regional access but do not need a tourism-focused or café-led town centre.
Heavy industry is visually and economically prominent, so this is not a classic sea-change setting. The city is car-oriented, summers are hot and Brisbane is about 6 hours 23 minutes away. Beach access generally means travelling beyond the central urban area.
Walk the East Shores precinct
Explore Tondoon Botanic Gardens
Visit Gladstone Maritime Museum
Ferry to Heron Island
Median house price
$613,500
34% below the QLD median
Median attached price (townhouse/apartment)
$395,000
Median weekly rent (3-bed house)
$510
≈ $2,210/month
Sourced from Queensland Government Statistician's Office · 12 months ending 31 March 2026
Healthcare access
Excellent
Shopping & everyday services
Excellent
10+ shopping centres within 20km — a real retail hub
Internet connection
Fixed line
Plus 16 more within 20km — showing the 8 closest.
Job market by industry
Trades — 12.8%
Largest share of local jobs
Employment figures cover this town's wider statistical region, not the town alone — you'll see the same figures for Yeppoon, Agnes Water, Byfield and Rockhampton.
The score ranks this region against other regions for the same occupation, not against other jobs here — a low score means it isn't a regional stronghold for that field, not that there are no vacancies. Counts online job advertisements, so trades and farm work hired by word of mouth are undercounted, and outside capital cities this is published at a regional level larger than one town.
Gladstone (UCL 312002) · 2021 Census
Younger than the national profile, with 12.2% aged 65 or over against 17.2%. Among households, renting is well above the national rate, at 41.6% of dwellings against 30.6%.
Population
34,703
Population growth
+11%
Gladstone (SA2 308051534)
Median age
35 years
Labour force participation
63.9%
Growth is measured across the wider area named under the figure, which can be a different size to the town.
Share of total population in each band — rounding means these won't land on exactly 100%.
Couples are a share of total families; lone-person households are a share of total households — different bases, not one breakdown.
Median personal income
$780
Per week · ≈ $40,560/year
Median family income
$2,054
Per week
Median household income
$1,622
Per week
Personal is one person's income; family and household cover everyone living together — a single-income household will show a lower household figure than its highest earner's personal one. Personal income also covers every resident aged 15 and over, retirees included, so it reads low in a town with an older population even where household income is solid.
Owner-occupied
56.2%
Rented
41.6%
Born in Australia
79.1%
Born overseas
14.8%
Doesn't sum to 100% — people who didn't state a birthplace are excluded rather than redistributed.