QLD · Gladstone Council
Gladstone Central, 4680
Current weather
18.6°CClear sky
90% humidity · 7.8 km/h wind · 22.2° / 15° today · 0.2 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
As a regional hub in Gladstone, Gladstone Central combines local convenience with the appeal of a smaller community that feels genuinely its own. A strong local centre anchors daily routines, while the surrounding region adds variety for weekends away. Generous greenery runs through the area, from street trees to tucked-away reserves.
Residents are mostly families and working professionals, with plenty of young families in the mix. The town centre holds its own, with enough local flavour to make staying close to home appealing. Green space is a real strength, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb.
Schools and education options in the area make family routines easier to manage. Housing remains accessible compared with many parts of the state.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits around average overall, mainly because housing affordability and community and employment lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in schools and education and transport and access.
Amenities
50 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
2 restaurants · 2 cafes · 1 supermarkets · 1 pharmacies · 2 fast food · 1 places of worship · 2 playgrounds · 9 sports centres
Local character
- Reasonably walkable — many errands reachable on foot or by bus
- Great for outdoor family life — 9 parks mapped in suburb, 2 playgrounds nearby
- Strong local sport and recreation — 14 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
- Walkability proxy
- 54/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 1.29
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 3.87
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 5.81
Food & drink(6)
- Cafe
- The DockCafe
- McDonald'sFast food
- SubwayFast food
- Chinatown RestaurantRestaurant
Unit B 29 Tank Street
- Dragon Garden RestaurantRestaurant
40 Tank Street
Shopping(2)
- WoolworthsSupermarket
Community(1)
- QCWA Gladstone BranchCommunity centre
88-90 Oaka Lane
Health & services(1)
- Gladstone Family ChemistPharmacy
Sport & outdoors(15)
- Lady Nelson ParkPark
- Playground (2)
- Gladstone Aquatic CentreSports centre
- Gladstone Hockey ClubSports centre
- Gladstone Lawn Bowls ClubSports centre
- Gladstone Netball CourtsSports centre
- Gladstone Squash CourtsSports centre
- Kev Broome StadiumSports centre
- Sports centre (3)
- Sports field
- Swimming pool (2)
Transport(2)
1 bus stops · 1 train stations
Other(21)
- ATM (3)
- ANZBank
- Gladstone Bicycle CentreBicycle
- M1 CyclesBicycle
29c Tank Street
- GMW Mechanical & TowingCar repair
50 Hanson Road
- Coffee on OakaCoffee
2 Oaka Lane
- Petrol station
- PumaPetrol station
- UnitedPetrol station
- Gladstone Presbyterian ChurchPlace of worship
- Post Box
- Auckland Point LookoutPublic toilets
- Public toilets
- Slipway (2)
- ChaplainWatchSocial Facility
24 Goondoon Street, Gladstone Central
- Telephone
- Bob Jane T-Mart'sVariety Store
- The Reject ShopVariety Store
- Last WaveWater Sports
16 Goondoon Street, Gladstone Central
- Fish Market ShopYes
- Ice Cream - CreameryYes
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived from OpenStreetMap & Census) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Housing
- All types (Mar 2026)
- $410
Median weekly rent from Queensland RTA rental bond data. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)
Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum
Data sources & freshness
- RTA bond statistics — Residential Tenancies Authority (Queensland) · Period: Mar 2026 · Updated on site · Quarterly releases
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 5
- Median school ICSEA (5 schools)
- 1,031
- Chanel CollegeSecondary
- Gladstone Central State SchoolPrimary
- St John the Baptist Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary
- Star of the Sea Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary
- Trinity CollegeCombined
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 5
- Emergency department
- Not in suburb
- Alternativealternative
- Gladstone Family Chemistpharmacy
- Gladstone Physio n Fitnessphysiotherapist
- Nhulundu Health ServiceGoondoon Streetclinic
- Shoes Feet Gearpodiatrist
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Period: current · Updated on site
Parks & reserves
8 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Apex ParkPark
- East Shores - Marina ParklandsPark
- Lady Nelson ParkPark
- Matthew Flinders ParkPark
- Port ParkPark
- Victoria ParkPark
- William Miskin ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 9
- Parks (OSM)
- 9
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Places of worship
1 places of worship within ~1.5 km
- Gladstone Presbyterian Church
From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
- 76
- Against the person
- 19
- Against property
- 27
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 49
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 82 residents
- State safety percentile
- 65th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -10.8%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault268
- Drug Offences489
- Good Order Offences341
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)485
- Traffic And Related Offences423
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Jul 2026; Jan 2026 to Jul 2026 · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 56.1/100 — Good
- State standing
- Top 18% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 1252nd in Australia
- State rank
- 267th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #48 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #65 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 71%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Population
- Population
- 1,550
- Median age
- 39
- Median household income / week
- $1,324
- Dwelling vacancy
- 30.3%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 308 of 1,018
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,165
- Employment rate
- 52.4%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 75 / 69 / 408
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 2/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 1/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Heritage
9 state heritage places
- Commonwealth Bank Building (former)State heritage place
- Fig TreeState heritage place
- Gladstone Central State School, Block BState heritage place
- Gladstone Court HouseState heritage place
- Gladstone Post Office (former)State heritage place
- Gladstone Regional Art Gallery and MuseumState heritage place
- Kullaroo HouseState heritage place
- Our Lady Star of the Sea Church & SchoolState heritage place
- Port Curtis Sailing Club ClubhouseState heritage place
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Recent changes
- ANZamenitiesbank
- ATMamenitiesatm
- ATMamenitiesatm
- ATMamenitiesatm
- Auckland Point Lookoutamenitiestoilets
- Bob Jane T-Mart'samenitiesvariety_store
- Cafeamenitiescafe
- ChaplainWatchamenities24 Goondoon Street, Gladstone Centralsocial_facility
- Chinatown RestaurantamenitiesUnit B 29 Tank Streetrestaurant
- Coffee on Oakaamenities2 Oaka Lanecoffee
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Gladstone Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.