Austral Eden vs Gladstone
Gladstone is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 52 in Austral Eden. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Austral Eden, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Austral Eden: a median of $1.08 million, against $700,000 in Gladstone, though rent is higher in Gladstone. On these figures, Austral Eden tends to suit couples, while Gladstone suits families with children and buyers on a tighter budget.
Which one suits you?
There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.
Families with school-age kids
Austral Eden
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 73/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Gladstone
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($700,000 vs $1,080,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Austral Eden
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (19% vs 28%)
- has cheaper rent ($260/wk vs $355/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Austral Eden
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (431.8 km vs 438.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Austral Eden
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (24/100 vs 73/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Gladstone
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (14.7% vs -2.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Austral Eden and Gladstone drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.
Side by side, out of 100
Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.
Demographics
Gladstone has more residents (437 vs 145); Gladstone rents higher ($355/wk vs $260/wk).
| Austral Eden | Gladstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 145 | 437 +201% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -2.0% | +14.7% |
| Median age | 52 | 47 |
| Median household income | $71,500/yr +7% vs other | $66,612/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $260/wk | $355/wk +37% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.6%).
Property market
| Austral Eden | Gladstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,080,000 | $700,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 35 days from 3 sales |
Zoning mix
| Austral Eden | Gladstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 91% same for both | |
| Environmental | 9% same for both | |
| Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09. | ||
Development activity
| Austral Eden | Gladstone | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 144 across Kempsey same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +380% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Austral Eden | Gladstone | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 56% of NSW | Higher than 16% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 36% of NSW | Higher than 29% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 56% of NSW | Higher than 48% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 33% of NSW | Higher than 80% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 7% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 52% of NSW | Higher than 59% of NSW |
Liveability
| Austral Eden | Gladstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Austral Eden carries more bushfire risk (13 vs 0); Gladstone carries more crime risk (73 vs 24).
| Austral Eden | Gladstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 13/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Low 24/100 | High 73/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Austral Eden | Gladstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Austral Eden
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Gladstone
- Gladstone Public School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Austral Eden | Gladstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 3 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 2 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 1 same for both | |
Mobility
Gladstone sits further from the CBD (438.4 km vs 431.8 km).
| Austral Eden | Gladstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 | 5/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 431.8 km | 438.4 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 293 min | 294 min |
| Public transport score | 23/100 Bus | 24/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 5.2 7-9am + 5-7pm | 5.5 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 2.5 min scheduled, not actual | 2 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 2440 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 53 postcode 2440 same for both | |
How people get to work
Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (81.6%).
Setting
| Austral Eden | Gladstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 2 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 1 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 11.2 km | 7.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Austral Eden | Gladstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 58 premises | 0% 202 premises |
Council rates
| Austral Eden | Gladstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,447/yr same for both | |
| Council | Kempsey same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Austral Eden | Gladstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Cowper same for both | |
| Member | Pat Conaghan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Austral Eden | Gladstone | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Austral Eden
Other comparisons with Gladstone
Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.