Gladstone vs Smithtown
Smithtown is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 47 in Gladstone. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. Houses cost more in Gladstone: a median of $700,000, against $470,000 in Smithtown, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Smithtown tends to suit 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
Smithtown
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Smithtown
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($470,000 vs $700,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Smithtown
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($320/wk vs $355/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Smithtown
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (46/100 vs 5/100)
- has a shorter drive in (287 min vs 294 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Gladstone has more residents already 65 and over (29% vs 23%)
- Smithtown is more walkable (46/100 vs 5/100)
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 5.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Gladstone and Smithtown 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
Smithtown has more residents (625 vs 437); Gladstone rents higher ($355/wk vs $320/wk).
| Gladstone | Smithtown | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 437 | 625 +43% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +14.7% | +5.9% |
| Median age | 47 | 43 |
| Median household income | $66,612/yr +8% vs other | $61,256/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $355/wk +10% vs other | $320/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.2%).
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
| Gladstone | Smithtown | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $700,000 | $470,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 35 days from 3 sales | 87 days from 14 sales |
Zoning mix
Gladstone has more rural and farming land (91% vs 75%); Smithtown has more land zoned for conservation (21% vs 9%).
| Gladstone | Smithtown | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 91% | 75% |
| Environmental | 9% | 21% |
| Industrial | 0% | 4% |
| 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
| Gladstone | Smithtown | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 144 across Kempsey same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +380% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Gladstone | Smithtown | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 16% of NSW | Higher than 13% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 29% of NSW | Higher than 23% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 48% of NSW | Higher than 80% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 80% of NSW | Higher than 84% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 7% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 59% of NSW | Higher than 54% of NSW |
Liveability
Smithtown is more walkable (46 vs 5).
| Gladstone | Smithtown | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 32/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
| Gladstone | Smithtown | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | High 73/100 | High 79/100 |
| 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
| Gladstone | Smithtown | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Gladstone
- Gladstone Public School Government · Primary
Schools in Smithtown
- Smithtown Public School Government · Primary above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Gladstone | Smithtown | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 3 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 same for both | |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 same for both | |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
| Gladstone | Smithtown | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 5/100 | 46/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 438.4 km | 436.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 294 min | 287 min |
| 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
| Gladstone | Smithtown | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 1 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | -2 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 7.3 km | 8.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Gladstone | Smithtown | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 202 premises | 0% 283 premises |
Council rates
| Gladstone | Smithtown | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,447/yr same for both | |
| Council | Kempsey same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Gladstone | Smithtown | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Cowper same for both | |
| Member | Pat Conaghan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Gladstone | Smithtown | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Smithtown
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Gladstone
Other comparisons with Smithtown
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.