Property Report / Areas / Kempsey / Gladstone

Gladstone zoning & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Gladstone (Kempsey, NSW) - 6.58 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained on the overlays we could measure - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Gladstone's boundary, with the bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Magenta is where aircraft were observed in the sampled period, brightest below 3,000 ft. No flood layer is drawn because we hold no flood mapping for this area.

Nearby suburbs, nearest first

Aircraft noise and flight paths over Gladstone

Two different things, kept apart on purpose. The ANEF contour is the planning instrument - a forecast published per airport that planning schemes use to control noise-sensitive development. Observed overflight is what a sampled aircraft-tracking feed actually recorded over the suburb - where aircraft flew, how low and how often.

Gladstone at a glance

Parcels 321 Median lot 963 m² Mapped easements 1 Bus stops 7

How Gladstone is zoned

Primary Production 79%
Recreational Waterways 9%
Rural Landscape 8%
Village 5%

Buying in Gladstone? The zoning, flood and bushfire lines on the section 10.7 certificate attached to the contract are mapped controls - see our s10.7 certificate guide.

Across its 6.58 km², Gladstone is highly constrained by the planning overlays we hold. We hold no flood mapping covering this suburb, so no flood figure is shown - that is a gap in our data, not an all-clear. Of what is mapped, 85% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 21 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 963 m² across 321 parcels.

Who lives in Gladstone

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Gladstone suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population
437
usual residents, 2021
Median age
47
years
Median household income
$1,281
per week, Kempsey suburb typical $1,218
Median rent
$355
per week, Kempsey suburb typical $300
Median mortgage
$1,437
per month
Household size
2.5
people, average

Socio-economic standing

ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.

Advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD) Decile 2
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 900, and decile 1 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 2
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Gladstone's 437 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 4.8%
5-14 14.4%
15-19 5.7%
20-24 4.1%
25-34 6.8%
35-44 9.1%
45-54 13.9%
55-64 12.5%
65-74 16.2%
75-84 9.8%
85+ 2.7%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Kempsey Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Gladstone. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Gladstone itself.

9,334 in 2001 to 9,671 in 2025, up 4%.

Source: ABS Census 2021 and SEIFA 2021 (Suburbs and Localities), Regional Population (SA2), CC BY 4.0. Small counts are randomly adjusted by the ABS.

Gladstone data sources and coverage

“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingNot mappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Bushfire-prone mappingMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
ZoningMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Heritage and environmentMapped where publishedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)Not heldNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies, Defence
Observed flight pathsObservedadsb.lol, under the Open Database License
DemographicsAvailableAustralian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA)

Profile last materially updated 3 October 2026. See the methodology and full source list. Source data changes over time and critical decisions should be checked with the responsible authority.

Check a specific Gladstone address

See exactly which overlays touch a single property - the interactive map is free. Need it on paper? A full planning PDF is just $9.

Aircraft have been seen below 3,000 ft over about 26% of Gladstone. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.

Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Gladstone lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Gladstone planning - frequently asked

Is Gladstone flood-prone?

We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Gladstone, so this page can't say how much of the suburb is flood-affected - that is a gap in our data, not an indication that the suburb is free of flood risk. Kempsey is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area.

Is Gladstone bushfire-prone?

Around 85% of Gladstone is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Kempsey average of 94%.

Is Gladstone under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 26% of Gladstone, and over about 63% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 1,500 ft, with an average of 4,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 1 aircraft a day were recorded passing over one 500 m square. Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously and flight paths change with runway use, weather and season; the ANEF contour is the planning instrument.

What is the zoning in Gladstone?

The dominant planning zone in Gladstone is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Recreational Waterways and Rural Landscape.

Does Gladstone have heritage-listed places?

Gladstone has 21 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Gladstone?

Across 321 surveyed parcels in Gladstone, the median lot size is about 963 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Gladstone have a train station?

There is no train station inside Gladstone itself. The suburb is served by 7 bus stops.

What is the population of Gladstone?

At the 2021 Census Gladstone had 437 usual residents, with a median age of 47 and an average household size of 2.5 people. The wider Kempsey Surrounds statistical area, which contains Gladstone, went from 9,334 people in 2001 to 9,671 in 2025, up 4%.

Is Gladstone an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Gladstone scores 900 and sits in decile 2 of 10 nationally and decile 1 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Gladstone?

Median household income in Gladstone was $1,281 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,218 for the typical suburb in Kempsey. Median rent was $355 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,437 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Smithtown 1.7 km Not mapped 49%
Seven Oaks 3.4 km Not mapped 92%
Austral Eden 3.6 km Not mapped 91%
Summer Island 4.3 km Not mapped 94%
Kinchela 4.6 km Not mapped 98%
Bellimbopinni 6.0 km Not mapped 96%
Old Station 6.1 km Not mapped 100%
Belmore River 7.5 km Not mapped 100%
Hat Head 7.5 km Not mapped 99%
Pola Creek 9.3 km Not mapped 95%

See all Kempsey suburb profiles →