Location

In keeping with their guiding principle of identifying locations with the propensity for long term, sustainable growth, Merranda has invested countless hours researching the Gladstone market and, consequently, has immense confidence in the future growth potential of this region.

So much so, that the company currently has several projects underway in the Gladstone area, including luxury and cost-efficient residential developments, as well as quality commercial projects.

Gladstone is a vibrant modern city located just over 500 kilometres north of Brisbane and 100 kilometres south-east of Rockhampton.  A harbour city, Gladstone covers a land area of 128 square kilometres and the Gladstone region has a combined current population of just over 62,000*.

Since the mid 1960s the Gladstone region has grown to be the premier heavy industrial centre in Queensland.  In the 1970s, this resulted in an unprecedented population growth that outstretched the city’s capability to meet the increase in demand from their normal resources.  In order to avoid these problems of the past and to capitalise on current opportunities, the Queensland Government announced that they would undertake a study called the Gladstone Growth Management Initiative directed towards anticipating and planning impacts and maximising benefits arising from the industrial development of the region. So Gladstone can only continue to grow and prosper.

Local industry employs the majority of the population and forms the foundation for the city’s future development. Gladstone is driven by its enormous potential as an industrial centre, which is predicted to extend from the abundance of raw materials available in the area as well as the region’s high quality infrastructure. The region is rich in resources and is consequently recognised as a strategic and logical choice for industrial, commercial, retail and residential investment.

Gladstone has recently been nominated 4th in the national top ten boom town hot spots in Australia and a recent report ranked Gladstone 7th out of the 70 largest cities in Australia in terms of percentage population growth. As a city boasting nearly $30 billion dollars worth of projects either currently under investigation or construction, it’s easy to see why this momentum ensures long term, solid growth.  With the creation of 1000’s of jobs forecast for the area, Gladstone presents countless opportunities for further economic growth and an increased need for residential living, and retail and professional services.

Additionally, the city is also home to Queensland’s largest multi-commodity port and permits a wide range of shipping operations, catering for the needs of international bulk carriers at the deep water port, all the way down to the private boat owner at the Marina. The first stage of the proposed $1.8 billion Wiggins Island Coal Terminal is due to be completed in 2010. Upon ultimate completion, it could make the Port of Gladstone the largest coal-exporting facility in the world.

The nature and infrastructure of the city ensures that this future can be realised whilst still retaining the social and environmental attributes necessary to support a healthy lifestyle for residents. While Gladstone is renowned as an industrial port city, the area maintains a lifestyle close to that of a coastal resort due to the islands, reefs, beaches, national parks and recreational opportunities that exist within comfortable travelling distance to the modern urbanised centre. Additionally, the city experiences warm summers and cool winters, with no extremes of climate variation, making Gladstone an attractive destination for residential living and tourism alike. 

Ongoing environmental improvements such as effluent re-use, air quality monitoring, tree re-vegetation and industry process improvements have helped the region integrate the economic and environmental concerns of the community towards a path of ecological sustainability.

Community is strong in Gladstone and this character is reflected in their several Queensland Tidy Towns awards, including Queensland’s Tidiest Town and also the Young Legends Australian Achievement Award at the Australian Tidy Towns 2003 Awards. Community spirited major industries have contributed significantly in the provision of academic, recreational and sporting facilities, and through involvement with the community.  The local governments of Gladstone City and Calliope Shire are committed to working together with the community and industry to plan for a city of choice for lifestyle and opportunity.

The Gladstone community experiences high levels of residential stability, low unemployment and higher than average community satisfaction with their local government compared with the rest of the state, proving that Gladstone really is a liveable city, with it’s feet firmly in the future.

*Current as to February 2008