QLD · Tablelands Council
Atherton, 4883
Current weather
15.4°COvercast
100% humidity · 10.3 km/h wind · 21.1° / 14.1° today · 0.8 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
- National parks
Suburb profile
Atherton is a regional centre in Tablelands that balances local services with a more relaxed pace of life. Distance from the capital is noticeable, but the trade-off is space, calm and a community that knows its neighbours. Tree-lined streets and leafy pockets give the suburb a noticeably green, settled character.
The area suits established families and long-term locals, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Food and coffee are a real part of local identity, with plenty of places to meet and linger. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.
The area offers approachable housing costs alongside a lifestyle that still feels complete. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
On the desirability index, the suburb rates good overall, led by parks and green space and transport and access, while community and employment sit closer to the middle of the pack for similar regional towns.
Population
- Population
- 7,724
- Median age
- 46
- Median household income / week
- $1,099
- Dwelling vacancy
- 9.4%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 321 of 3,413
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Employment rate
- 48%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 239 / 297 / 213
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.
Housing
- All types (Mar 2026)
- $450
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
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
- 622
- Against the person
- 156
- Against property
- 265
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 80.5
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 50 residents
- State safety percentile
- 87.6th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -7.6%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault71
- Drug Offences123
- Good Order Offences94
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)144
- Traffic And Related Offences70
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
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 4
- Median school ICSEA (4 schools)
- 990
- Atherton State High SchoolSecondary
- Atherton State SchoolPrimary
- Jubilee Christian CollegeCombined
- St Joseph's SchoolPrimary
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
Roadworks & transport
1 active roadworks / incidents
- Robert StreetKennedy Highway (Robert Street), n/a23 Jun 2026 – 02 Jul 2026
Data sources & freshness
- Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · Hourly refresh where supported
Amenities
74 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Liquor Legends Atherton SquareAlcohol
2 Nye Street, Atherton
- Liquor Legends Silo CentralAlcohol
1 Gill Street, Atherton
- Atherton Performing ArtsArts centre
- ANZBank
- Bank
- Bendigo BankBank
- Commonwealth BankBank
- NABBank
- RabobankBank
- WestpacBank
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
14 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Atherton ShowgroundsPark
- Atherton Skate ParkPark
- Circus ParkPark
- Collins ParkPark
- Cuda ParkPark
- Evans ParkPark
- Gallo ParkPark
- Hallorans Hill ParkPark
- Lions ParkPark
- Loder ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 3
- Emergency department
- On site
- Atherton Hospitalhospital
- Discount Drug Storepharmacy
- Pharmacypharmacy
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 2/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 2/10
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
- Atherton ArboretumState heritage place
- Atherton Performing Arts Theatre (WWII Igloo)State heritage place
- Atherton War CemeteryState heritage place
- Atherton War MemorialState heritage place
- Barron Valley HotelState heritage place
- ChinatownState heritage place
- Head Teacher's Residence, Atherton State School (former)State heritage place
- Hou Wang MiauState heritage place
- Merriland HallState 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
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 34
- Parks (OSM)
- 15
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
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 63.5/100 — Good
- State standing
- Top 7% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 548th in Australia
- State rank
- 103rd in QLD
- Peer rank
- #5 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #10 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
Recent changes
- ANZamenitiesbank
- Anglicanamenitiesplace_of_worship
- Atherton Performing Artsamenitiesarts_centre
- Atherton Police Stationamenitiespolice
- Atherton Second Hand Shopamenitiessecond_hand
- Atherton Skate Parkamenitiespark
- Atherton Tablelands Baptist Churchamenitiesplace_of_worship
- Australia Postamenitiespost_office
- Bankamenitiesbank
- Barron Valley Hotelamenities53 Main Street, Athertonpub
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Tablelands Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.