QLD · Mackay Council
Ball Bay, 4741
Current weather
19.2°CClear sky
87% humidity · 10.2 km/h wind · 23.9° / 16.1° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
- Café precinct
- Education hub
Suburb profile
Ball Bay is a quieter smaller community in Mackay, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. Set in the wider countryside, it offers distance from the capital and a strong sense of place. Open skies and rolling countryside set a calm backdrop to everyday routines.
Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name. Homes are relatively affordable, which helps families and first-time residents put down roots.
Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because housing affordability and local dining and lifestyle amenities lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in safety. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 384
- Median age
- 56
- Median household income / week
- $1,346
- Dwelling vacancy
- 27.4%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 61 of 223
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,560
- Employment rate
- 47.8%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 14 / 3 / 0
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.
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
- 11
- Against the person
- 2
- Against property
- 5
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 28.6
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 192 residents
- State safety percentile
- 25.8th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -12.2%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Drug Offences15
- Good Order Offences16
- Other Property Damage16
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)61
- Traffic And Related Offences48
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
Amenities
1 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Old Station Tea HouseCafe
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
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 3/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 4/10
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
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)
- 4
- Parks (OSM)
- 0
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
- 29.0/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5405th in Australia
- State rank
- 1251st in QLD
- Peer rank
- #325 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #750 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 58%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Old Station Tea Houseamenitiescafe
- Drug Offencescrime15
- Good Order Offencescrime16
- Other Property Damagecrime16
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime61
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime48
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
More in Mackay Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.