QLD · Banana Council
Baralaba, 4702
Current weather
18.7°CClear sky
74% humidity · 14.3 km/h wind · 24.9° / 12.9° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Baralaba is a quieter smaller community in Banana, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. Out in the wider region, it rewards those who value open country and a pace set by the land, not the clock. Open skies and rolling countryside set a calm backdrop to everyday routines.
A mature community gives the area a calm, settled social fabric, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice, and that is part of the charm. Housing remains accessible compared with many parts of the state.
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 local dining and lifestyle amenities and parks and green space lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in transport and access. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 324
- Median age
- 52
- Median household income / week
- $1,428
- Dwelling vacancy
- 20.4%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 34 of 167
- Median monthly mortgage
- $625
- Employment rate
- 62.4%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 12 / 0 / 3
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)
- 12
- Against the person
- 2
- Against property
- 6
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 37
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 162 residents
- State safety percentile
- 44.1th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -0.3%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault119
- Drug Offences106
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)258
- Traffic And Related Offences186
- Unlawful Entry111
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
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 809
- Baralaba State SchoolCombined
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
Amenities
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
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
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 2
- Emergency department
- On site
- Baralaba Multipurpose Health ServiceStopford Streethospital
- Baralaba Private ClinicStopford Streetdoctor
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)
- 3/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 3/10
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
1 state heritage place
- Dawson Valley Colliery (former)State heritage place
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site
Childcare
1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap
- Playgroupchildcare
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
Childcare centre count
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · 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)
- 1
- 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
- 27.0/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5777th in Australia
- State rank
- 1327th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #365 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #818 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 77%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Assaultcrime119
- Drug Offencescrime106
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime258
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime186
- Unlawful Entrycrime111
- Playgroupchildcarechildcare
- Dawson Valley Colliery (former)heritageState heritage place
- Baralaba Multipurpose Health ServicehealthStopford Streethospital
- Baralaba Private ClinichealthStopford Streetdoctor
- Baralaba State SchoolschoolsCombined
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Updated on site
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Updated on site
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Updated on site
More in Banana Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.