QLD · Barcaldine Council

Barcaldine, 4725

Current weather

20.4°CClear sky

63% humidity · 13.1 km/h wind · 25.9° / 15° today · 0 mm rain

Updated

Desirability score

37.3/100
Below average

919th in QLD

71% data confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • National parks
  • High desirability
What Barcaldine is known for: Green suburb, National parks, High desirability

Suburb profile

Barcaldine offers a slower smaller community life in Barcaldine, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Distance from the capital is part of the appeal, with wide open surrounds and a self-contained community rhythm. 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. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice, and that is part of the charm. Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls.

Homes offer solid value for the lifestyle on offer. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.

The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and housing affordability against similar regional towns, even with parks and green space and transport and access holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

Population

Population
1,540
Median age
43
Median household income / week
$1,487
Dwelling vacancy
20.1%
Unoccupied private dwellings
147 of 731
Median monthly mortgage
$1,213
Employment rate
60.4%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
47 / 3 / 17

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian 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)
44
Against the person
3
Against property
17
Rate per 1,000 residents
28.6
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 513 residents
State safety percentile
25.8th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+12.5%

Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.

Reported offences by period

Most common offence types

  • Drug Offences5
  • Other Property Damage9
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)5
  • Traffic And Related Offences16
  • Weapons Act Offences3

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

  • QPS Online Crime MapQueensland 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
2
Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
956.5
  • Barcaldine Prep-12 State SchoolCombined
  • St Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

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 amenitiesOpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Parks & reserves

5 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Apex ParkPark
  • Barcaldine ShowgroundsPark
  • Bryan ParkPark
  • Park or reserveNature reserve
  • Rob Chandler ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics
3
Emergency department
On site
  • Barcaldine Medical CetreAsh Streetdoctor
  • Barcaldine Multipurpose Health Service / Central West Oral Health Servicehospital
  • Barcaldine Pharmacypharmacy

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
5/10
IRSD decile (2021)
5/10

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

Heritage

6 state heritage places

  • Barcaldine Masonic TempleState heritage place
  • Barcaldine Shire Hall & OfficesState heritage place
  • Barcaldine War Memorial ClockState heritage place
  • Shearers' Strike Camp Site, BarcaldineState heritage place
  • St Peter's Anglican Church and HallState heritage place
  • Tree of KnowledgeState heritage place

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage registerState 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 overlaysState government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
9
Parks (OSM)
9

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 featuresOpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Desirability Index

Desirability score
37.3/100 — Below average
National rank
3971st in Australia
State rank
919th in QLD
Peer rank
#301 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#479 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
71%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability indexSuburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics

Recent changes

  • Drug Offencescrime5
  • Other Property Damagecrime9
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime5
  • Traffic And Related Offencescrime16
  • Weapons Act Offencescrime3
  • Barcaldine Masonic TempleheritageState heritage place
  • Barcaldine Shire Hall & OfficesheritageState heritage place
  • Barcaldine War Memorial ClockheritageState heritage place
  • Shearers' Strike Camp Site, BarcaldineheritageState heritage place
  • St Peter's Anglican Church and HallheritageState heritage place

Data sources & freshness

  • QPS Online Crime MapQueensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
  • State heritage registerState heritage authority · Updated on site

More in Barcaldine Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.