QLD · Livingstone Council
Barlows Hill, 4703
Current weather
17.9°CClear sky
95% humidity · 9.4 km/h wind · 22° / 16.3° today · 0.8 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Coastal
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Barlows Hill is a coastal smaller community where beach life and relaxed outdoor living shape the local character. Coastal living here comes with genuine distance from the capital, a self-contained pace with the sea at its heart. Sea breezes and coastal air are part of everyday life, especially on warmer evenings.
Long-term locals and family households define much of the community, with family life visible on every street. Homes offer solid value for the lifestyle on offer.
This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and transport and access against similar coastal suburbs, even with community and employment holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 834
- Median age
- 45
- Median household income / week
- $2,047
- Dwelling vacancy
- 14.3%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 48 of 335
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Employment rate
- 57.9%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 27 / 9 / 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)
- 27
- Against the person
- 6
- Against property
- 12
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 32.4
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 139 residents
- State safety percentile
- 34.5th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +3.6%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault82
- Drug Offences119
- Good Order Offences85
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)168
- Traffic And Related Offences108
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
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
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 6/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 7/10
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
- Overlay applies
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
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 27.4/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5714th in Australia
- State rank
- 1311th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #57 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #113 among Coastal & beach suburbs
- Data confidence
- 48%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Assaultcrime82
- Drug Offencescrime119
- Good Order Offencescrime85
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime168
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime108
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
More in Livingstone Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.