QLD · Western Downs Council
Bell, 4408
Current weather
14.7°CClear sky
83% humidity · 16.4 km/h wind · 20.3° / 11.8° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Bell offers a slower smaller community life in Western Downs, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Set in the wider countryside, it offers distance from the capital and a strong sense of place. The landscape itself is part of the lifestyle: open paddocks, big skies and room to breathe.
Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting. The area offers approachable housing costs alongside a lifestyle that still feels complete.
This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, with local dining and lifestyle amenities and community and employment the main drags compared with similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 421
- Median age
- 49
- Median household income / week
- $953
- Dwelling vacancy
- 16.4%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 34 of 207
- Median monthly mortgage
- $882
- Employment rate
- 53%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 16 / 15 / 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)
- 14
- Against the person
- 4
- Against property
- 4
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 33.3
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 105 residents
- State safety percentile
- 36.1th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +74.5%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Drug Offences2
- Good Order Offences4
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)2
- Traffic And Related Offences3
- Weapons Act Offences2
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
- 946
- Bell 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
- 1
- Emergency department
- Not in suburb
- Bell Care PharmacyEnsor Streetpharmacy
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)
- 1/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 1/10
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
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 24.1/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 6169th in Australia
- State rank
- 1429th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #420 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #910 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 61%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Drug Offencescrime2
- Good Order Offencescrime4
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime2
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime3
- Weapons Act Offencescrime2
- Bell Care PharmacyhealthEnsor Streetpharmacy
- Bell State SchoolschoolsCombined
Data sources & freshness
- 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
More in Western Downs Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.