QLD · Bundaberg Council
Booyal, 4671
Current weather
15.3°CClear sky
95% humidity · 9.5 km/h wind · 22.6° / 13.5° today · 0.3 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
In Bundaberg, Booyal keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. The community is self-contained in the best sense. Local life comes first, with the region opening up beyond. Wide horizons and a country quiet give the area a restorative, unhurried atmosphere.
Long-term locals and family households define much of the community, 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. Housing remains accessible compared with many parts of the state.
The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
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
- 285
- Median age
- 46
- Median household income / week
- $1,187
- Dwelling vacancy
- 19.1%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 22 of 115
- Median monthly mortgage
- $990
- Employment rate
- 45.4%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 5 / 0 / 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)
- 12
- Against the person
- 2
- Against property
- 3
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 42.1
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 142 residents
- State safety percentile
- 55.4th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +14%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault21
- Good Order Offences17
- Other Property Damage16
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)34
- Traffic And Related Offences135
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
- 976
- Booyal Central State SchoolPrimary
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
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 2/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 2/10
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
- 22.7/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 6319th in Australia
- State rank
- 1460th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #433 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #936 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 56%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Assaultcrime21
- Good Order Offencescrime17
- Other Property Damagecrime16
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime34
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime135
- Booyal Central State SchoolschoolsPrimary
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
More in Bundaberg Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.