QLD · Mareeba Council
Chillagoe, 4871
Current weather
20.7°CClear sky
67% humidity · 14.8 km/h wind · 28.2° / 16.9° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Chillagoe offers a slower smaller community life in Mareeba, 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. Leafy streets and shaded corners make the suburb feel greener and more established than many nearby.
An older demographic makes it especially popular with retirees, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting. Green space is a real strength, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb.
The area offers approachable housing costs alongside a lifestyle that still feels complete. 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 community and employment and housing affordability lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in parks and green space. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 214
- Median age
- 49
- Median household income / week
- $772
- Dwelling vacancy
- 26.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 31 of 117
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,083
- Employment rate
- 40.2%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 9 / 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)
- 13
- Against the person
- 4
- Against property
- 4
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 60.7
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 54 residents
- State safety percentile
- 78th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +17.9%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault153
- Drug Offences68
- Liquor (Excl. Drunkenness)54
- Other Property Damage75
- Traffic And Related Offences103
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
- 827
- Chillagoe 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
Parks & reserves
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Chillagoe RacecoursePark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 1
- Emergency department
- On site
- Hospitalhospital
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
Heritage
2 state heritage places
- Chillagoe SmeltersState heritage place
- Mungana Archaeological AreaState heritage place
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State 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 overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 65
- Parks (OSM)
- 1
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
- 21.1/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 6467th in Australia
- State rank
- 1479th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #443 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #953 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 71%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Assaultcrime153
- Drug Offencescrime68
- Liquor (Excl. Drunkenness)crime54
- Other Property Damagecrime75
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime103
- Chillagoe SmeltersheritageState heritage place
- Mungana Archaeological AreaheritageState heritage place
- Hospitalhealthhospital
- Chillagoe Racecoursegovernmentpark
- Chillagoe 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
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Updated on site
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Updated on site
More in Mareeba Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.