QLD · Central Highlands (Qld) Council
Emerald, 4720
Current weather
18.3°CClear sky
70% humidity · 9.7 km/h wind · 24.6° / 12.6° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- Education hub
- National parks
- High desirability
Suburb profile
In Central Highlands (Qld), Emerald keeps a rural calm, a established suburb with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. Distance from the capital is noticeable, but the trade-off is space, calm and a community that knows its neighbours. Leafy streets and shaded corners make the suburb feel greener and more established than many nearby.
The community skews younger, with plenty of young families in the mix. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.
Families benefit from schooling and learning options close to home. Homes here are sought-after, with many people drawn to the lifestyle the area offers.
The desirability score is around 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
- 14,904
- Median age
- 32
- Median household income / week
- $2,202
- Dwelling vacancy
- 16.3%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 965 of 5,915
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,647
- Employment rate
- 71.4%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 405 / 499 / 396
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.
Housing
- All types (Mar 2026)
- $550
Median weekly rent from Queensland RTA rental bond data. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)
Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum
Data sources & freshness
- RTA bond statistics — Residential Tenancies Authority (Queensland) · Period: Mar 2026 · Updated on site · Quarterly releases
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
- 884
- Against the person
- 206
- Against property
- 299
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 59.3
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 72 residents
- State safety percentile
- 76.9th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +3.1%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault90
- Drug Offences158
- Good Order Offences104
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)147
- Traffic And Related Offences151
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
- 10
- Median school ICSEA (10 schools)
- 954
- Capricornia School of Distance EducationCombined
- Denison State SchoolPrimary
- Emerald Christian CollegeCombined
- Emerald North State SchoolPrimary
- Emerald State High SchoolSecondary
- Emerald State SchoolPrimary
- Marist CollegeSecondary
- Ontrack College EmeraldSpecial
- St Brigid's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary
- St Patrick's Catholic Primary 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
Roadworks & transport
1 active roadworks / incidents
- RoadworksCapricorn Highway, n/a11 May 2026 – 31 Jul 2026
Data sources & freshness
- Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · Hourly refresh where supported
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
27 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Aid Street ParklandPark
- Barry Slack ParkPark
- Campbell Street ParklandPark
- Centenary ParkPark
- Emerald Botanic GardensPark
- Emerald Botanical GardensPark
- Gairi ParkPark
- Hospital Road ParklandPark
- Jacqueline Drive ParklandPark
- Kipling ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 24
- Emergency department
- On site
- 4Cyte Pathologydoctor
- Alive Chiropracticalternative
- CP Dental Emeralddentist
- Central Highlands Dentaldentist
- Clinicclinic
- Construct Health Physiophysiotherapist
- Crawford PodiatryHospital Roadpodiatrist
- Direct Chemist OutletYamala Streetpharmacy
- Doctordoctor
- Emerald HospitalHospital Roadhospital
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)
- 5/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 6/10
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
1 state heritage place
- Emerald Railway Station ComplexState heritage place
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site
Childcare
3 childcare services from OpenStreetMap
- Emerald Community KindergartenRetro Streetkindergarten
- kindergartenkindergarten
- kindergartenkindergarten
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
Childcare centre count
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · 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)
- 37
- Parks (OSM)
- 30
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
- 45.7/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 39% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 2512th in Australia
- State rank
- 582nd in QLD
- Peer rank
- #161 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #234 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 77%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Assaultcrime90
- Drug Offencescrime158
- Good Order Offencescrime104
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime147
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime151
- Emerald Community KindergartenchildcareRetro Streetkindergarten
- kindergartenchildcarekindergarten
- kindergartenchildcarekindergarten
- Emerald Railway Station ComplexheritageState heritage place
- 4Cyte Pathologyhealthdoctor
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Updated on site
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Updated on site
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Updated on site
More in Central Highlands (Qld) Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.