QLD · Somerset Council
Esk, 4312
Current weather
15.5°CClear sky
90% humidity · 7.1 km/h wind · 20.8° / 12.4° today · 0.2 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- Cycling
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Esk sits up in the Somerset hills, a smaller community where elevation and tree cover define the mood. The community is self-contained in the best sense. Local life comes first, with the region opening up beyond. Elevated streets and bushland backdrops bring a sense of fresh country air to daily life.
An older demographic makes it especially popular with retirees, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice, and that is part of the charm. Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls.
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.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker community and employment and local dining and lifestyle amenities against similar regional towns, even with safety and parks and green space holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 1,641
- Median age
- 58
- Median household income / week
- $910
- Dwelling vacancy
- 13.2%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 113 of 855
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,181
- Employment rate
- 36.9%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 65 / 10 / 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)
- 40
- Against the person
- 7
- Against property
- 19
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 24.4
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 234 residents
- State safety percentile
- 18.2th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -19.4%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Drug Offences11
- Good Order Offences7
- Other Property Damage9
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)13
- Traffic And Related Offences9
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
- 970
- Esk 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
Public transport
4 public transport stops in this suburb
- Ipswich St at Lars Andersen Place
- Ipswich St at Lars Andersen Place
- Ipswich St at St Agnes' Church
- Ipswich St at St Agnes' Church
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
Amenities
1 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bicycle Parking
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
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
6 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Challies CornerPark
- Esk Memorial ParkPark
- Hertrich PlacePark
- Lakeview ParkPark
- Lars Andersen PlacePark
- Pipleliner ParkPark
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
- Esk District 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
3 state heritage places
- Esk War Memorial and Esk Memorial ParkState heritage place
- St Agnes Rectory and ChurchState heritage place
- St Andrews Presbyterian Church (former)State 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)
- 10
- Parks (OSM)
- 9
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
- 37.3/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 3973rd in Australia
- State rank
- 921st in QLD
- Peer rank
- #179 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #481 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 78%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Bicycle Parkingamenitiesbicycle_parking
- Drug Offencescrime11
- Good Order Offencescrime7
- Other Property Damagecrime9
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime13
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime9
- Esk War Memorial and Esk Memorial ParkheritageState heritage place
- St Agnes Rectory and ChurchheritageState heritage place
- St Andrews Presbyterian Church (former)heritageState heritage place
- Esk District Hospitalhealthhospital
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
- 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 Somerset Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.