QLD · Mackay Council
Farleigh, 4741
Current weather
17.9°CClear sky
90% humidity · 4 km/h wind · 23.9° / 15.7° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
In Mackay, Farleigh keeps a rural calm, a smaller community 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. The landscape itself is part of the lifestyle: open paddocks, big skies and room to breathe.
The area suits established families and long-term locals, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name. There is enough green space nearby for walks, picnics and after-school play.
Homes offer solid value for the lifestyle on offer. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
The desirability score is around average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and schools and education against similar regional towns, even with safety and housing affordability holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 814
- Median age
- 42
- Median household income / week
- $2,160
- Dwelling vacancy
- 7.1%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 20 of 283
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,822
- Employment rate
- 67.8%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 11 / 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)
- 23
- Against the person
- 4
- Against property
- 12
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 28.3
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 204 residents
- State safety percentile
- 25.4th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -13.4%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Drug Offences15
- Good Order Offences16
- Other Property Damage16
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)61
- Traffic And Related Offences48
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
- 2
- Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
- 939.5
- Coningsby State SchoolPrimary
- Farleigh 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)
- 6/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 8/10
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
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 5
- Parks (OSM)
- 5
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
- 45.1/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 40% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 2604th in Australia
- State rank
- 606th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #175 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #251 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 66%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Drug Offencescrime15
- Good Order Offencescrime16
- Other Property Damagecrime16
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime61
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime48
- Coningsby State SchoolschoolsPrimary
- Farleigh 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 Mackay Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.