QLD · Western Downs Council
Meandarra, 4422
Current weather
15.7°CClear sky
73% humidity · 14.1 km/h wind · 21.7° / 12.3° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Meandarra offers a slower smaller community life in Western Downs, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Far from the capital hubbub, it offers genuine distance, local character and room to live at a slower pace. The landscape itself is part of the lifestyle: open paddocks, big skies and room to breathe.
A mature community gives the area a calm, settled social fabric, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name. Housing is well-priced for what you get: space, location and everyday convenience.
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 housing affordability and local dining and lifestyle amenities the main drags compared with similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 244
- Median age
- 52
- Median household income / week
- $1,224
- Dwelling vacancy
- 26.4%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 33 of 125
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,000
- Employment rate
- 47.5%
- 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)
- 5
- Against the person
- 0
- Against property
- 2
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 20.5
- State safety percentile
- 13.3th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +24.7%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Other Property Damage2
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)1
- Traffic And Related Offences4
- Trespassing And Vagrancy1
- Unlawful Use Of Motor Vehicle1
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
- 987
- Meandarra 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)
- 4/10
- 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
- 25.9/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5942nd in Australia
- State rank
- 1375th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #387 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #861 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
- Other Property Damagecrime2
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime1
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime4
- Trespassing And Vagrancycrime1
- Unlawful Use Of Motor Vehiclecrime1
- Meandarra 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 Western Downs Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.