QLD · Toowoomba Council
Meringandan West, 4352
Current weather
13.9°CClear sky
91% humidity · 11.5 km/h wind · 19.4° / 10.3° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
- National parks
Suburb profile
In Toowoomba, Meringandan West keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. The community is self-contained in the best sense. Local life comes first, with the region opening up beyond. Generous greenery runs through the area, from street trees to tucked-away reserves.
Young professionals and new households shape much of the local mix, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice, and that is part of the charm. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.
Homes offer solid value for the lifestyle on offer. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
The desirability score is around average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and transport and access against similar regional towns, even with housing affordability and parks and green space holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 2,488
- Median age
- 32
- Median household income / week
- $2,194
- Dwelling vacancy
- 3.7%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 30 of 813
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,650
- Employment rate
- 72.8%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 45 / 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)
- 30
- Against the person
- 4
- Against property
- 15
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 12.1
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 622 residents
- State safety percentile
- 4.4th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -9.3%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Drug Offences56
- Other Property Damage25
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)88
- Traffic And Related Offences64
- Unlawful Entry38
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
- 1,018
- Meringandan 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
26 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bench (2)
- Gowrie Little Plain Rural Fire BrigadeFire station
- Park
- Meringandan Produce & TradingPetrol station
- Picnic Table (2)
- Playground
- Public toilets
- Sports field
- Swimming pool (15)
- Waste Basket
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
8 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Bicentennial ParkPark
- Meringandan Environmental ParkPark
- Meringandan West Lilyvale Sports OvalPark
- Monarch Street ParkPark
- Parmore ParkPark
- Parrot Tree ParkPark
- Peters Road Utillity LandPark
- Valley View ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 7/10
- 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)
- 17
- Parks (OSM)
- 17
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
- 58.0/100 — Good
- State standing
- Top 15% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 1050th in Australia
- State rank
- 221st in QLD
- Peer rank
- #34 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #46 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
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Gowrie Little Plain Rural Fire Brigadeamenitiesfire_station
- Meringandan Produce & Tradingamenitiesfuel
- Parkamenitiespark
- Picnic Tableamenitiespicnic_table
- Picnic Tableamenitiespicnic_table
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
- Public toiletsamenitiestoilets
- Sports fieldamenitiespitch
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Toowoomba Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.