QLD · Rockhampton Council
Norman Gardens, 4701
Current weather
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95% humidity · 8.6 km/h wind · 22.9° / 14.4° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- National parks
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Norman Gardens anchors everyday life in Rockhampton, a regional established suburb with its own identity and 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.
Families and commuters make up much of the community, with family life visible on every street. The town centre holds its own, with enough local flavour to make staying close to home appealing. Green space is a real strength, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb.
Housing carries a premium, but residents tend to feel the lifestyle justifies the commitment. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
The desirability score is around average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and safety against similar regional towns, even with parks and green space and housing affordability holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 10,534
- Median age
- 37
- Median household income / week
- $1,770
- Dwelling vacancy
- 6.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 260 of 4,006
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,625
- Employment rate
- 60.8%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 258 / 412 / 72
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)
- $585
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)
- 709
- Against the person
- 137
- Against property
- 316
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 67.3
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 77 residents
- State safety percentile
- 82.3th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -4.3%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault257
- Drug Offences569
- Good Order Offences252
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)653
- Traffic And Related Offences314
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
- 984
- Lighthouse Christian SchoolCombined
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
13 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bus stop (5)
- nGundanoo Imbabee Community Childcare CentreChildcare
- Rockhampton Men's ShedCommunity centre
- Lighthouse Baptist ChurchPlace of worship
Norman Road
- Peace Baptist ChurchPlace of worship
- Playground
- Bluebirds Soccer ClubSports field
- Sports field
- Swimming pool
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
14 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Alex Chilsom ParkPark
- Cedar Drive ParkPark
- Col Auston ParkPark
- Eddie Baker ParkPark
- John Broad ParkPark
- Juds ParkPark
- Lighthouse HubPark
- Lyle Albert Dodds ParkPark
- Rose Swadling ParkPark
- Rundle ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 2
- Emergency department
- Not in suburb
- Priceline Pharmacypharmacy
- Star Discount Chemistpharmacy
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)
- 4/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 4/10
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
Childcare
1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap
- nGundanoo Imbabee Community Childcare Centrechildcare
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
Childcare centre count
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Period: current · Updated on site
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- Overlay applies
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)
- 27
- Parks (OSM)
- 25
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
- 46.0/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 38% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 2462nd in Australia
- State rank
- 571st in QLD
- Peer rank
- #153 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #226 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
- Bluebirds Soccer Clubamenitiespitch
- Bus stopamenitiesbus_stop
- Bus stopamenitiesbus_stop
- Bus stopamenitiesbus_stop
- Bus stopamenitiesbus_stop
- Bus stopamenitiesbus_stop
- Lighthouse Baptist ChurchamenitiesNorman Roadplace_of_worship
- Peace Baptist Churchamenitiesplace_of_worship
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
- Rockhampton Men's Shedamenitiescommunity_centre
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Rockhampton Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.