suburb.guide

QLD · Central Highlands (Qld) Council

Sapphire Central, 4702

Current weather

20.9°CClear sky

67% humidity · 7.6 km/h wind · 25.5° / 13° today · 0 mm rain

Updated

Desirability score

26.3/100
Below average

1355th in QLD

62% data confidence

How this score is calculated
  • National parks
  • Green suburb
  • High desirability
What Sapphire Central is known for: National parks, Green suburb, High desirability

Suburb profile

Sapphire Central offers a slower smaller community life in Central Highlands (Qld), with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Distance from the capital is part of the appeal, with wide open surrounds and a self-contained community rhythm. Wide horizons and a country quiet give the area a restorative, unhurried atmosphere.

A mature community gives the area a calm, settled social fabric, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice, and that is part of the charm. Local parks and tree cover add a welcome outdoor dimension to suburban life.

Housing remains accessible compared with many parts of the state. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.

On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because community and employment and housing affordability lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in safety. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

Population

Population
1,214
Median age
59
Median household income / week
$644
Dwelling vacancy
34.5%
Unoccupied private dwellings
297 of 861
Median monthly mortgage
$867
Employment rate
26.3%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
65 / 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)
44
Against the person
8
Against property
22
Rate per 1,000 residents
36.2
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 152 residents
State safety percentile
42th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-2.5%

Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.

Reported offences by period

Most common offence types

  • Assault119
  • Drug Offences106
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)258
  • Traffic And Related Offences186
  • Unlawful Entry111

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

Roadworks & transport

1 active roadworks / incidents

  • RoadworksCapricorn Highway, n/a22 Jun 2026 – 30 Jul 2026

Data sources & freshness

  • Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · Hourly refresh where supported

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

Parks & reserves

5 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Mount Leura Conservation ParkNature reserve
  • Rubyvale CommonPark
  • Rubyvale SquarePark
  • Sapphire CommonPark
  • Sapphire Gemfields Wetlands ReservePark

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics
1
Emergency department
Not in suburb
  • Gemfields Pharmacypharmacy

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

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

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)
4
Parks (OSM)
4

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
26.3/100 — Below average
National rank
5884th in Australia
State rank
1355th in QLD
Peer rank
#379 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#843 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
62%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics

Recent changes

  • Assaultcrime119
  • Drug Offencescrime106
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime258
  • Traffic And Related Offencescrime186
  • Unlawful Entrycrime111
  • Gemfields Pharmacyhealthpharmacy
  • Mount Leura Conservation Parkgovernmentnature_reserve
  • Rubyvale Commongovernmentpark
  • Rubyvale Squaregovernmentpark
  • Sapphire Commongovernmentpark

Data sources & freshness

More in Central Highlands (Qld) Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.