QLD · Mareeba Council
Speewah, 4881
Current weather
19°CMainly clear
82% humidity · 9.9 km/h wind · 23.6° / 15.9° today · 0.2 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
- Café precinct
- Education hub
Suburb profile
Speewah offers a slower smaller community life in Mareeba, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Out in the wider region, it rewards those who value open country and a pace set by the land, not the clock. Wide horizons and a country quiet give the area a restorative, unhurried atmosphere.
An older demographic makes it especially popular with retirees, 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. The market sits in a sensible middle ground: not cheap, but fair value for the area.
This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and parks and green space lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in housing affordability. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 850
- Median age
- 51
- Median household income / week
- $1,521
- Dwelling vacancy
- 6.9%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 26 of 377
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,663
- Employment rate
- 56.1%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 31 / 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)
- 46
- Against the person
- 15
- Against property
- 18
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 54.1
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 57 residents
- State safety percentile
- 70.7th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +7.9%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault37
- Good Order Offences48
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)33
- Traffic And Related Offences32
- Unlawful Entry35
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
Amenities
3 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bbq
- Public toilets
- Shower
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
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)
- 4
- Parks (OSM)
- 0
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
- 34.6/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 4357th in Australia
- State rank
- 1022nd in QLD
- Peer rank
- #223 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #567 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 58%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Bbqamenitiesbbq
- Public toiletsamenitiestoilets
- Showeramenitiesshower
- Assaultcrime37
- Good Order Offencescrime48
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime33
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime32
- Unlawful Entrycrime35
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
More in Mareeba Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.