suburb.guide

QLD · Brisbane Council

Wavell Heights, 4012

Current weather

18.5°CLight drizzle

90% humidity · 4.6 km/h wind · 22.8° / 14.1° today · 0.8 mm rain

Updated

Desirability score

64.5/100
Good

Top 7% of Queensland's suburbs

85% data confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • High desirability
  • Excellent transport
  • Cycling
  • Dog friendly
What Wavell Heights is known for: Green suburb, High desirability, Excellent transport, Cycling, Dog friendly

Suburb profile

Wavell Heights sits up in the Brisbane hills, a established suburb where elevation and tree cover define the mood. Sitting close to the city centre, it is easy to dip into neighbouring suburbs for work, dining and events. Ridge-top pockets and tree cover give the area a cooler, greener hillside feel.

Working households and growing families are the backbone of local life, with plenty of young families in the mix. Daily life is practical and well connected, with the city and nearby suburbs easy to tap into. Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls.

Getting around the metro area is straightforward, with transport tying neighbouring communities together. Property is in demand, reflecting the appeal of living in a place people actively choose.

On the desirability index, the suburb rates good overall, led by parks and green space and community and employment, while local dining and lifestyle amenities sit closer to the middle of the pack for similar metro suburbs. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

Population

Population
10,336
Median age
37
Median household income / week
$2,615
Dwelling vacancy
5.3%
Unoccupied private dwellings
208 of 3,935
Median monthly mortgage
$2,450
Employment rate
70.8%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
195 / 110 / 234

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)
$740

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

Crime & safety

Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
311
Against the person
41
Against property
160
Rate per 1,000 residents
30.1
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 252 residents
State safety percentile
28.8th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-11.4%

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

Reported offences by period

Most common offence types

  • Drug Offences150
  • Other Property Damage47
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)185
  • Traffic And Related Offences62
  • Unlawful Entry68

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
3
Median school ICSEA (3 schools)
1,008
  • Our Lady of the Angels' SchoolPrimary
  • Wavell Heights State SchoolPrimary
  • Wavell State High SchoolSecondary

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

74 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Newman Rd at Abdale Street, stop 46
  • Newman Rd at Mylne Street, stop 44
  • Newman Rd at Newman South, stop 45
  • Shaw Rd at Parklands, stop 36
  • Shaw Rd at Parklands, stop 36

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Public transport stop coverage

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

116 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

  • LiquorlandAlcohol
  • Bakery
  • Bbq (4)
  • Bench (2)
  • Bicycle Parking
  • Barker St near Thornton Pde, stop 47Bus stop
  • Bilsen Rd at Halcyon Street, stop 48Bus stop
  • Bilsen Rd at Kuppa Street, stop 49Bus stop
  • Bilsen Rd at Rilatt Street, stop 46Bus stop
  • Bilsen Rd near Hamilton Rd, stop 47Bus stop

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

16 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Belloy Street ParkPark
  • Bristol ParkPark
  • Edinburgh Castle Road ParkPark
  • Emma Street ParkPark
  • Frank Roberts ParkPark
  • Heinrich Gerns ParkPark
  • Magenta Street ParkPark
  • Maggs Street ParkPark
  • Main Avenue ParkPark
  • Murray Duus ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics
2
Emergency department
Not in suburb
  • Dr Margaretdoctor
  • Nundah Doctors SurgeryBilsen Roadclinic

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
10/10
IRSD decile (2021)
10/10

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

Heritage

2 state heritage places

  • Wavell Heights Presbyterian ChurchState heritage place
  • Wavell State High SchoolState heritage place

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site

Childcare

2 childcare services from OpenStreetMap

  • Goodstart Early Learning Wavell HeightsHamilton Roadkindergarten
  • Wavell Heights KindergartenEdinburgh Castle Roadkindergarten

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

Childcare centre count

Data sources & freshness

  • Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Period: current · Updated on site

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)
18
Parks (OSM)
16

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
64.5/100 — Good
State standing
Top 7% of Queensland's suburbs
National rank
478th in Australia
State rank
94th in QLD
Peer rank
#68 among Metro Brisbane · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#70 among Metro Brisbane suburbs
Data confidence
85%

Data sources & freshness

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

Recent changes

  • Bakeryamenitiesbakery
  • Barker St near Thornton Pde, stop 47amenitiesbus_stop
  • Bbqamenitiesbbq
  • Bbqamenitiesbbq
  • Bbqamenitiesbbq
  • Bbqamenitiesbbq
  • Benchamenitiesbench
  • Benchamenitiesbench
  • Bicycle Parkingamenitiesbicycle_parking
  • Bilsen Rd at Halcyon Street, stop 48amenitiesbus_stop

Data sources & freshness

More in Brisbane Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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