QLD · Gold Coast Council
Willow Vale, 4209
Current weather
18°COvercast
88% humidity · 7.6 km/h wind · 20.5° / 13.6° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
In Gold Coast, Willow Vale is a settled smaller community with a familiar suburban feel and good links to the wider city. You get space and calm here, while the city and neighbouring suburbs are still close enough for regular outings. Tree-lined streets and leafy pockets give the suburb a noticeably green, settled character.
The community skews younger, with family life visible on every street. Local shops and services cover the basics well, with more choice a short trip into neighbouring suburbs. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.
Property is in demand, reflecting the appeal of living in a place people actively choose. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker transport and access and local dining and lifestyle amenities against similar metro suburbs, even with parks and green space and community and employment holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 2,279
- Median age
- 32
- Median household income / week
- $2,134
- Dwelling vacancy
- 8%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 61 of 763
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,000
- Employment rate
- 68.9%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 49 / 39 / 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.
Housing
- All types (Mar 2026)
- $695
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)
- 66
- Against the person
- 13
- Against property
- 37
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 29
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 175 residents
- State safety percentile
- 27th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +2%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault220
- Drug Offences277
- Other Property Damage180
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)681
- Traffic And Related Offences195
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
Public transport
1 public transport stops in this suburb
- Bella Bvd at Deepak Drive
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
Amenities
3 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Shelter (2)
- Sports field
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
5 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Crystal Creek ReservePark
- Ruffles Road ReservePark
- Ruffles Road Reserve EastPark
- Ruffles Road Reserve WestPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 8/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 7/10
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
Heritage
1 state heritage place
- Laurel Hill FarmhouseState heritage place
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · 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)
- 12
- Parks (OSM)
- 12
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
- 31.5/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5050th in Australia
- State rank
- 1173rd in QLD
- Peer rank
- #344 among Metro Brisbane · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #385 among Metro Brisbane suburbs
- Data confidence
- 65%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Shelteramenitiesshelter
- Shelteramenitiesshelter
- Sports fieldamenitiespitch
- Assaultcrime220
- Drug Offencescrime277
- Other Property Damagecrime180
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime681
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime195
- Laurel Hill FarmhouseheritageState heritage place
- Crystal Creek Reservegovernmentpark
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
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Updated on site
More in Gold Coast Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.