Albany Creek vs Mcdowall

In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. McDowall is closer to the city centre: 13.9 km, against 15.9 km.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Albany Creek

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more schools inside the suburb (5 vs 1)
  • has more childcare (11 vs 4)
  • But McDowall has more parks and reserves (16 vs 12)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

McDowall

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($1,200,000 vs $1,492,500)
  • has cheaper units ($695,000 vs $790,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Albany Creek is more walkable (87/100 vs 69/100)
  • Mcdowall sits closer to the CBD (13.9 km vs 15.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Albany Creek

ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (5 vs 1)
  • is more walkable (87/100 vs 69/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Albany Creek and Mcdowall drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Albany Creek Mcdowall
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Albany Creek Mcdowall
Walkability 87 / 69
Albany Creek — Walkability: 87/100 Mcdowall — Walkability: 69/100
Safety 74 / 70
Albany Creek — Safety: 74/100 Mcdowall — Safety: 70/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Albany Creek — Low fire risk: 100/100 Mcdowall — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Albany Creek has more residents (16,385 vs 7,612); Albany Creek skews older (40 vs 38).

Albany Creek Mcdowall
Population 16,385
+54% vs other
 7,612
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.9% +5.2%
Median age 40 38
Median household income $117,884/yr $129,272/yr
+10% vs other
Median weekly rent $440/wk $470/wk
+7% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Albany Creek Mcdowall
0-4 5.1% / 6.4%
Albany Creek — 0-4: 5.1% Mcdowall — 0-4: 6.4%
5-14 14.8% / 14.2%
Albany Creek — 5-14: 14.8% Mcdowall — 5-14: 14.2%
15-19 7.4% / 6.4%
Albany Creek — 15-19: 7.4% Mcdowall — 15-19: 6.4%
20-24 5.5% / 6.4%
Albany Creek — 20-24: 5.5% Mcdowall — 20-24: 6.4%
25-34 9.9% / 10.6%
Albany Creek — 25-34: 9.9% Mcdowall — 25-34: 10.6%
35-44 13.2% / 15.2%
Albany Creek — 35-44: 13.2% Mcdowall — 35-44: 15.2%
45-54 14.7% / 14.2%
Albany Creek — 45-54: 14.7% Mcdowall — 45-54: 14.2%
55-64 13.2% / 11.8%
Albany Creek — 55-64: 13.2% Mcdowall — 55-64: 11.8%
65-74 9.3% / 9.2%
Albany Creek — 65-74: 9.3% Mcdowall — 65-74: 9.2%
75-84 5.1% / 4.5%
Albany Creek — 75-84: 5.1% Mcdowall — 75-84: 4.5%
85+ 1.8% / 1.1%
Albany Creek — 85+: 1.8% Mcdowall — 85+: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Albany Creek 58.0% couple families
Albany Creek — Couple Families: 58.0% Albany Creek — Lone Person: 24.2% Albany Creek — One Parent Families: 15.1% Albany Creek — Group Household: 1.8% Albany Creek — Other Families: 1.0%
Mcdowall 63.1% couple families
Mcdowall — Couple Families: 63.1% Mcdowall — Lone Person: 19.9% Mcdowall — One Parent Families: 12.7% Mcdowall — Group Household: 3.3% Mcdowall — Other Families: 1.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Albany Creek 16.0% renting
Albany Creek — Owned Outright: 35.0% Albany Creek — Mortgage: 49.0% Albany Creek — Renting: 16.0%
Mcdowall 22.7% renting
Mcdowall — Owned Outright: 36.7% Mcdowall — Mortgage: 40.6% Mcdowall — Renting: 22.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Albany Creek Mcdowall
Bachelor Degree 15.0% / 18.0%
Albany Creek — Bachelor Degree: 15.0% Mcdowall — Bachelor Degree: 18.0%
Certificate III & IV 15.1% / 11.8%
Albany Creek — Certificate III & IV: 15.1% Mcdowall — Certificate III & IV: 11.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.8% / 8.8%
Albany Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.8% Mcdowall — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8%
Postgraduate Degree 4.1% / 7.0%
Albany Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 4.1% Mcdowall — Postgraduate Degree: 7.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.4% / 3.0%
Albany Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.4% Mcdowall — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.0%).

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Albany Creek Mcdowall
England 5.0% / 3.8%
Albany Creek — England: 5.0% Mcdowall — England: 3.8%
New Zealand 3.2% / 2.5%
Albany Creek — New Zealand: 3.2% Mcdowall — New Zealand: 2.5%
South Africa 2.2% / 1.6%
Albany Creek — South Africa: 2.2% Mcdowall — South Africa: 1.6%
India 0.8% / 2.6%
Albany Creek — India: 0.8% Mcdowall — India: 2.6%
China — / 1.5%
Albany Creek — China: not among its largest Mcdowall — China: 1.5%
Scotland 0.6% / 0.6%
Albany Creek — Scotland: 0.6% Mcdowall — Scotland: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Albany Creek 85.1% houses
Albany Creek — Houses: 85.1% Albany Creek — Townhouses: 13.4% Albany Creek — Flats / Apartments: 1.5%
Mcdowall 87.7% houses
Mcdowall — Houses: 87.7% Mcdowall — Townhouses: 10.0% Mcdowall — Flats / Apartments: 2.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Albany Creek Mcdowall
Median house price $1,272,500 $1,310,000
Median unit price $790,000 $695,000
Median land price $1,492,500 $1,200,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 18 days
from 166 sales
 23 days
from 79 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Albany Creek Mcdowall
3 bed $1.07M / $1.2M
Albany Creek — 3 bed: $1.07M (106 sales) Mcdowall — 3 bed: $1.2M (34 sales)

106 vs 34 sales

4 bed $1.31M / $1.33M
Albany Creek — 4 bed: $1.31M (124 sales) Mcdowall — 4 bed: $1.33M (56 sales)

124 vs 56 sales

5 bed $1.58M / $1.68M
Albany Creek — 5 bed: $1.58M (36 sales) Mcdowall — 5 bed: $1.68M (21 sales)

36 vs 21 sales

Development activity

Albany Creek Mcdowall
New dwellings approved 6,996
across Moreton Bay
 9,382
across Brisbane
Approvals change year on year +49% +9%

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Albany Creek Mcdowall
Houses 3.2%
$825/wk on $1.32M
 3.3%
$835/wk on $1.3M
Units — 4.5%
$700/wk on $810K

Ranking within QLD

Albany Creek Mcdowall
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 89% of QLD Higher than 93% of QLD
Schools Higher than 53% of QLD —
Walkability Higher than 98% of QLD Higher than 91% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 95% of QLD Higher than 92% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 90% of QLD
same for both
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 16% of QLD Higher than 19% of QLD
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 52% of QLD

Liveability

Albany Creek is more walkable (87 vs 69); McDowall scores higher overall (88 vs 81).

Albany Creek Mcdowall
Grade A+
same for both
Score 81/100 88/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Albany Creek Mcdowall
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
26/100
 Low
30/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
 —
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 4
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Albany Creek Mcdowall
Inside the suburb 5 1
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 2 1
Rated below peers 2 0
Universities within 10 km 1
UniSC Moreton Bay, 10.0 km
 3
Kelvin Grove, 7.8 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.8% 3.1%

Schools in Albany Creek

  • Albany Hills State School Government · Primary above peers
  • Albany Creek State High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • All Saints Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Albany Creek State School Government · Primary below peers
  • Good Shepherd Christian School Independent · Combined below peers

Schools in Mcdowall

  • McDowall State School Government · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Albany Creek Mcdowall
Supermarkets 3 1
Cafes & restaurants 8 1
Parks & reserves 12 16
Childcare 11 4
GPs 5 1
Pharmacies 5 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 3 0
Fuel stations 2 0
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 13 6

Mobility

Albany Creek sits further from the CBD (15.9 km vs 13.9 km).

Albany Creek Mcdowall
Walkability score 87/100 69/100
Distance to Brisbane 15.9 km
+13% vs other
 13.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 26 min 24 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 92.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 77.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 2.2%
postcode 4035
 1.8%
postcode 4053
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 79
postcode 4035
 46
postcode 4053

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Albany Creek Mcdowall
Car (driver) 68.7% / 63.3%
Albany Creek — Car (driver): 68.7% Mcdowall — Car (driver): 63.3%
Worked from Home 21.7% / 25.5%
Albany Creek — Worked from Home: 21.7% Mcdowall — Worked from Home: 25.5%
Car (passenger) 4.1% / 4.6%
Albany Creek — Car (passenger): 4.1% Mcdowall — Car (passenger): 4.6%
Train 2.4% / 2.7%
Albany Creek — Train: 2.4% Mcdowall — Train: 2.7%
Bus 2.0% / 2.8%
Albany Creek — Bus: 2.0% Mcdowall — Bus: 2.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (68.7%).

Setting

Albany Creek Mcdowall
Elevation 40 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 63 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 9.5 km 10.6 km

NBN connectivity

Albany Creek Mcdowall
Connectivity score 78/100
same for both
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 13%
6,229 premises
 22%
3,119 premises

Climate

Albany Creek Mcdowall
Annual rainfall 1,032 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 8.9°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Albany Creek Mcdowall
PM2.5 4.6 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 13.4 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.74 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Albany Creek Mcdowall
Average residential rate $1,577/yr $1,519/yr
Council Moreton Bay Brisbane

Federal electorate

Albany Creek Mcdowall
Division Dickson Lilley
Member Ali France Anika Wells
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Albany Creek Mcdowall
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Albany Creek

Large Blocks Middle-Ring Parks

Mcdowall

Large Blocks Middle-Ring Parks Professionals Quiet

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Albany Creek

Albany Creek vs Bridgeman Downs Albany Creek vs Eatons Hill Albany Creek vs Brendale Albany Creek vs Bunya

Other comparisons with Mcdowall

Mcdowall vs Aspley Mcdowall vs Bridgeman Downs Mcdowall vs Everton Park Mcdowall vs Stafford Heights Mcdowall vs Chermside West Mcdowall vs Everton Hills
Full data on Albany Creek Full data on Mcdowall
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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