Athol vs Westbrook
Westbrook is the younger of the two, with a median age of 33 against 43 in Athol. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Athol tends to suit people living alone, while Westbrook suits families with children.
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
Westbrook
ahead on 4 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (5 vs 0)
- has more childcare (4 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
- But Athol carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 36/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Westbrook
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 28%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Athol
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($240/wk vs $380/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Westbrook
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (20/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (140.5 km vs 151.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Athol
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 36/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (16% vs 10%)
- But Westbrook is more walkable (20/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Westbrook
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (13.5% vs 3.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Athol and Westbrook drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Westbrook has more residents (4,408 vs 139); Westbrook has higher household incomes ($114,192 vs $69,836).
| Athol | Westbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 139 | 4,408 +3071% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +3.7% | +13.5% |
| Median age | 43 | 33 |
| Median household income | $69,836/yr | $114,192/yr +64% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $240/wk | $380/wk +58% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).
Property market
| Athol | Westbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $891,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $925,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 36 days from 23 sales |
Development activity
| Athol | Westbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,513 across Toowoomba same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -25% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Athol | Westbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | — | 3.4% $675/wk on $1.02M |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Athol | Westbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 37% of QLD | Higher than 85% of QLD |
| Schools | — | Higher than 92% of QLD |
| Walkability | Higher than 31% of QLD | Higher than 78% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 71% of QLD | Higher than 70% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 56% of QLD | Higher than 93% of QLD |
| Rental yield (houses) | — | Higher than 22% of QLD |
Liveability
Westbrook is more walkable (20 vs 0).
| Athol | Westbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | A |
| Score | — | 70/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Westbrook carries more crime risk (36 vs 21).
| Athol | Westbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 21/100 | Low 36/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Athol | Westbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 3 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 2 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Athol
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Westbrook
- Bunker's Hill State School Government · Primary above peers
- Ming-De International School Toowoomba Independent · Combined above peers
- St Francis Catholic College, Westbrook Catholic · Combined
Amenities in the suburb
| Athol | Westbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 5 |
| Childcare | 0 | 4 |
| GPs | 0 | 1 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 1 | 12 |
Mobility
Athol sits further from the CBD (151.1 km vs 140.5 km).
| Athol | Westbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 20/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 151.1 km +7% vs other | 140.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 116 min | 114 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 4350 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 41 postcode 4350 same for both | |
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (84.7%).
Setting
| Athol | Westbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 500 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 525 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Athol | Westbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 83/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 53 premises | 73% 1,594 premises |
Climate
| Athol | Westbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 643 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Athol | Westbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 4.9 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 12.0 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Athol | Westbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,618/yr same for both | |
| Council | Toowoomba same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Athol | Westbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Groom same for both | |
| Member | Garth Hamilton same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Athol | Westbrook | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Athol
Other comparisons with Westbrook
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.