Baffle Creek vs Rules Beach
Baffle Creek is the younger of the two, with a median age of 57 against 60 in Rules Beach. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are people living alone.
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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 6 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Baffle Creek
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (15% vs 26%)
- has cheaper rent ($159/wk vs $225/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Baffle Creek
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (316 min vs 328 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (446.8 km vs 458.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Baffle Creek is more walkable (13/100 vs 0/100)
- Rules Beach has more residents already 65 and over (36% vs 30%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Baffle Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-0.6% vs -34.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Baffle Creek and Rules Beach 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
Baffle Creek has more residents (155 vs 56); Rules Beach rents higher ($225/wk vs $159/wk).
| Baffle Creek | Rules Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 155 +64% vs other | 56 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -0.6% | -34.9% |
| Median age | 57 | 60 |
| Median household income | $55,224/yr +20% vs other | $44,148/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $159/wk | $225/wk +42% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.0%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.1%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 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 (23.9%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Development activity
| Baffle Creek | Rules Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 274 across Gladstone same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +132% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Baffle Creek | Rules Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 18% of QLD | Higher than 6% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 76% of QLD | Higher than 29% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 30% of QLD | Higher than 31% of QLD |
Liveability
Baffle Creek is more walkable (13 vs 0).
| Baffle Creek | Rules Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Baffle Creek | Rules Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 77/100 | High 82/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 61/100 | Moderate 58/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 59/100 | High 99/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Baffle Creek | Rules Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Baffle Creek
- Wartburg State School Government · Primary
Schools in Rules Beach
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Baffle Creek | Rules Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 same for both | |
Mobility
Rules Beach sits further from the CBD (458.2 km vs 446.8 km).
| Baffle Creek | Rules Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 13/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 446.8 km | 458.2 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 316 min | 328 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 4674 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 68 postcode 4674 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 (70.0%).
Setting
| Baffle Creek | Rules Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 8 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 5 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 6.0 km | 519 m |
NBN connectivity
| Baffle Creek | Rules Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 22/100 | 24/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 52 premises | 0% 32 premises |
Climate
| Baffle Creek | Rules Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,127 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 14.5°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Baffle Creek | Rules Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,358/yr same for both | |
| Council | Gladstone same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Baffle Creek | Rules Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Flynn same for both | |
| Member | Colin Boyce same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Baffle Creek | Rules Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Baffle Creek
Other comparisons with Rules Beach
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.