Ballard vs Highfields

Ballard is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 45 in Highfields. 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, Highfields tends to suit older residents.

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

Highfields

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (16 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (9 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 0)
  • But Ballard carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 40/100)

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

Ballard

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($360/wk vs $410/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Ballard sits closer to the CBD (133.8 km vs 139.3 km)
  • Highfields is more walkable (35/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Highfields

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (35/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 13%)
  • But Ballard carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 40/100)

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

Investors

Ballard

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (10.6% vs 5.4%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Ballard Highfields
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.

Ballard Highfields
Walkability 0 / 35
Ballard — Walkability: 0/100 Highfields — Walkability: 35/100
Safety 89 / 60
Ballard — Safety: 89/100 Highfields — Safety: 60/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Ballard — Low fire risk: 100/100 Highfields — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Highfields has more residents (8,568 vs 167); Highfields skews older (45 vs 37).

Ballard Highfields
Population 167 8,568
+5031% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +10.6% +5.4%
Median age 37 45
Median household income $94,900/yr $103,688/yr
+9% vs other
Median weekly rent $360/wk $410/wk
+14% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Ballard Highfields
0-4 5.4% / 4.5%
Ballard — 0-4: 5.4% Highfields — 0-4: 4.5%
5-14 13.8% / 14.7%
Ballard — 5-14: 13.8% Highfields — 5-14: 14.7%
15-19 7.8% / 8.1%
Ballard — 15-19: 7.8% Highfields — 15-19: 8.1%
20-24 4.8% / 3.7%
Ballard — 20-24: 4.8% Highfields — 20-24: 3.7%
25-34 15.0% / 7.1%
Ballard — 25-34: 15.0% Highfields — 25-34: 7.1%
35-44 13.2% / 11.1%
Ballard — 35-44: 13.2% Highfields — 35-44: 11.1%
45-54 11.4% / 14.5%
Ballard — 45-54: 11.4% Highfields — 45-54: 14.5%
55-64 13.8% / 13.6%
Ballard — 55-64: 13.8% Highfields — 55-64: 13.6%
65-74 7.2% / 13.5%
Ballard — 65-74: 7.2% Highfields — 65-74: 13.5%
75-84 6.0% / 7.4%
Ballard — 75-84: 6.0% Highfields — 75-84: 7.4%
85+ — / 2.0%
Ballard — 85+: not among its largest Highfields — 85+: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Ballard 58.8% couple families
Ballard — Couple Families: 58.8% Ballard — Lone Person: 26.5% Ballard — One Parent Families: 14.7% Ballard — Group Household: 0.0% Ballard — Other Families: 0.0%
Highfields 62.5% couple families
Highfields — Couple Families: 62.5% Highfields — Lone Person: 23.3% Highfields — One Parent Families: 11.7% Highfields — Group Household: 1.6% Highfields — Other Families: 0.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Ballard 7.5% renting
Ballard — Owned Outright: 34.0% Ballard — Mortgage: 58.5% Ballard — Renting: 7.5%
Highfields 14.4% renting
Highfields — Owned Outright: 46.6% Highfields — Mortgage: 39.0% Highfields — Renting: 14.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Ballard Highfields
England 3.0% / 2.8%
Ballard — England: 3.0% Highfields — England: 2.8%
New Zealand — / 1.9%
Ballard — New Zealand: not among its largest Highfields — New Zealand: 1.9%
South Africa — / 1.2%
Ballard — South Africa: not among its largest Highfields — South Africa: 1.2%
Zimbabwe — / 0.9%
Ballard — Zimbabwe: not among its largest Highfields — Zimbabwe: 0.9%
Scotland — / 0.4%
Ballard — Scotland: not among its largest Highfields — Scotland: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.0%).

Qualifications

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

Ballard Highfields
Certificate III & IV 21.0% / 15.8%
Ballard — Certificate III & IV: 21.0% Highfields — Certificate III & IV: 15.8%
Bachelor Degree 10.2% / 13.4%
Ballard — Bachelor Degree: 10.2% Highfields — Bachelor Degree: 13.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.0% / 9.3%
Ballard — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.0% Highfields — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.8% / 2.7%
Ballard — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.8% Highfields — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.7%
Postgraduate Degree 4.2% / 3.2%
Ballard — Postgraduate Degree: 4.2% Highfields — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Ballard 100.0% houses
Ballard — Houses: 100.0% Ballard — Townhouses: 0.0% Ballard — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Highfields 96.2% houses
Highfields — Houses: 96.2% Highfields — Townhouses: 3.5% Highfields — Flats / Apartments: 0.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Ballard Highfields
Median house price — $1,081,500
Median unit price — $647,000
Median land price — $921,111
Typical days to sell (houses) — 42 days
from 137 sales

Development activity

Ballard Highfields
New dwellings approved 352
across Lockyer Valley
 1,513
across Toowoomba
Approvals change year on year +103% -25%

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.

Ballard Highfields
Houses — 3.3%
$755/wk on $1.2M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within QLD

Ballard Highfields
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 68% of QLD Higher than 76% of QLD
Schools — Higher than 87% of QLD
Walkability Higher than 6% of QLD Higher than 83% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 66% of QLD Higher than 68% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 69% of QLD Higher than 83% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 17% of QLD

Liveability

Highfields is more walkable (35 vs 0).

Ballard Highfields
Grade — A
Score — 74/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Highfields carries more crime risk (40 vs 11).

Ballard Highfields
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
11/100
 Moderate
40/100
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 2
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Ballard Highfields
Inside the suburb 0 4
Rated above peers 0 2
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
USQ (Toowoomba), 7.3 km
 None

Schools in Ballard

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Highfields

  • Highfields State School Government · Primary above peers
  • Highfields State Secondary College Government · Secondary above peers
  • Mary MacKillop Catholic College Catholic · Combined at peers
  • Toowoomba Christian College Independent · Combined at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Ballard Highfields
Supermarkets 0 3
Cafes & restaurants 0 6
Parks & reserves 0 16
Childcare 0 9
GPs 0 2
Pharmacies 0 3
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2
Fuel stations 0 5
Waterways 6
same for both

Mobility

Highfields sits further from the CBD (139.3 km vs 133.8 km).

Ballard Highfields
Walkability score 0/100 35/100
Distance to Brisbane 133.8 km 139.3 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 108 min 110 min
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 4352
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 84
postcode 4352
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.

Ballard Highfields
Car (driver) 92.2% / 80.8%
Ballard — Car (driver): 92.2% Highfields — Car (driver): 80.8%
Worked from Home 7.8% / 11.3%
Ballard — Worked from Home: 7.8% Highfields — Worked from Home: 11.3%
Car (passenger) — / 5.3%
Ballard — Car (passenger): not among its largest Highfields — Car (passenger): 5.3%
Walked Only — / 1.7%
Ballard — Walked Only: not among its largest Highfields — Walked Only: 1.7%
Bus — / 0.5%
Ballard — Bus: not among its largest Highfields — Bus: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (92.2%).

Setting

Ballard Highfields
Elevation 395 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 640 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Ballard Highfields
Connectivity score 49/100 74/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 24%
67 premises
 54%
3,935 premises

Climate

Ballard Highfields
Annual rainfall 643 mm 577 mm
Summer max (Jan) — 31.0°C
Winter min (Jul) — 3.9°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Ballard Highfields
PM2.5 4.9 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 12.0 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Ballard Highfields
Average residential rate $1,952/yr $1,618/yr
Council Lockyer Valley Toowoomba

Federal electorate

Ballard Highfields
Division Wright Groom
Member Scott Buchholz Garth Hamilton
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Ballard Highfields
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Ballard

River Rural

Highfields

Regional Centre

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Ballard

Ballard vs Mount Lofty Ballard vs Harlaxton Ballard vs Withcott Ballard vs Blue Mountain Heights Ballard vs Murphys Creek Ballard vs Mount Kynoch

Other comparisons with Highfields

Highfields vs Kleinton Highfields vs Cabarlah Highfields vs Blue Mountain Heights Highfields vs Meringandan Highfields vs Cawdor Highfields vs Birnam
Full data on Ballard Full data on Highfields
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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