Balnagowan vs The Leap
Balnagowan is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 48 in The Leap. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Balnagowan: a median of $1.24 million, against $760,000 in The Leap, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Balnagowan tends to suit couples, while The Leap suits buyers on a tighter budget.
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
Balnagowan
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (41/100 vs 52/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (84% vs 73%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
The Leap
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($760,000 vs $1,240,500)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
The Leap
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $275/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Balnagowan
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (980.6 km vs 987.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Balnagowan
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (41/100 vs 52/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Balnagowan and The Leap 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
The Leap has more residents (664 vs 438); The Leap skews older (48 vs 40).
| Balnagowan | The Leap | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 438 | 664 +52% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +4.8% | +3.4% |
| Median age | 40 | 48 |
| Median household income | $143,000/yr +10% vs other | $129,272/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $275/wk +9% vs other | $250/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.5%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (2.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Balnagowan | The Leap | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,240,500 | $760,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $700,000 |
Development activity
| Balnagowan | The Leap | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 574 across Mackay same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -6% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Balnagowan | The Leap | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 96% of QLD | Higher than 93% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 26% of QLD | Higher than 63% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 40% of QLD | Higher than 41% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 55% of QLD | Higher than 65% of QLD |
Liveability
| Balnagowan | The Leap | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | B |
| Score | — | 50/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
The Leap carries more crime risk (52 vs 41).
| Balnagowan | The Leap | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 41/100 | Moderate 52/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | High 84/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Balnagowan | The Leap | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Balnagowan | The Leap | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 15 | 18 |
Mobility
The Leap sits further from the CBD (987.2 km vs 980.6 km).
| Balnagowan | The Leap | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 980.6 km | 987.2 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 674 min | 675 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 4740 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 56 postcode 4740 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 (88.5%).
Setting
| Balnagowan | The Leap | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 38 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 118 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 13.3 km | 6.7 km |
NBN connectivity
| Balnagowan | The Leap | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 152 premises | 0% 264 premises |
Climate
| Balnagowan | The Leap | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,517 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 12.4°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Balnagowan | The Leap | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.6 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 17.9 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Balnagowan | The Leap | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,873/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mackay same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Balnagowan | The Leap | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Dawson same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Willcox same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Balnagowan | The Leap | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Balnagowan
Other comparisons with The Leap
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.