Basalt vs Black Jack
Black Jack is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 45 in Basalt. In both, the large majority of households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Basalt, about half of households are couple families. In Black Jack, most households are couple families. On these figures, Basalt tends to suit people living alone, while Black Jack 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Basalt has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
- Black Jack is already more of a family suburb (78% vs 56%)
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
Basalt
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($160/wk vs $350/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (12% vs 19%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Black Jack
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (927 min vs 1038 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (1364.8 km vs 1483 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Basalt
ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (26% vs 4%)
- has more residents already 65 and over (19% vs 11%)
- carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 71/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Basalt
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (13.2% vs 3.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Basalt and Black Jack 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
Black Jack rents higher ($350/wk vs $160/wk); Black Jack has higher household incomes ($93,600 vs $71,500).
| Basalt | Black Jack | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 215 +22% vs other | 167 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +13.2% | +3.7% |
| Median age | 45 | 40 |
| Median household income | $71,500/yr | $93,600/yr +31% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $160/wk | $350/wk +119% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.0%).
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 (16.3%).
Development activity
| Basalt | Black Jack | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 24 across Charters Towers same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -67% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Basalt | Black Jack | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 40% of QLD | Higher than 67% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 41% of QLD | Higher than 14% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 23% of QLD | Higher than 22% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 14% of QLD | Higher than 32% of QLD |
Liveability
| Basalt | Black Jack | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Basalt carries more bushfire risk (26 vs 0); Black Jack carries more crime risk (71 vs 42).
| Basalt | Black Jack | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 26/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 42/100 | High 71/100 |
| 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 same for both | |
Schools
| Basalt | Black Jack | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Basalt | Black Jack | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 129 | 9 |
Mobility
Basalt sits further from the CBD (1483 km vs 1364.8 km).
| Basalt | Black Jack | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 1483 km +8% vs other | 1364.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 1038 min | 927 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 4820 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 49 postcode 4820 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 (68.8%).
Setting
| Basalt | Black Jack | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 472 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 356 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Basalt | Black Jack | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 | 25/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 109 premises | 0% 56 premises |
Council rates
| Basalt | Black Jack | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,328/yr same for both | |
| Council | Charters Towers same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Basalt | Black Jack | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Kennedy same for both | |
| Member | Bob Katter same for both | |
| Party | Katter's Australian Party (KAP) same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Basalt | Black Jack | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Basalt
Other comparisons with Black Jack
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.