Basalt vs Dotswood
Basalt is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 52 in Dotswood. 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 Dotswood, most households are couple families. On these figures, Basalt tends to suit people living alone, while Dotswood suits couples and 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Basalt carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 84/100)
- Dotswood is already more of a family suburb (65% vs 56%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Basalt
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 35%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Dotswood
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $160/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Dotswood
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (976 min vs 1038 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (1426.4 km vs 1483 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Basalt carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 84/100)
- Dotswood has more residents already 65 and over (34% vs 19%)
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 -17.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Basalt and Dotswood 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
Basalt rents higher ($160/wk vs $0/wk); Basalt has more residents (215 vs 83).
| Basalt | Dotswood | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 215 +61% vs other | 83 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +13.2% | -17.8% |
| Median age | 45 | 52 |
| Median household income | $71,500/yr +31% vs other | $49,348/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $160/wk (not reported on the other side) | — |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.7%).
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 (4.8%).
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 (24.1%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Development activity
| Basalt | Dotswood | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 24 across Charters Towers same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -67% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Basalt | Dotswood | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 40% of QLD | Higher than 12% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 41% of QLD | Higher than 33% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 23% of QLD same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 14% of QLD | Higher than 11% of QLD |
Liveability
| Basalt | Dotswood | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Dotswood carries more crime risk (84 vs 42); Dotswood carries more bushfire risk (42 vs 26).
| Basalt | Dotswood | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 26/100 | Moderate 42/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 42/100 | High 84/100 |
| 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 | Dotswood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Dotswood | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 129 | 41 |
Mobility
Basalt sits further from the CBD (1483 km vs 1426.4 km).
| Basalt | Dotswood | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 1483 km +4% vs other | 1426.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 1038 min | 976 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 (53.3%).
Setting
| Basalt | Dotswood | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 472 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 324 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Basalt | Dotswood | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 109 premises | 0% 16 premises |
Council rates
| Basalt | Dotswood | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,328/yr same for both | |
| Council | Charters Towers same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Basalt | Dotswood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Dotswood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Dotswood
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.