Benholme vs Dows Creek

Dows Creek is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 50 in Benholme. 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, Benholme tends to suit people living alone, while Dows Creek suits families with children and couples.

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

Dows Creek

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • is already more of a family suburb (85% vs 61%)
  • carries lower crime risk (44/100 vs 57/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Dows Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (13% vs 34%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Benholme

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $180/wk)

Weighs rent.

Commuting to the city

They split

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

  • Benholme sits closer to the CBD (1003.6 km vs 1006.8 km)
  • Dows Creek has a shorter drive in (694 min vs 705 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Dows Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (44/100 vs 57/100)

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

Investors

Dows Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (7.4% vs -11.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Benholme Dows Creek
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.

Benholme Dows Creek
Walkability 0 / 0
Benholme — Walkability: 0/100 Dows Creek — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 43 / 56
Benholme — Safety: 43/100 Dows Creek — Safety: 56/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Benholme — Low fire risk: 100/100 Dows Creek — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Dows Creek rents higher ($180/wk vs $0/wk); Dows Creek has higher household incomes ($133,224 vs $68,224).

Benholme Dows Creek
Population 81 146
+80% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -11.0% +7.4%
Median age 50 41
Median household income $68,224/yr $133,224/yr
+95% vs other
Median weekly rent — $180/wk
(not reported on the other side)

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Benholme Dows Creek
0-4 3.7% / 8.2%
Benholme — 0-4: 3.7% Dows Creek — 0-4: 8.2%
5-14 12.3% / 16.4%
Benholme — 5-14: 12.3% Dows Creek — 5-14: 16.4%
15-19 11.1% / 3.4%
Benholme — 15-19: 11.1% Dows Creek — 15-19: 3.4%
20-24 3.7% / 6.2%
Benholme — 20-24: 3.7% Dows Creek — 20-24: 6.2%
25-34 7.4% / 9.6%
Benholme — 25-34: 7.4% Dows Creek — 25-34: 9.6%
35-44 6.2% / 11.0%
Benholme — 35-44: 6.2% Dows Creek — 35-44: 11.0%
45-54 11.1% / 17.1%
Benholme — 45-54: 11.1% Dows Creek — 45-54: 17.1%
55-64 28.4% / 17.1%
Benholme — 55-64: 28.4% Dows Creek — 55-64: 17.1%
65-74 6.2% / 8.9%
Benholme — 65-74: 6.2% Dows Creek — 65-74: 8.9%
75-84 — / —
Benholme — 75-84: not among its largest Dows Creek — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ 6.2% / —
Benholme — 85+: 6.2% Dows Creek — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.4%).

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.

Benholme Dows Creek
New Zealand 8.6% / —
Benholme — New Zealand: 8.6% Dows Creek — New Zealand: not among its largest
England — / 2.1%
Benholme — England: not among its largest Dows Creek — England: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (8.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Benholme 61.1% couple families
Benholme — Couple Families: 61.1% Benholme — Lone Person: 38.9% Benholme — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Dows Creek 73.1% couple families
Dows Creek — Couple Families: 73.1% Dows Creek — Lone Person: 15.4% Dows Creek — One Parent Families: 11.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Benholme 100.0% houses
Benholme — Houses: 100.0%
Dows Creek 100.0% houses
Dows Creek — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Benholme Dows Creek
Certificate III & IV 21.0% / 30.1%
Benholme — Certificate III & IV: 21.0% Dows Creek — Certificate III & IV: 30.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.6% / 4.1%
Benholme — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.6% Dows Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.1%
Bachelor Degree 3.7% / 5.5%
Benholme — Bachelor Degree: 3.7% Dows Creek — Bachelor Degree: 5.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (30.1%).

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Benholme 0.0% renting
Benholme — Owned Outright: 44.0% Benholme — Mortgage: 56.0% Benholme — Renting: 0.0%
Dows Creek 8.1% renting
Dows Creek — Owned Outright: 37.8% Dows Creek — Mortgage: 54.1% Dows Creek — Renting: 8.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Development activity

Benholme Dows Creek
New dwellings approved 574
across Mackay
same for both
Approvals change year on year -6%
same for both

Ranking within QLD

Benholme Dows Creek
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 35% of QLD Higher than 94% of QLD
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 57% of QLD Higher than 7% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 14% of QLD
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 64% of QLD Higher than 28% of QLD

Liveability

Benholme Dows Creek
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
same for both

Risk profile

Benholme carries more crime risk (57 vs 44).

Benholme Dows Creek
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
57/100
 Moderate
44/100
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

Benholme Dows Creek
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

Benholme Dows Creek
Waterways 3 6

Mobility

Dows Creek sits further from the CBD (1006.8 km vs 1003.6 km).

Benholme Dows Creek
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Brisbane 1003.6 km 1006.8 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 705 min 694 min
Electric vehicle share 0.1%
postcode 4754
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 78
postcode 4754
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.

Benholme Dows Creek
Car (driver) 77.1% / 86.7%
Benholme — Car (driver): 77.1% Dows Creek — Car (driver): 86.7%
Worked from Home 22.9% / 8.3%
Benholme — Worked from Home: 22.9% Dows Creek — Worked from Home: 8.3%
Car (passenger) — / 5.0%
Benholme — Car (passenger): not among its largest Dows Creek — Car (passenger): 5.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (86.7%).

Setting

Benholme Dows Creek
Elevation 58 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 80 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 29.0 km 24.7 km

NBN connectivity

Benholme Dows Creek
Connectivity score 30/100 21/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
36 premises
 0%
53 premises

Climate

Benholme Dows Creek
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

Council rates

Benholme Dows Creek
Average residential rate $1,873/yr
same for both
Council Mackay
same for both

Federal electorate

Benholme Dows Creek
Division Capricornia
same for both
Member Michelle Landry
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Benholme Dows Creek
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Benholme

Rural

Dows Creek

Family River Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Benholme

Benholme vs Mirani Benholme vs Gargett Benholme vs Mount Martin Benholme vs Septimus

Other comparisons with Dows Creek

Dows Creek vs Owens Creek Dows Creek vs Gargett Dows Creek vs Mount Martin Dows Creek vs Mount Charlton
Full data on Benholme Full data on Dows Creek
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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