Birnam vs 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, Birnam tends to suit families with children and couples, while Highfields suits 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 4 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)

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

Highfields

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($410/wk vs $460/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Birnam

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (105 min vs 110 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (135.9 km vs 139.3 km)
  • But Highfields is more walkable (35/100 vs 4/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Highfields

ahead on 4 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (35/100 vs 4/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 6%)
  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)

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

Investors

Highfields

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (5.4% vs -3.1%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Birnam 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.

Birnam 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.

Birnam Highfields
Walkability 4 / 35
Birnam — Walkability: 4/100 Highfields — Walkability: 35/100
Safety 6 / 60
Birnam — Safety: 6/100 Highfields — Safety: 60/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Birnam — Low fire risk: 100/100 Highfields — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Highfields has more residents (8,568 vs 63); Birnam has higher household incomes ($123,448 vs $103,688).

Birnam Highfields
Population 63 8,568
+13500% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -3.1% +5.4%
Median age 43 45
Median household income $123,448/yr
+16% vs other
 $103,688/yr
Median weekly rent $460/wk
+11% vs other
 $410/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Birnam Highfields
0-4 7.9% / 4.5%
Birnam — 0-4: 7.9% Highfields — 0-4: 4.5%
5-14 20.6% / 14.7%
Birnam — 5-14: 20.6% Highfields — 5-14: 14.7%
15-19 6.3% / 8.1%
Birnam — 15-19: 6.3% Highfields — 15-19: 8.1%
20-24 — / 3.7%
Birnam — 20-24: not among its largest Highfields — 20-24: 3.7%
25-34 12.7% / 7.1%
Birnam — 25-34: 12.7% Highfields — 25-34: 7.1%
35-44 9.5% / 11.1%
Birnam — 35-44: 9.5% Highfields — 35-44: 11.1%
45-54 9.5% / 14.5%
Birnam — 45-54: 9.5% Highfields — 45-54: 14.5%
55-64 20.6% / 13.6%
Birnam — 55-64: 20.6% Highfields — 55-64: 13.6%
65-74 6.3% / 13.5%
Birnam — 65-74: 6.3% Highfields — 65-74: 13.5%
75-84 — / 7.4%
Birnam — 75-84: not among its largest Highfields — 75-84: 7.4%
85+ — / 2.0%
Birnam — 85+: not among its largest Highfields — 85+: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.6%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Birnam 76.5% couple families
Birnam — Couple Families: 76.5% Birnam — Lone Person: 23.5% Birnam — One Parent Families: 0.0% Birnam — Group Household: 0.0% Birnam — 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.

Birnam 0.0% renting
Birnam — Owned Outright: 60.0% Birnam — Mortgage: 40.0% Birnam — Renting: 0.0%
Highfields 14.4% renting
Highfields — Owned Outright: 46.6% Highfields — Mortgage: 39.0% Highfields — Renting: 14.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Birnam 100.0% houses
Birnam — Houses: 100.0% Birnam — Townhouses: 0.0% Birnam — 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

Qualifications

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

Birnam Highfields
Certificate III & IV 22.2% / 15.8%
Birnam — Certificate III & IV: 22.2% Highfields — Certificate III & IV: 15.8%
Bachelor Degree 12.7% / 13.4%
Birnam — Bachelor Degree: 12.7% Highfields — Bachelor Degree: 13.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.9% / 9.3%
Birnam — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9% Highfields — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.3%
Postgraduate Degree 9.5% / 3.2%
Birnam — Postgraduate Degree: 9.5% Highfields — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 2.7%
Birnam — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Highfields — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.2%).

Property market

Birnam 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

Birnam Highfields
New dwellings approved 1,513
across Toowoomba
same for both
Approvals change year on year -25%
same for both

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.

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

Ranking within QLD

Birnam Highfields
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 91% of QLD Higher than 76% of QLD
Schools — Higher than 87% of QLD
Walkability Higher than 67% of QLD Higher than 83% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 67% of QLD Higher than 68% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 43% of QLD Higher than 83% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 17% of QLD

Liveability

Highfields is more walkable (35 vs 4).

Birnam Highfields
Grade — A
Score — 74/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Birnam carries more crime risk (94 vs 40).

Birnam Highfields
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
94/100
 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 3
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Birnam 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), 7.8 km
 None

Schools in Birnam

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

Birnam 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 1 6

Mobility

Highfields sits further from the CBD (139.3 km vs 135.9 km).

Birnam Highfields
Walkability score 4/100 35/100
Distance to Brisbane 135.9 km 139.3 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 105 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.

Birnam Highfields
Car (driver) 72.5% / 80.8%
Birnam — Car (driver): 72.5% Highfields — Car (driver): 80.8%
Worked from Home 17.5% / 11.3%
Birnam — Worked from Home: 17.5% Highfields — Worked from Home: 11.3%
Car (passenger) 10.0% / 5.3%
Birnam — Car (passenger): 10.0% Highfields — Car (passenger): 5.3%
Walked Only — / 1.7%
Birnam — Walked Only: not among its largest Highfields — Walked Only: 1.7%
Bus — / 0.5%
Birnam — Bus: not among its largest Highfields — Bus: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.8%).

Setting

Birnam Highfields
Elevation 528 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 640 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Birnam Highfields
Connectivity score 29/100 74/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
13 premises
 54%
3,935 premises

Climate

Birnam Highfields
Annual rainfall 577 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 31.0°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 3.9°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

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

Council rates

Birnam Highfields
Average residential rate $1,618/yr
same for both
Council Toowoomba
same for both

Federal electorate

Birnam Highfields
Division Groom
same for both
Member Garth Hamilton
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Birnam

Family Rural

Highfields

Regional Centre

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Birnam

Birnam vs Cranley Birnam vs Gowrie Junction Birnam vs Blue Mountain Heights Birnam vs Cawdor Birnam 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 Ballard
Full data on Birnam Full data on Highfields
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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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