Black Mountain vs Ridgewood
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Black Mountain, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Black Mountain tends to suit couples, while Ridgewood 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
Black Mountain
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (66% vs 56%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Black Mountain
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper land ($1,172,500 vs $1,355,000)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Ridgewood
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($280/wk vs $440/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (20% vs 27%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Black Mountain
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a shorter drive in (103 min vs 111 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
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
Black Mountain and Ridgewood 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 Mountain has more residents (1,560 vs 317); Black Mountain rents higher ($440/wk vs $280/wk).
| Black Mountain | Ridgewood | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,560 +80% vs other | 317 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +8.0% | +3.3% |
| Median age | 50 | 49 |
| Median household income | $85,696/yr +15% vs other | $72,748/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $440/wk +36% vs other | $280/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.1%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).
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 (6.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Black Mountain | Ridgewood | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,389,000 | $1,415,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $1,172,500 | $1,355,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 25 days from 13 sales | 133 days from 3 sales |
House price by bedroom count
Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.
8 vs 6 sales
24 vs 6 sales
Development activity
| Black Mountain | Ridgewood | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 239 across Noosa same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -9% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Black Mountain | Ridgewood | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 59% of QLD | Higher than 42% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 41% of QLD | Higher than 63% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 82% of QLD same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 69% of QLD | Higher than 47% of QLD |
Liveability
| Black Mountain | Ridgewood | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 63/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
| Black Mountain | Ridgewood | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 25/100 | Low 19/100 |
| 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
| Black Mountain | Ridgewood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Black Mountain | Ridgewood | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 3 |
| Waterways | 5 | 6 |
Mobility
| Black Mountain | Ridgewood | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 136.5 km | 136.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 103 min | 111 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.0% postcode 4563 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 96 postcode 4563 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 (72.0%).
Setting
| Black Mountain | Ridgewood | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 286 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 107 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 21.2 km | 24.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Black Mountain | Ridgewood | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 45/100 | 29/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 17% 636 premises | 0% 149 premises |
Climate
| Black Mountain | Ridgewood | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,045 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 7.7°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Black Mountain | Ridgewood | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 4.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 12.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Black Mountain | Ridgewood | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,614/yr same for both | |
| Council | Noosa same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Black Mountain | Ridgewood | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wide Bay same for both | |
| Member | Llew O'Brien same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Black Mountain | Ridgewood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Black Mountain
Other comparisons with Ridgewood
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.