Bunya Creek vs River Heads

Bunya Creek is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 54 in River Heads. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bunya Creek, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Bunya Creek tends to suit people living alone and couples, while River Heads 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

River Heads

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 53/100)

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

Bunya Creek

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (21% vs 28%)
  • has cheaper rent ($295/wk vs $350/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Bunya Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (283.2 km vs 293 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

River Heads

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more residents already 65 and over (27% vs 12%)
  • carries lower crime risk (36/100 vs 53/100)

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

Investors

River Heads

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (32.8% vs -5.1%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Bunya Creek River Heads
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.

Bunya Creek River Heads
Walkability 0 / 0
Bunya Creek — Walkability: 0/100 River Heads — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 47 / 64
Bunya Creek — Safety: 47/100 River Heads — Safety: 64/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Bunya Creek — Low fire risk: 100/100 River Heads — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

River Heads has more residents (2,044 vs 75); River Heads rents higher ($350/wk vs $295/wk).

Bunya Creek River Heads
Population 75 2,044
+2625% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -5.1% +32.8%
Median age 48 54
Median household income $73,632/yr
+12% vs other
 $64,636/yr
Median weekly rent $295/wk $350/wk
+19% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bunya Creek River Heads
0-4 — / 3.4%
Bunya Creek — 0-4: not among its largest River Heads — 0-4: 3.4%
5-14 13.3% / 9.5%
Bunya Creek — 5-14: 13.3% River Heads — 5-14: 9.5%
15-19 9.3% / 4.3%
Bunya Creek — 15-19: 9.3% River Heads — 15-19: 4.3%
20-24 4.0% / 4.2%
Bunya Creek — 20-24: 4.0% River Heads — 20-24: 4.2%
25-34 — / 7.7%
Bunya Creek — 25-34: not among its largest River Heads — 25-34: 7.7%
35-44 6.7% / 8.8%
Bunya Creek — 35-44: 6.7% River Heads — 35-44: 8.8%
45-54 22.7% / 13.4%
Bunya Creek — 45-54: 22.7% River Heads — 45-54: 13.4%
55-64 28.0% / 22.2%
Bunya Creek — 55-64: 28.0% River Heads — 55-64: 22.2%
65-74 12.0% / 19.4%
Bunya Creek — 65-74: 12.0% River Heads — 65-74: 19.4%
75-84 — / 6.3%
Bunya Creek — 75-84: not among its largest River Heads — 75-84: 6.3%
85+ — / 1.1%
Bunya Creek — 85+: not among its largest River Heads — 85+: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bunya Creek 52.9% couple families
Bunya Creek — Couple Families: 52.9% Bunya Creek — Lone Person: 47.1% Bunya Creek — One Parent Families: 0.0% Bunya Creek — Group Household: 0.0%
River Heads 39.0% couple families
River Heads — Couple Families: 39.0% River Heads — Lone Person: 35.4% River Heads — One Parent Families: 19.7% River Heads — Group Household: 5.9%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bunya Creek 13.6% renting
Bunya Creek — Owned Outright: 36.4% Bunya Creek — Mortgage: 50.0% Bunya Creek — Renting: 13.6%
River Heads 16.5% renting
River Heads — Owned Outright: 47.8% River Heads — Mortgage: 35.7% River Heads — Renting: 16.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Bunya Creek River Heads
Certificate III & IV 20.0% / 25.5%
Bunya Creek — Certificate III & IV: 20.0% River Heads — Certificate III & IV: 25.5%
Bachelor Degree 13.3% / 6.1%
Bunya Creek — Bachelor Degree: 13.3% River Heads — Bachelor Degree: 6.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma — / 7.6%
Bunya Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: not among its largest River Heads — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.6%
Postgraduate Degree 5.3% / 2.2%
Bunya Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 5.3% River Heads — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.0% / 1.9%
Bunya Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.0% River Heads — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.5%).

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.

Bunya Creek River Heads
Thailand 6.7% / —
Bunya Creek — Thailand: 6.7% River Heads — Thailand: not among its largest
England — / 5.6%
Bunya Creek — England: not among its largest River Heads — England: 5.6%
New Zealand — / 4.5%
Bunya Creek — New Zealand: not among its largest River Heads — New Zealand: 4.5%
Ireland 4.0% / —
Bunya Creek — Ireland: 4.0% River Heads — Ireland: not among its largest
Philippines — / 1.0%
Bunya Creek — Philippines: not among its largest River Heads — Philippines: 1.0%
South Africa — / 0.7%
Bunya Creek — South Africa: not among its largest River Heads — South Africa: 0.7%
Netherlands — / 0.6%
Bunya Creek — Netherlands: not among its largest River Heads — Netherlands: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bunya Creek 100.0% houses
Bunya Creek — Houses: 100.0% Bunya Creek — Flats / Apartments: 0.0% Bunya Creek — Townhouses: 0.0%
River Heads 97.2% houses
River Heads — Houses: 97.2% River Heads — Flats / Apartments: 2.0% River Heads — Townhouses: 0.8%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Bunya Creek River Heads
Median house price — $830,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $399,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 49 days
from 39 sales

Development activity

Bunya Creek River Heads
New dwellings approved 1,578
across Fraser Coast
same for both
Approvals change year on year -8%
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.

Bunya Creek River Heads
Houses — 3.9%
$670/wk on $899K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within QLD

Bunya Creek River Heads
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 44% of QLD Higher than 30% of QLD
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 45% of QLD Higher than 47% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 59% of QLD
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 60% of QLD Higher than 91% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 47% of QLD

Liveability

Bunya Creek River Heads
Grade — C
Score — 41/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Bunya Creek carries more crime risk (53 vs 36).

Bunya Creek River Heads
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
53/100
 Low
36/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 High
83/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Bunya Creek River Heads
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

Bunya Creek River Heads
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 0 2
Parks & reserves 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Waterways 4 0

Mobility

River Heads sits further from the CBD (293 km vs 283.2 km).

Bunya Creek River Heads
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Brisbane 283.2 km 293 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 207 min 211 min
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 4655
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 81
postcode 4655
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.

Bunya Creek River Heads
Car (driver) 88.9% / 78.6%
Bunya Creek — Car (driver): 88.9% River Heads — Car (driver): 78.6%
Worked from Home 11.1% / 13.4%
Bunya Creek — Worked from Home: 11.1% River Heads — Worked from Home: 13.4%
Car (passenger) — / 5.7%
Bunya Creek — Car (passenger): not among its largest River Heads — Car (passenger): 5.7%
Walked Only — / 1.7%
Bunya Creek — Walked Only: not among its largest River Heads — Walked Only: 1.7%
Bus — / 0.6%
Bunya Creek — Bus: not among its largest River Heads — Bus: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (88.9%).

Setting

Bunya Creek River Heads
Elevation 3 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 29 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 7.4 km 713 m

NBN connectivity

Bunya Creek River Heads
Connectivity score 30/100 80/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
36 premises
 58%
1,070 premises

Climate

Bunya Creek River Heads
Annual rainfall 1,074 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 31.0°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 9.7°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Bunya Creek River Heads
PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.0 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Bunya Creek River Heads
Average residential rate $1,576/yr
same for both
Council Fraser Coast
same for both

Federal electorate

Bunya Creek River Heads
Division Hinkler
same for both
Member David Batt
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Bunya Creek River Heads
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bunya Creek

Rural

River Heads

Acreage Coastal Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bunya Creek

Bunya Creek vs Booral Bunya Creek vs Nikenbah Bunya Creek vs Sunshine Acres Bunya Creek vs Susan River

Other comparisons with River Heads

River Heads vs Booral River Heads vs Susan River
Full data on Bunya Creek Full data on River Heads
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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