Cloyna vs Merlwood

Cloyna is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 50 in Merlwood. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Merlwood, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Merlwood tends to suit people living alone.

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

  • Cloyna is already more of a family suburb (69% vs 48%)
  • Merlwood carries lower crime risk (37/100 vs 52/100)

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

First-home buyers

Cloyna

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 28%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Cloyna

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($160/wk vs $215/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Merlwood

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (199 min vs 207 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (271.7 km vs 281.7 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Merlwood

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (37/100 vs 52/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (27% vs 20%)

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

Investors

Merlwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (18.2% vs 12.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Cloyna Merlwood
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.

Cloyna Merlwood
Walkability 0 / 0
Cloyna — Walkability: 0/100 Merlwood — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 48 / 63
Cloyna — Safety: 48/100 Merlwood — Safety: 63/100
Low fire risk 100 / 50
Cloyna — Low fire risk: 100/100 Merlwood — Low fire risk: 50/100

Demographics

Cloyna has more residents (160 vs 104); Merlwood rents higher ($215/wk vs $160/wk).

Cloyna Merlwood
Population 160
+35% vs other
 104
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +12.7% +18.2%
Median age 47 50
Median household income $69,836/yr $75,348/yr
+8% vs other
Median weekly rent $160/wk $215/wk
+34% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Cloyna Merlwood
0-4 3.8% / 3.8%
Cloyna — 0-4: 3.8% Merlwood — 0-4: 3.8%
5-14 15.6% / 15.4%
Cloyna — 5-14: 15.6% Merlwood — 5-14: 15.4%
15-19 8.8% / 4.8%
Cloyna — 15-19: 8.8% Merlwood — 15-19: 4.8%
20-24 3.1% / 7.7%
Cloyna — 20-24: 3.1% Merlwood — 20-24: 7.7%
25-34 6.2% / 2.9%
Cloyna — 25-34: 6.2% Merlwood — 25-34: 2.9%
35-44 6.9% / 5.8%
Cloyna — 35-44: 6.9% Merlwood — 35-44: 5.8%
45-54 18.1% / 13.5%
Cloyna — 45-54: 18.1% Merlwood — 45-54: 13.5%
55-64 15.0% / 22.1%
Cloyna — 55-64: 15.0% Merlwood — 55-64: 22.1%
65-74 17.5% / 10.6%
Cloyna — 65-74: 17.5% Merlwood — 65-74: 10.6%
75-84 2.5% / 12.5%
Cloyna — 75-84: 2.5% Merlwood — 75-84: 12.5%
85+ — / 3.8%
Cloyna — 85+: not among its largest Merlwood — 85+: 3.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Cloyna 31.0% lone person
Cloyna — Lone Person: 31.0% Cloyna — Couple Families: 42.9% Cloyna — One Parent Families: 26.2%
Merlwood 52.0% lone person
Merlwood — Lone Person: 52.0% Merlwood — Couple Families: 32.0% Merlwood — One Parent Families: 16.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Cloyna 8.7% renting
Cloyna — Owned Outright: 47.8% Cloyna — Mortgage: 43.5% Cloyna — Renting: 8.7%
Merlwood 10.5% renting
Merlwood — Owned Outright: 63.2% Merlwood — Mortgage: 26.3% Merlwood — Renting: 10.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Cloyna 100.0% houses
Cloyna — Houses: 100.0%
Merlwood 100.0% houses
Merlwood — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Cloyna Merlwood
Certificate III & IV 20.6% / 13.5%
Cloyna — Certificate III & IV: 20.6% Merlwood — Certificate III & IV: 13.5%
Bachelor Degree 5.6% / 2.9%
Cloyna — Bachelor Degree: 5.6% Merlwood — Bachelor Degree: 2.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 3.8% / 2.9%
Cloyna — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.8% Merlwood — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 2.9%

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

Development activity

Cloyna Merlwood
New dwellings approved 198
across South Burnett
same for both
Approvals change year on year -18%
same for both

Ranking within QLD

Cloyna Merlwood
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 37% of QLD Higher than 46% of QLD
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 14% of QLD Higher than 11% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption —
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 26% of QLD Higher than 29% of QLD

Liveability

Cloyna Merlwood
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
same for both

Risk profile

Merlwood carries more bushfire risk (50 vs 0); Cloyna carries more crime risk (52 vs 37).

Cloyna Merlwood
Bushfire None
0/100
 Moderate
50/100
Crime Moderate
52/100
 Low
37/100
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 2
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Cloyna Merlwood
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Cloyna

  • Cloyna State School Government · Primary

Schools in Merlwood

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Mobility

Cloyna sits further from the CBD (281.7 km vs 271.7 km).

Cloyna Merlwood
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Brisbane 281.7 km
+4% vs other
 271.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 207 min 199 min
Electric vehicle share 0.0%
postcode 4605
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 49
postcode 4605
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.

Cloyna Merlwood
Car (driver) 69.5% / 81.1%
Cloyna — Car (driver): 69.5% Merlwood — Car (driver): 81.1%
Worked from Home 22.0% / 8.1%
Cloyna — Worked from Home: 22.0% Merlwood — Worked from Home: 8.1%
Bus — / 10.8%
Cloyna — Bus: not among its largest Merlwood — Bus: 10.8%
Walked Only 8.5% / —
Cloyna — Walked Only: 8.5% Merlwood — Walked Only: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (81.1%).

Setting

Cloyna Merlwood
Elevation 256 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 311 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Cloyna Merlwood
Connectivity score 19/100 22/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster)
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
53 premises
 0%
39 premises

Council rates

Cloyna Merlwood
Average residential rate $1,401/yr
same for both
Council South Burnett
same for both

Federal electorate

Cloyna Merlwood
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

Cloyna Merlwood
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Cloyna

Rural

Merlwood

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Cloyna

Cloyna vs Windera Cloyna vs Silverleaf Cloyna vs Wooroonden

Other comparisons with Merlwood

Merlwood vs Tablelands
Full data on Cloyna Full data on Merlwood
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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