Darling Heights vs Top Camp
Darling Heights is the younger of the two, with a median age of 30 against 42 in Top Camp. In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Darling Heights, about half of households rent. In Top Camp, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Top Camp: a median of $895,000, against $780,000 in Darling Heights, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Darling Heights tends to suit renters, young adults, and people living alone, while Top Camp suits 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
Top Camp
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 60/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (88% vs 59%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (102% vs 79%)
- But Darling Heights has more parks and reserves (17 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Darling Heights has cheaper houses ($780,000 vs $895,000)
- Top Camp has cheaper land ($570,000 vs $835,000)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Darling Heights
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (45% vs 5%)
- has cheaper rent ($320/wk vs $360/wk)
- But Top Camp leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 22%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Darling Heights
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (39/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Darling Heights is more walkable (39/100 vs 0/100)
- Top Camp carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 60/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Top Camp
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (5.9% vs -0.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Darling Heights and Top Camp 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
Darling Heights has more residents (5,157 vs 902); Top Camp has higher household incomes ($131,560 vs $76,388).
| Darling Heights | Top Camp | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,157 +83% vs other | 902 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -0.7% | +5.9% |
| Median age | 30 | 42 |
| Median household income | $76,388/yr | $131,560/yr +72% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $320/wk | $360/wk +12% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).
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 (17.0%).
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 (6.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Darling Heights | Top Camp | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $780,000 | $895,000 |
| Median unit price | $585,000 | — |
| Median land price | $835,000 | $570,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 36 days from 18 sales | 42 days from 11 sales |
Development activity
| Darling Heights | Top Camp | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,513 across Toowoomba same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -25% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Darling Heights | Top Camp | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.0% $610/wk on $799K | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Darling Heights | Top Camp | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 47% of QLD | Higher than 94% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 84% of QLD | Higher than 57% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 70% of QLD | Higher than 71% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 80% of QLD | Higher than 73% of QLD |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 53% of QLD | — |
Liveability
Darling Heights is more walkable (39 vs 0); Top Camp scores higher overall (70 vs 48).
| Darling Heights | Top Camp | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | A |
| Score | 48/100 | 70/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | very advantaged area decile 10/10 |
Risk profile
Darling Heights carries more crime risk (60 vs 22).
| Darling Heights | Top Camp | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 60/100 | Low 22/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Darling Heights | Top Camp | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 USQ (Toowoomba), 5.8 km | 1 USQ (Toowoomba), 8.4 km |
| Full-time students aged 15–24 | 6.0% | 0.9% |
Schools in Darling Heights
- Darling Heights State School Government · Primary at peers
Schools in Top Camp
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Darling Heights | Top Camp | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 3 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 17 | 0 |
| Childcare | 3 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
| Darling Heights | Top Camp | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 39/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 132.5 km | 132.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 110 min | 107 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 4350 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 41 postcode 4350 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 (81.6%).
Setting
| Darling Heights | Top Camp | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 687 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 594 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Darling Heights | Top Camp | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 71/100 | 62/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 45% 2,123 premises | 31% 314 premises |
Climate
| Darling Heights | Top Camp | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 643 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Darling Heights | Top Camp | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 2.4 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 3.8 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Darling Heights | Top Camp | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,618/yr same for both | |
| Council | Toowoomba same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Darling Heights | Top Camp | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Groom same for both | |
| Member | Garth Hamilton same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Darling Heights | Top Camp | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Darling Heights
Other comparisons with Top Camp
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.