Donnybrook vs Meldale

Meldale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 55 against 58 in Donnybrook. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Donnybrook, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Meldale: a median of $950,000, against $758,000 in Donnybrook, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Donnybrook tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

  • Donnybrook has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
  • Meldale is already more of a family suburb (61% vs 40%)

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

First-home buyers

Donnybrook

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (31% vs 44%)
  • has cheaper houses ($757,500 vs $950,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Donnybrook

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (25% vs 14%)
  • has cheaper rent ($303/wk vs $350/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Donnybrook

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Donnybrook

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, 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

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

Donnybrook Meldale
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.

Donnybrook Meldale
Walkability 14 / 0
Donnybrook — Walkability: 14/100 Meldale — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 60 / 63
Donnybrook — Safety: 60/100 Meldale — Safety: 63/100
Low fire risk 71 / 100
Donnybrook — Low fire risk: 71/100 Meldale — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Donnybrook has more residents (664 vs 230); Meldale rents higher ($350/wk vs $303/wk).

Donnybrook Meldale
Population 664
+65% vs other
 230
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +7.6% +3.1%
Median age 58 55
Median household income $58,760/yr $58,500/yr
Median weekly rent $303/wk $350/wk
+16% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Donnybrook Meldale
0-4 2.0% / 1.7%
Donnybrook — 0-4: 2.0% Meldale — 0-4: 1.7%
5-14 6.0% / 10.4%
Donnybrook — 5-14: 6.0% Meldale — 5-14: 10.4%
15-19 3.8% / 4.3%
Donnybrook — 15-19: 3.8% Meldale — 15-19: 4.3%
20-24 2.7% / 1.3%
Donnybrook — 20-24: 2.7% Meldale — 20-24: 1.3%
25-34 9.8% / 7.4%
Donnybrook — 25-34: 9.8% Meldale — 25-34: 7.4%
35-44 8.4% / 12.2%
Donnybrook — 35-44: 8.4% Meldale — 35-44: 12.2%
45-54 11.3% / 14.8%
Donnybrook — 45-54: 11.3% Meldale — 45-54: 14.8%
55-64 22.9% / 20.0%
Donnybrook — 55-64: 22.9% Meldale — 55-64: 20.0%
65-74 20.2% / 23.0%
Donnybrook — 65-74: 20.2% Meldale — 65-74: 23.0%
75-84 12.5% / 7.8%
Donnybrook — 75-84: 12.5% Meldale — 75-84: 7.8%
85+ 1.4% / 1.3%
Donnybrook — 85+: 1.4% Meldale — 85+: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Donnybrook 54.3% lone person
Donnybrook — Lone Person: 54.3% Donnybrook — Couple Families: 27.4% Donnybrook — One Parent Families: 12.6% Donnybrook — Group Household: 5.7%
Meldale 32.7% lone person
Meldale — Lone Person: 32.7% Meldale — Couple Families: 44.9% Meldale — One Parent Families: 16.3% Meldale — Group Household: 6.1%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Donnybrook 25.1% renting
Donnybrook — Owned Outright: 48.4% Donnybrook — Mortgage: 26.5% Donnybrook — Renting: 25.1%
Meldale 14.1% renting
Meldale — Owned Outright: 49.4% Meldale — Mortgage: 36.5% Meldale — Renting: 14.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Donnybrook Meldale
Certificate III & IV 20.6% / 20.9%
Donnybrook — Certificate III & IV: 20.6% Meldale — Certificate III & IV: 20.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.0% / 4.8%
Donnybrook — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0% Meldale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.8%
Bachelor Degree 4.7% / 7.0%
Donnybrook — Bachelor Degree: 4.7% Meldale — Bachelor Degree: 7.0%
Postgraduate Degree 1.1% / 2.6%
Donnybrook — Postgraduate Degree: 1.1% Meldale — Postgraduate Degree: 2.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.9%).

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.

Donnybrook Meldale
New Zealand 5.0% / 2.6%
Donnybrook — New Zealand: 5.0% Meldale — New Zealand: 2.6%
England 2.7% / 4.3%
Donnybrook — England: 2.7% Meldale — England: 4.3%
Scotland — / 1.7%
Donnybrook — Scotland: not among its largest Meldale — Scotland: 1.7%
Fiji — / 1.7%
Donnybrook — Fiji: not among its largest Meldale — Fiji: 1.7%
Germany 1.1% / —
Donnybrook — Germany: 1.1% Meldale — Germany: not among its largest
Italy 0.8% / —
Donnybrook — Italy: 0.8% Meldale — Italy: not among its largest
Greece 0.8% / —
Donnybrook — Greece: 0.8% Meldale — Greece: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Donnybrook 92.1% houses
Donnybrook — Houses: 92.1% Donnybrook — Flats / Apartments: 7.9%
Meldale 94.6% houses
Meldale — Houses: 94.6% Meldale — Flats / Apartments: 5.4%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Donnybrook Meldale
Median house price $757,500 $950,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $1,151,500 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 45 days
from 7 sales
 —

Development activity

Donnybrook Meldale
New dwellings approved 6,996
across Moreton Bay
same for both
Approvals change year on year +49%
same for both

Ranking within QLD

Donnybrook Meldale
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 24% of QLD Higher than 23% of QLD
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 76% of QLD Higher than 42% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 65% of QLD
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 66% of QLD Higher than 59% of QLD

Liveability

Donnybrook is more walkable (14 vs 0).

Donnybrook Meldale
Grade C —
Score 41/100 —
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Donnybrook carries more bushfire risk (29 vs 0).

Donnybrook Meldale
Bushfire Low
29/100
 None
0/100
Crime Moderate
40/100
 Low
37/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Low
28/100
 Moderate
50/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Donnybrook Meldale
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

Donnybrook Meldale
Parks & reserves 4 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 2 0
Waterways 4 1

Mobility

Donnybrook Meldale
Walkability score 14/100 0/100
Distance to Brisbane 60.8 km 61.8 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 57 min 61 min
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 4510
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 74
postcode 4510
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.

Donnybrook Meldale
Car (driver) 73.6% / 85.5%
Donnybrook — Car (driver): 73.6% Meldale — Car (driver): 85.5%
Worked from Home 16.8% / 14.5%
Donnybrook — Worked from Home: 16.8% Meldale — Worked from Home: 14.5%
Walked Only 7.6% / —
Donnybrook — Walked Only: 7.6% Meldale — Walked Only: not among its largest
Car (passenger) 2.0% / —
Donnybrook — Car (passenger): 2.0% Meldale — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (85.5%).

Setting

Donnybrook Meldale
Elevation 5 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 2 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 894 m 673 m

NBN connectivity

Donnybrook Meldale
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
340 premises
 0%
110 premises

Climate

Donnybrook Meldale
Annual rainfall 1,052 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 27.8°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 14.7°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Donnybrook Meldale
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.7 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.43 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Donnybrook Meldale
Average residential rate $1,577/yr
same for both
Council Moreton Bay
same for both

Federal electorate

Donnybrook Meldale
Division Longman
same for both
Member Terry Young
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Donnybrook Meldale
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Donnybrook

Acreage Coastal Retirees

Meldale

Coastal Outer Retirees

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Other comparisons with Meldale

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Full data on Donnybrook Full data on Meldale
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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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