Downsfield vs Kia Ora
Downsfield is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 50 in Kia Ora. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Kia Ora, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Kia Ora tends to suit people living alone, families with children, and 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
Downsfield
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 39/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (67% vs 52%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 79%)
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
Kia Ora
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (22% vs 52%)
- has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $380/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Downsfield
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (186.1 km vs 190.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Downsfield carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 39/100)
- Kia Ora has more residents already 65 and over (34% vs 23%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Kia Ora
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (6.3% vs -8.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Downsfield and Kia Ora 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
Kia Ora has more residents (218 vs 86); Kia Ora has higher household incomes ($58,500 vs $37,700).
| Downsfield | Kia Ora | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 86 | 218 +153% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -8.5% | +6.3% |
| Median age | 47 | 50 |
| Median household income | $37,700/yr | $58,500/yr +55% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $380/wk +34% vs other | $250/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.9%).
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 (9.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Development activity
| Downsfield | Kia Ora | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 467 across Gympie same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +16% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Downsfield | Kia Ora | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 3% of QLD | — |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 24% of QLD | Higher than 60% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 43% of QLD | Higher than 45% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 28% of QLD | Higher than 65% of QLD |
Liveability
| Downsfield | Kia Ora | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Downsfield carries more bushfire risk (20 vs 0); Kia Ora carries more crime risk (39 vs 12).
| Downsfield | Kia Ora | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 20/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Low 12/100 | Low 39/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Downsfield | Kia Ora | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Downsfield
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Kia Ora
- Kia-Ora State School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Downsfield | Kia Ora | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 2 same for both | |
Mobility
Kia Ora sits further from the CBD (190.8 km vs 186.1 km).
| Downsfield | Kia Ora | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 186.1 km | 190.8 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 135 min | 137 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 4570 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 83 postcode 4570 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 (53.8%).
Setting
| Downsfield | Kia Ora | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 126 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 77 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 29.6 km | 24.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Downsfield | Kia Ora | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 21/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 29 premises | 0% 81 premises |
Climate
| Downsfield | Kia Ora | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
Council rates
| Downsfield | Kia Ora | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,936/yr same for both | |
| Council | Gympie same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Downsfield | Kia Ora | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Downsfield | Kia Ora | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Downsfield
Other comparisons with Kia Ora
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.