Fordsdale vs Mount Whitestone
Fordsdale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 50 in Mount Whitestone. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Mount Whitestone, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Fordsdale tends to suit families with children, while Mount Whitestone suits 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
Mount Whitestone
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (31/100 vs 47/100)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 83%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Fordsdale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (13% vs 28%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Mount Whitestone
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 27%)
- has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $350/wk)
- But Fordsdale has a bigger rental market to choose from (41% vs 22%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Mount Whitestone
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (112.8 km vs 118.9 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Mount Whitestone
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (10/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (31/100 vs 47/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (21% vs 14%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Fordsdale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-3.8% vs -16.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Fordsdale and Mount Whitestone 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
Mount Whitestone has more residents (129 vs 50); Fordsdale rents higher ($350/wk vs $250/wk).
| Fordsdale | Mount Whitestone | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 50 | 129 +158% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -3.8% | -16.2% |
| Median age | 47 | 50 |
| Median household income | $68,224/yr | $74,724/yr +10% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $350/wk +29% vs other | $250/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.0%).
Development activity
| Fordsdale | Mount Whitestone | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 352 across Lockyer Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +103% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Fordsdale | Mount Whitestone | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 34% of QLD | Higher than 45% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 20% of QLD | Higher than 70% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 33% of QLD | Higher than 37% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 23% of QLD | Higher than 28% of QLD |
Liveability
Mount Whitestone is more walkable (10 vs 0).
| Fordsdale | Mount Whitestone | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Fordsdale carries more bushfire risk (34 vs 0); Fordsdale carries more crime risk (47 vs 31).
| Fordsdale | Mount Whitestone | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 34/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 47/100 | Low 31/100 |
| 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 same for both | |
Schools
| Fordsdale | Mount Whitestone | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Fordsdale
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Mount Whitestone
- Mount Whitestone State School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Fordsdale | Mount Whitestone | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 3 |
| Waterways | 7 | 3 |
Mobility
Fordsdale sits further from the CBD (118.9 km vs 112.8 km).
| Fordsdale | Mount Whitestone | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 10/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 118.9 km +5% vs other | 112.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 98 min | 94 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 4343 | 0.3% postcode 4347 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 83 postcode 4343 | 98 postcode 4347 |
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 (100.0%).
Setting
| Fordsdale | Mount Whitestone | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 319 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 514 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Fordsdale | Mount Whitestone | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 16/100 | 21/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 29 premises | 0% 54 premises |
Climate
| Fordsdale | Mount Whitestone | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 643 mm | 697 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | — | 31.9°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | — | 7.1°C |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Fordsdale | Mount Whitestone | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 2.4 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 3.8 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Fordsdale | Mount Whitestone | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,952/yr same for both | |
| Council | Lockyer Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Fordsdale | Mount Whitestone | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wright same for both | |
| Member | Scott Buchholz same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Fordsdale | Mount Whitestone | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Fordsdale
Other comparisons with Mount Whitestone
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.