Fordsdale vs West Haldon
Fordsdale is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 51 in West Haldon. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In West Haldon, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Fordsdale tends to suit families with children, while West Haldon suits people living alone, couples, 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Fordsdale carries lower crime risk (47/100 vs 67/100)
- West Haldon 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
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
West Haldon
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (15% vs 27%)
- has cheaper rent ($210/wk vs $350/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Fordsdale
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (98 min vs 108 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (118.9 km vs 128.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Fordsdale carries lower crime risk (47/100 vs 67/100)
- West Haldon has more residents already 65 and over (29% vs 14%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
West Haldon
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (1.6% vs -3.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Fordsdale and West Haldon 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
Fordsdale rents higher ($350/wk vs $210/wk); West Haldon has more residents (63 vs 50).
| Fordsdale | West Haldon | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 50 | 63 +26% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -3.8% | +1.6% |
| Median age | 47 | 51 |
| Median household income | $68,224/yr | $73,632/yr +8% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $350/wk +40% vs other | $210/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (27.0%).
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 | West Haldon | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 352 across Lockyer Valley | 1,513 across Toowoomba |
| Approvals change year on year | +103% | -25% |
Ranking within QLD
| Fordsdale | West Haldon | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 34% of QLD | Higher than 43% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 20% of QLD | Higher than 18% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 33% of QLD | Higher than 63% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 23% of QLD same for both | |
Liveability
| Fordsdale | West Haldon | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Fordsdale carries more bushfire risk (34 vs 0); West Haldon carries more crime risk (67 vs 47).
| Fordsdale | West Haldon | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 34/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 47/100 | Moderate 67/100 |
| 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 | West Haldon | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Fordsdale | West Haldon | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 7 | 48 |
Mobility
West Haldon sits further from the CBD (128.1 km vs 118.9 km).
| Fordsdale | West Haldon | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 118.9 km | 128.1 km +8% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 98 min | 108 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 4343 | 0.4% postcode 4359 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 83 postcode 4343 | 72 postcode 4359 |
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 | West Haldon | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 319 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 442 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Fordsdale | West Haldon | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 16/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 29 premises | 0% 21 premises |
Climate
| Fordsdale | West Haldon | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 643 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Fordsdale | West Haldon | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 2.4 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 3.8 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Fordsdale | West Haldon | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,952/yr | $1,618/yr |
| Council | Lockyer Valley | Toowoomba |
Federal electorate
| Fordsdale | West Haldon | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wright | Groom |
| Member | Scott Buchholz | Garth Hamilton |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Fordsdale | West Haldon | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 West Haldon
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.