Goombungee vs Highland Plains
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, Goombungee tends to suit 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
Goombungee
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 70/100)
- But Highland Plains is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 56%)
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
Goombungee
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $340/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Goombungee
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (35/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (166 km vs 175.5 km)
- has a shorter drive in (127 min vs 133 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Goombungee
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (35/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 12%)
- carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 70/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Highland Plains
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (46.3% vs 3.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Goombungee and Highland Plains 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
Goombungee has more residents (1,066 vs 60); Highland Plains has higher household incomes ($107,224 vs $63,336).
| Goombungee | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,066 +94% vs other | 60 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +3.9% | +46.3% |
| Median age | 43 | 42 |
| Median household income | $63,336/yr | $107,224/yr +69% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk | $340/wk +36% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (6.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.2%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Goombungee | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $577,500 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $284,500 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 32 days from 6 sales | — |
Development activity
| Goombungee | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,513 across Toowoomba same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -25% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Goombungee | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 29% of QLD | Higher than 79% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 83% of QLD | Higher than 63% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 11% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 52% of QLD | Higher than 32% of QLD |
Liveability
Goombungee is more walkable (35 vs 0).
| Goombungee | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B | — |
| Score | 49/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Highland Plains carries more crime risk (70 vs 42).
| Goombungee | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Moderate 42/100 | High 70/100 |
| 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
| Goombungee | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Goombungee
- Goombungee State School Government · Primary at peers
Schools in Highland Plains
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Goombungee | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 0 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
Highland Plains sits further from the CBD (175.5 km vs 166 km).
| Goombungee | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 35/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 166 km | 175.5 km +6% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 127 min | 133 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 4354 | 0.1% postcode 4401 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 75 postcode 4354 | 59 postcode 4401 |
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 (81.8%).
Setting
| Goombungee | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 487 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 482 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Goombungee | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 24/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 464 premises | 0% 22 premises |
Climate
| Goombungee | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 577 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.9°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Goombungee | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,618/yr same for both | |
| Council | Toowoomba same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Goombungee | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Groom same for both | |
| Member | Garth Hamilton same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Goombungee | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Goombungee
Highland Plains
More comparisons
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Other comparisons with Highland Plains
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.