Harlaxton vs Ballard
Harlaxton is the younger of the two, with a median age of 31 against 37 in Ballard. In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Harlaxton, about half of households rent. In Ballard, the large majority of households own their home and most households are couple families. On these figures, Harlaxton tends to suit renters and people living alone, while Ballard suits couples.
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
- Harlaxton has more parks and reserves (12 vs 0)
- Ballard carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 84/100)
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
Harlaxton
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (48% vs 8%)
- has cheaper rent ($280/wk vs $360/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Harlaxton
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (70/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (102 min vs 108 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (131.3 km vs 133.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Harlaxton is more walkable (70/100 vs 0/100)
- Ballard carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 84/100)
Weighs 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
Harlaxton and Ballard 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
Harlaxton has more residents (2,824 vs 167); Ballard has higher household incomes ($94,900 vs $60,112).
| Harlaxton | Ballard | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,824 +94% vs other | 167 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +10.9% | +10.6% |
| Median age | 31 | 37 |
| Median household income | $60,112/yr | $94,900/yr +58% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $280/wk | $360/wk +29% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.2%).
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 (3.0%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Harlaxton | Ballard | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $670,000 | — |
| Median unit price | $595,000 | — |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 43 days from 20 sales | — |
Development activity
| Harlaxton | Ballard | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,513 across Toowoomba | 352 across Lockyer Valley |
| Approvals change year on year | -25% | +103% |
Gross rental yield
| Harlaxton | Ballard | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.0% $555/wk on $720K | — |
| Units | 3.6% $485/wk on $697K | — |
Ranking within QLD
| Harlaxton | Ballard | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 25% of QLD | Higher than 68% of QLD |
| Schools | Higher than 22% of QLD | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 92% of QLD | Higher than 6% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 71% of QLD | Higher than 66% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 99% of QLD | Higher than 69% of QLD |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 55% of QLD | — |
| Rental yield (units) | Higher than 16% of QLD | — |
Liveability
Harlaxton is more walkable (70 vs 0).
| Harlaxton | Ballard | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 32/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Harlaxton carries more crime risk (84 vs 11).
| Harlaxton | Ballard | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | High 84/100 | Low 11/100 |
| 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 | 8 within 5 km | 2 within 5 km |
Schools
| Harlaxton | Ballard | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 3 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 2 | 0 |
| Universities within 10 km | 1 USQ (Toowoomba), 3.2 km | 1 USQ (Toowoomba), 7.3 km |
Schools in Harlaxton
- Downlands College Catholic · Combined at peers
- Harlaxton State School Government · Primary below peers
- Good Samaritan College Catholic · Secondary · Special school below peers
Schools in Ballard
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Harlaxton | Ballard | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 3 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 5 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 12 | 0 |
| Childcare | 3 | 0 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| EV chargers | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 1 | 6 |
Mobility
Ballard sits further from the CBD (133.8 km vs 131.3 km).
| Harlaxton | Ballard | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 70/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 131.3 km | 133.8 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 102 min | 108 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 4350 | 0.6% postcode 4352 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 41 postcode 4350 | 84 postcode 4352 |
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 (92.2%).
Setting
| Harlaxton | Ballard | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 612 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 395 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Harlaxton | Ballard | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 100/100 | 49/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 99% 1,443 premises | 24% 67 premises |
Climate
| Harlaxton | Ballard | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 643 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Harlaxton | Ballard | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 4.9 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 12.0 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Harlaxton | Ballard | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,618/yr | $1,952/yr |
| Council | Toowoomba | Lockyer Valley |
Federal electorate
| Harlaxton | Ballard | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Groom | Wright |
| Member | Garth Hamilton | Scott Buchholz |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Harlaxton | Ballard | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Harlaxton
Other comparisons with Ballard
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.