Kilbirnie vs Highland Plains
Highland Plains is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 49 in Kilbirnie. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Kilbirnie, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Kilbirnie tends to suit families with children.
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
- Kilbirnie carries lower crime risk (30/100 vs 70/100)
- Highland Plains is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 47%)
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
Kilbirnie
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($260/wk vs $340/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Kilbirnie
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (30/100 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 13.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Kilbirnie 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
Highland Plains has higher household incomes ($107,224 vs $81,224); Highland Plains rents higher ($340/wk vs $260/wk).
| Kilbirnie | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 68 +12% vs other | 60 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +13.3% | +46.3% |
| Median age | 49 | 42 |
| Median household income | $81,224/yr | $107,224/yr +32% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $260/wk | $340/wk +31% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.5%).
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 (7.4%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 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 (30.9%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Development activity
| Kilbirnie | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,513 across Toowoomba same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -25% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Kilbirnie | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | — | Higher than 79% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 56% of QLD | Higher than 63% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 11% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 30% of QLD | Higher than 32% of QLD |
Liveability
| Kilbirnie | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Highland Plains carries more crime risk (70 vs 30).
| Kilbirnie | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 30/100 | 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
| Kilbirnie | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
Mobility
| Kilbirnie | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 175.6 km | 175.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 136 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
| Kilbirnie | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 581 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 482 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Kilbirnie | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 22/100 | 24/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 31 premises | 0% 22 premises |
Climate
| Kilbirnie | 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
| Kilbirnie | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,618/yr same for both | |
| Council | Toowoomba same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Kilbirnie | 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
| Kilbirnie | Highland Plains | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Kilbirnie
Highland Plains
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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.