Laura vs Cooktown

Laura is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 44 in Cooktown. In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses and about half of households are people living alone. In Laura, the large majority of households rent. In Cooktown, most households own their home. On these figures, Laura tends to suit renters.

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

Cooktown

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (24 vs 3)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 1)
  • But Laura has more separate houses rather than flats (109% vs 85%)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Laura

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (17% vs 25%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Laura

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (7% vs 19%)
  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (89% vs 39%)
  • has cheaper rent ($120/wk vs $230/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Laura sits closer to the CBD (2017.7 km vs 2033.9 km)
  • Cooktown has a shorter drive in (1411 min vs 1432 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Cooktown

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (4.4% vs -41.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Laura and Cooktown drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Laura Cooktown
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Laura Cooktown
Walkability 0 / 0
Laura — Walkability: 0/100 Cooktown — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 4 / 13
Laura — Safety: 4/100 Cooktown — Safety: 13/100
Low fire risk 18 / 14
Laura — Low fire risk: 18/100 Cooktown — Low fire risk: 14/100

Demographics

Cooktown has more residents (2,746 vs 133); Cooktown rents higher ($230/wk vs $120/wk).

Laura Cooktown
Population 133 2,746
+1965% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -41.7% +4.4%
Median age 39 44
Median household income $86,632/yr
+27% vs other
 $63,180/yr
Median weekly rent $120/wk $230/wk
+92% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Laura Cooktown
0-4 9.0% / 5.5%
Laura — 0-4: 9.0% Cooktown — 0-4: 5.5%
5-14 9.0% / 13.8%
Laura — 5-14: 9.0% Cooktown — 5-14: 13.8%
15-19 6.8% / 5.5%
Laura — 15-19: 6.8% Cooktown — 15-19: 5.5%
20-24 2.3% / 3.9%
Laura — 20-24: 2.3% Cooktown — 20-24: 3.9%
25-34 14.3% / 9.5%
Laura — 25-34: 14.3% Cooktown — 25-34: 9.5%
35-44 7.5% / 12.1%
Laura — 35-44: 7.5% Cooktown — 35-44: 12.1%
45-54 8.3% / 13.7%
Laura — 45-54: 8.3% Cooktown — 45-54: 13.7%
55-64 10.5% / 16.0%
Laura — 55-64: 10.5% Cooktown — 55-64: 16.0%
65-74 14.3% / 13.4%
Laura — 65-74: 14.3% Cooktown — 65-74: 13.4%
75-84 3.8% / 6.3%
Laura — 75-84: 3.8% Cooktown — 75-84: 6.3%
85+ — / 0.5%
Laura — 85+: not among its largest Cooktown — 85+: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Laura 45.0% lone person
Laura — Lone Person: 45.0% Laura — Couple Families: 35.0% Laura — One Parent Families: 20.0% Laura — Group Household: 0.0% Laura — Other Families: 0.0%
Cooktown 45.8% lone person
Cooktown — Lone Person: 45.8% Cooktown — Couple Families: 31.0% Cooktown — One Parent Families: 16.9% Cooktown — Group Household: 5.1% Cooktown — Other Families: 1.2%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Laura 88.9% renting
Laura — Owned Outright: 11.1% Laura — Mortgage: 0.0% Laura — Renting: 88.9%
Cooktown 39.2% renting
Cooktown — Owned Outright: 37.5% Cooktown — Mortgage: 23.3% Cooktown — Renting: 39.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Laura 109.1% houses
Laura — Houses: 109.1% Laura — Townhouses: 0.0% Laura — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Cooktown 85.4% houses
Cooktown — Houses: 85.4% Cooktown — Townhouses: 8.3% Cooktown — Flats / Apartments: 6.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Laura Cooktown
Certificate III & IV 12.0% / 17.3%
Laura — Certificate III & IV: 12.0% Cooktown — Certificate III & IV: 17.3%
Bachelor Degree — / 8.0%
Laura — Bachelor Degree: not among its largest Cooktown — Bachelor Degree: 8.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma — / 5.7%
Laura — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: not among its largest Cooktown — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.7%
Postgraduate Degree — / 1.9%
Laura — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Cooktown — Postgraduate Degree: 1.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 1.6%
Laura — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Cooktown — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.3%).

Property market

Laura Cooktown
Median house price — $444,500
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $180,000

Development activity

Laura Cooktown
New dwellings approved 25
across Cook
same for both
Approvals change year on year -50%
same for both

Ranking within QLD

Laura Cooktown
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 60% of QLD Higher than 29% of QLD
Schools — Higher than 29% of QLD
Walkability Higher than 51% of QLD Higher than 38% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption —
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 18% of QLD Higher than 70% of QLD

Liveability

Laura Cooktown
Grade — D
Score — 14/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Laura Cooktown
Bushfire High
82/100
 High
86/100
Crime High
96/100
 High
87/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 High
80/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Laura Cooktown
Inside the suburb 1 3
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Laura

  • Laura State School Government · Primary

Schools in Cooktown

  • Cooktown State School Government · Combined at peers
  • Endeavour Christian College Independent · Combined at peers
  • Holy Spirit College Catholic · Secondary · Special school below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Laura Cooktown
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 0 7
Parks & reserves 3 24
Childcare 0 2
GPs 1 2
Pharmacies 0 1
Hospitals 0 1
Police stations 1
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2
Fuel stations 2 1
Waterways 95
same for both

Mobility

Cooktown sits further from the CBD (2033.9 km vs 2017.7 km).

Laura Cooktown
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Brisbane 2017.7 km 2033.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 1432 min 1411 min
Electric vehicle share 0.0%
postcode 4892
 0.0%
postcode 4895
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 5
postcode 4892
 34
postcode 4895

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.

Laura Cooktown
Car (driver) 35.3% / 70.3%
Laura — Car (driver): 35.3% Cooktown — Car (driver): 70.3%
Walked Only 38.2% / 9.7%
Laura — Walked Only: 38.2% Cooktown — Walked Only: 9.7%
Worked from Home 17.6% / 9.6%
Laura — Worked from Home: 17.6% Cooktown — Worked from Home: 9.6%
Car (passenger) 8.8% / 9.6%
Laura — Car (passenger): 8.8% Cooktown — Car (passenger): 9.6%
Bicycle — / 0.5%
Laura — Bicycle: not among its largest Cooktown — Bicycle: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (70.3%).

Setting

Laura Cooktown
Elevation 109 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 250 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Laura Cooktown
Connectivity score 15/100 54/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
47 premises
 29%
1,318 premises

Council rates

Laura Cooktown
Average residential rate $1,277/yr
same for both
Council Cook
same for both

Federal electorate

Laura Cooktown
Division Leichhardt
same for both
Member Matt Smith
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Laura Cooktown
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Laura

Rural Young Families

Cooktown

Affordable Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Laura

Laura vs Lakeland Laura vs Yarraden

Other comparisons with Cooktown

Cooktown vs Hope Vale Cooktown vs Lakeland Cooktown vs Rossville Cooktown vs Coral Sea
Full data on Laura Full data on Cooktown
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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.

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