Maleny vs Wootha

Wootha is the younger of the two, with a median age of 52 against 59 in Maleny. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Maleny, about half of households are people living alone. In Wootha, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Wootha: a median of $2.7 million, against $1.2 million in Maleny, though rent is higher in Maleny. On these figures, Maleny tends to suit people living alone, older residents, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Wootha 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

Maleny

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (4 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
  • has more parks and reserves (19 vs 6)
  • But Wootha is already more of a family suburb (67% vs 46%)

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

First-home buyers

Maleny

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($1,200,000 vs $2,700,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Wootha

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 34%)
  • has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $390/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Maleny

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (76/100 vs 0/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (92.6 km vs 97 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Maleny

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (76/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more GPs (4 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (40% vs 29%)

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

Investors

Wootha

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (28.4% vs 6.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Maleny Wootha
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.

Maleny Wootha
Walkability 76 / 0
Maleny — Walkability: 76/100 Wootha — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 69 / 64
Maleny — Safety: 69/100 Wootha — Safety: 64/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Maleny — Low fire risk: 100/100 Wootha — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Maleny has more residents (3,959 vs 258); Wootha has higher household incomes ($91,832 vs $59,488).

Maleny Wootha
Population 3,959
+93% vs other
 258
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +6.0% +28.4%
Median age 59 52
Median household income $59,488/yr $91,832/yr
+54% vs other
Median weekly rent $390/wk
+23% vs other
 $300/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Maleny Wootha
0-4 2.7% / 4.3%
Maleny — 0-4: 2.7% Wootha — 0-4: 4.3%
5-14 9.0% / 13.6%
Maleny — 5-14: 9.0% Wootha — 5-14: 13.6%
15-19 4.5% / 5.4%
Maleny — 15-19: 4.5% Wootha — 15-19: 5.4%
20-24 2.3% / 5.8%
Maleny — 20-24: 2.3% Wootha — 20-24: 5.8%
25-34 5.5% / 3.1%
Maleny — 25-34: 5.5% Wootha — 25-34: 3.1%
35-44 8.3% / 9.3%
Maleny — 35-44: 8.3% Wootha — 35-44: 9.3%
45-54 11.8% / 14.7%
Maleny — 45-54: 11.8% Wootha — 45-54: 14.7%
55-64 16.1% / 13.2%
Maleny — 55-64: 16.1% Wootha — 55-64: 13.2%
65-74 21.1% / 16.7%
Maleny — 65-74: 21.1% Wootha — 65-74: 16.7%
75-84 13.4% / 11.6%
Maleny — 75-84: 13.4% Wootha — 75-84: 11.6%
85+ 5.1% / 1.2%
Maleny — 85+: 5.1% Wootha — 85+: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Maleny 26.8% couple families
Maleny — Couple Families: 26.8% Maleny — Lone Person: 49.4% Maleny — One Parent Families: 18.7% Maleny — Group Household: 4.3% Maleny — Other Families: 0.8%
Wootha 61.2% couple families
Wootha — Couple Families: 61.2% Wootha — Lone Person: 32.7% Wootha — One Parent Families: 6.1% Wootha — Group Household: 0.0% Wootha — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Maleny 19.0% renting
Maleny — Owned Outright: 57.6% Maleny — Mortgage: 23.4% Maleny — Renting: 19.0%
Wootha 17.9% renting
Wootha — Owned Outright: 56.4% Wootha — Mortgage: 25.6% Wootha — Renting: 17.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Maleny Wootha
Bachelor Degree 15.0% / 12.8%
Maleny — Bachelor Degree: 15.0% Wootha — Bachelor Degree: 12.8%
Certificate III & IV 13.6% / 11.2%
Maleny — Certificate III & IV: 13.6% Wootha — Certificate III & IV: 11.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 11.4% / 9.3%
Maleny — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 11.4% Wootha — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.3%
Postgraduate Degree 6.2% / 5.0%
Maleny — Postgraduate Degree: 6.2% Wootha — Postgraduate Degree: 5.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.7% / 1.6%
Maleny — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.7% Wootha — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.0%).

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.

Maleny Wootha
England 7.5% / 3.9%
Maleny — England: 7.5% Wootha — England: 3.9%
New Zealand 3.1% / 3.9%
Maleny — New Zealand: 3.1% Wootha — New Zealand: 3.9%
Germany 1.1% / 1.6%
Maleny — Germany: 1.1% Wootha — Germany: 1.6%
Brazil — / 1.9%
Maleny — Brazil: not among its largest Wootha — Brazil: 1.9%
South Africa 0.5% / 1.2%
Maleny — South Africa: 0.5% Wootha — South Africa: 1.2%
India 0.7% / —
Maleny — India: 0.7% Wootha — India: not among its largest
Scotland 0.7% / —
Maleny — Scotland: 0.7% Wootha — Scotland: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Maleny 91.4% houses
Maleny — Houses: 91.4% Maleny — Townhouses: 6.5% Maleny — Flats / Apartments: 2.1%
Wootha 100.0% houses
Wootha — Houses: 100.0% Wootha — Townhouses: 0.0% Wootha — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Maleny Wootha
Median house price $1,200,000 $2,700,000
Median unit price $633,750 —
Median land price $837,500 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 45 days
from 49 sales
 —

Development activity

Maleny Wootha
New dwellings approved 2,962
across Sunshine Coast
same for both
Approvals change year on year -41%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Maleny Wootha
Houses 3.2%
$850/wk on $1.4M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within QLD

Maleny Wootha
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 24% of QLD Higher than 65% of QLD
Schools Higher than 69% of QLD —
Walkability Higher than 94% of QLD Higher than 64% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 90% of QLD Higher than 91% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 78% of QLD Higher than 67% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 14% of QLD —

Liveability

Maleny is more walkable (76 vs 0).

Maleny Wootha
Grade A —
Score 73/100 —
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Maleny Wootha
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
31/100
 Low
36/100
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

Maleny Wootha
Inside the suburb 3 0
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Maleny

  • Maleny State School Government · Primary above peers
  • Maleny State High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • The River School Independent · Primary at peers

Schools in Wootha

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Maleny Wootha
Supermarkets 2 0
Cafes & restaurants 12 1
Parks & reserves 19 6
Childcare 4 0
GPs 4 0
Pharmacies 2 0
Hospitals 2 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 3 0
Fuel stations 2 0
Waterways 8 11

Mobility

Wootha sits further from the CBD (97 km vs 92.6 km).

Maleny Wootha
Walkability score 76/100 0/100
Distance to Brisbane 92.6 km 97 km
+5% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 87 min 91 min
Electric vehicle share 1.6%
postcode 4552
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 89
postcode 4552
same for both

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.

Maleny Wootha
Car (driver) 61.0% / 58.0%
Maleny — Car (driver): 61.0% Wootha — Car (driver): 58.0%
Worked from Home 26.7% / 31.9%
Maleny — Worked from Home: 26.7% Wootha — Worked from Home: 31.9%
Car (passenger) 5.2% / 5.8%
Maleny — Car (passenger): 5.2% Wootha — Car (passenger): 5.8%
Walked Only 6.3% / 4.3%
Maleny — Walked Only: 6.3% Wootha — Walked Only: 4.3%
Train 0.6% / —
Maleny — Train: 0.6% Wootha — Train: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (61.0%).

Setting

Maleny Wootha
Elevation 409 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 494 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 25.8 km 29.6 km

NBN connectivity

Maleny Wootha
Connectivity score 69/100 34/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 39%
2,314 premises
 7%
89 premises

Climate

Maleny Wootha
Annual rainfall 950 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Maleny Wootha
PM2.5 4.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 12.3 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Maleny Wootha
Average residential rate $1,690/yr
same for both
Council Sunshine Coast
same for both

Federal electorate

Maleny Wootha
Division Fisher
same for both
Member Andrew Wallace
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Maleny Wootha
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Maleny

Acreage Parks Retirees Village Feel

Wootha

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Maleny

Maleny vs Witta Maleny vs North Maleny Maleny vs Reesville Maleny vs Balmoral Ridge Maleny vs Bald Knob Maleny vs Crohamhurst

Other comparisons with Wootha

Wootha vs Peachester Wootha vs Conondale Wootha vs Reesville Wootha vs Booroobin Wootha vs Crohamhurst
Full data on Maleny Full data on Wootha
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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