Mareeba vs Tolga

Mareeba is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 44 in Tolga. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Tolga, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Tolga: a median of $650,000, against $566,000 in Mareeba.

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

Mareeba

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (24 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (5 vs 1)
  • has more childcare (6 vs 2)
  • But Tolga carries lower crime risk (44/100 vs 89/100)

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

First-home buyers

They split

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

  • Mareeba has cheaper houses ($565,600 vs $650,000)
  • Tolga has cheaper land ($510,000 vs $639,500)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Mareeba

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (32% vs 14%)

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

Commuting to the city

Tolga

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (1191 min vs 1217 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (1715.5 km vs 1747.4 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Mareeba has more GPs (6 vs 0)
  • Tolga carries lower crime risk (44/100 vs 89/100)

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

Investors

Tolga

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (16.9% vs 6.7%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Mareeba Tolga
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.

Mareeba Tolga
Walkability 0 / 0
Mareeba — Walkability: 0/100 Tolga — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 11 / 56
Mareeba — Safety: 11/100 Tolga — Safety: 56/100
Low fire risk 44 / 26
Mareeba — Low fire risk: 44/100 Tolga — Low fire risk: 26/100

Demographics

Mareeba has more residents (11,825 vs 3,177); Tolga has higher household incomes ($76,908 vs $66,664).

Mareeba Tolga
Population 11,825
+73% vs other
 3,177
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +6.7% +16.9%
Median age 41 44
Median household income $66,664/yr $76,908/yr
+15% vs other
Median weekly rent $285/wk $300/wk
+5% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Mareeba Tolga
0-4 5.4% / 4.1%
Mareeba — 0-4: 5.4% Tolga — 0-4: 4.1%
5-14 12.9% / 13.9%
Mareeba — 5-14: 12.9% Tolga — 5-14: 13.9%
15-19 5.6% / 6.2%
Mareeba — 15-19: 5.6% Tolga — 15-19: 6.2%
20-24 5.1% / 3.6%
Mareeba — 20-24: 5.1% Tolga — 20-24: 3.6%
25-34 13.4% / 11.6%
Mareeba — 25-34: 13.4% Tolga — 25-34: 11.6%
35-44 10.6% / 11.9%
Mareeba — 35-44: 10.6% Tolga — 35-44: 11.9%
45-54 12.5% / 12.2%
Mareeba — 45-54: 12.5% Tolga — 45-54: 12.2%
55-64 12.3% / 13.7%
Mareeba — 55-64: 12.3% Tolga — 55-64: 13.7%
65-74 11.3% / 14.0%
Mareeba — 65-74: 11.3% Tolga — 65-74: 14.0%
75-84 8.1% / 7.2%
Mareeba — 75-84: 8.1% Tolga — 75-84: 7.2%
85+ 2.9% / 1.7%
Mareeba — 85+: 2.9% Tolga — 85+: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Mareeba 35.4% couple families
Mareeba — Couple Families: 35.4% Mareeba — Lone Person: 38.2% Mareeba — One Parent Families: 19.5% Mareeba — Group Household: 5.2% Mareeba — Other Families: 1.6%
Tolga 45.0% couple families
Tolga — Couple Families: 45.0% Tolga — Lone Person: 36.0% Tolga — One Parent Families: 13.2% Tolga — Group Household: 4.4% Tolga — Other Families: 1.4%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Mareeba 32.1% renting
Mareeba — Owned Outright: 39.9% Mareeba — Mortgage: 28.0% Mareeba — Renting: 32.1%
Tolga 14.4% renting
Tolga — Owned Outright: 49.6% Tolga — Mortgage: 36.0% Tolga — Renting: 14.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Mareeba Tolga
Certificate III & IV 15.6% / 19.2%
Mareeba — Certificate III & IV: 15.6% Tolga — Certificate III & IV: 19.2%
Bachelor Degree 7.1% / 8.0%
Mareeba — Bachelor Degree: 7.1% Tolga — Bachelor Degree: 8.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.1% / 6.9%
Mareeba — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.1% Tolga — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.9%
Postgraduate Degree 1.3% / 1.5%
Mareeba — Postgraduate Degree: 1.3% Tolga — Postgraduate Degree: 1.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.9% / 1.4%
Mareeba — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.9% Tolga — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.2%).

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.

Mareeba Tolga
England 1.8% / 2.6%
Mareeba — England: 1.8% Tolga — England: 2.6%
Italy 3.1% / 0.7%
Mareeba — Italy: 3.1% Tolga — Italy: 0.7%
New Zealand 1.6% / 1.3%
Mareeba — New Zealand: 1.6% Tolga — New Zealand: 1.3%
Germany 0.7% / 0.5%
Mareeba — Germany: 0.7% Tolga — Germany: 0.5%
Philippines 0.6% / 0.6%
Mareeba — Philippines: 0.6% Tolga — Philippines: 0.6%
Taiwan 0.7% / —
Mareeba — Taiwan: 0.7% Tolga — Taiwan: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Mareeba 88.6% houses
Mareeba — Houses: 88.6% Mareeba — Flats / Apartments: 10.4% Mareeba — Townhouses: 0.9%
Tolga 97.0% houses
Tolga — Houses: 97.0% Tolga — Flats / Apartments: 3.0% Tolga — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Mareeba Tolga
Median house price $565,600 $650,000
Median unit price $377,000 —
Median land price $639,500 $510,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 58 days
from 154 sales
 32 days
from 16 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Mareeba Tolga
3 bed $485K / $640K
Mareeba — 3 bed: $485K (119 sales) Tolga — 3 bed: $640K (15 sales)

119 vs 15 sales

4 bed $688K / $650K
Mareeba — 4 bed: $688K (86 sales) Tolga — 4 bed: $650K (15 sales)

86 vs 15 sales

Development activity

Mareeba Tolga
New dwellings approved 76
across Mareeba
 167
across Tablelands
Approvals change year on year -23% -80%

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.

Mareeba Tolga
Houses 4.5%
$600/wk on $690K
 4.4%
$635/wk on $745K
Units 5.1%
$375/wk on $385K
 —

Ranking within QLD

Mareeba Tolga
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 32% of QLD Higher than 48% of QLD
Schools Higher than 82% of QLD —
Walkability Higher than 37% of QLD Higher than 17% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 33% of QLD Higher than 37% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 76% of QLD
same for both
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 78% of QLD Higher than 73% of QLD
Rental yield (units) Higher than 74% of QLD —

Liveability

Mareeba scores higher overall (28 vs 20).

Mareeba Tolga
Grade D
same for both
Score 28/100 20/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Mareeba carries more crime risk (89 vs 44); Tolga carries more bushfire risk (74 vs 56).

Mareeba Tolga
Bushfire Moderate
56/100
 High
74/100
Crime High
89/100
 Moderate
44/100
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

Mareeba Tolga
Inside the suburb 5 1
Rated above peers 2 0
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 2 1

Schools in Mareeba

  • St Stephen's Catholic College Catholic · Secondary above peers
  • St Thomas' School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Mareeba State High School Government · Secondary below peers
  • Mareeba State School Government · Primary below peers
  • Two Rivers Community School Independent · Primary

Schools in Tolga

  • Tolga State School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Mareeba Tolga
Supermarkets 2 0
Cafes & restaurants 6 1
Parks & reserves 24 0
Childcare 6 2
GPs 6 0
Pharmacies 3 0
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 5 1
Fuel stations 3 1
Waterways 42 8

Mobility

Mareeba sits further from the CBD (1747.4 km vs 1715.5 km).

Mareeba Tolga
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Brisbane 1747.4 km
+2% vs other
 1715.5 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 1217 min 1191 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 4880
 0.3%
postcode 4882
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 64
postcode 4880
 68
postcode 4882

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.

Mareeba Tolga
Car (driver) 74.2% / 74.8%
Mareeba — Car (driver): 74.2% Tolga — Car (driver): 74.8%
Worked from Home 8.3% / 9.2%
Mareeba — Worked from Home: 8.3% Tolga — Worked from Home: 9.2%
Car (passenger) 9.4% / 5.9%
Mareeba — Car (passenger): 9.4% Tolga — Car (passenger): 5.9%
Bus 2.5% / 6.4%
Mareeba — Bus: 2.5% Tolga — Bus: 6.4%
Walked Only 4.6% / 3.0%
Mareeba — Walked Only: 4.6% Tolga — Walked Only: 3.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (74.8%).

Setting

Mareeba Tolga
Elevation 460 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 711 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 31.7 km 43.2 km

NBN connectivity

Mareeba Tolga
Connectivity score 66/100 65/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 34%
5,953 premises
 40%
1,483 premises

Climate

Mareeba Tolga
Annual rainfall 1,114 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.3°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 13.8°C
same for both

Council rates

Mareeba Tolga
Average residential rate $1,628/yr $1,609/yr
Council Mareeba Tablelands

Federal electorate

Mareeba Tolga
Division Kennedy
same for both
Member Bob Katter
same for both
Party Katter's Australian Party (KAP)
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Mareeba Tolga
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Mareeba

Acreage Affordable

Tolga

Acreage Affordable

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Mareeba

Mareeba vs Koah Mareeba vs Biboohra Mareeba vs Walkamin Mareeba vs Paddys Green Mareeba vs Tinaroo Mareeba vs Chewko

Other comparisons with Tolga

Tolga vs Atherton Tolga vs Arriga Tolga vs Mutchilba Tolga vs Walkamin Tolga vs Kairi Tolga vs Tinaroo
Full data on Mareeba Full data on Tolga
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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