Merlwood vs Tablelands

Merlwood is the younger of the two, with a median age of 50 against 56 in Tablelands. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Merlwood, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Merlwood tends to suit people living alone and 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

Tablelands

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 37/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (56% vs 48%)

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

First-home buyers

Tablelands

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (17% vs 28%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Merlwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($215/wk vs $250/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Tablelands

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (260.5 km vs 271.7 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Tablelands

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 37/100)

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

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

Merlwood Tablelands
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.

Merlwood Tablelands
Walkability 0 / 0
Merlwood — Walkability: 0/100 Tablelands — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 63 / 78
Merlwood — Safety: 63/100 Tablelands — Safety: 78/100
Low fire risk 50 / 27
Merlwood — Low fire risk: 50/100 Tablelands — Low fire risk: 27/100

Demographics

Tablelands rents higher ($250/wk vs $215/wk); Tablelands skews older (56 vs 50).

Merlwood Tablelands
Population 104 116
+12% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +18.2% +16.0%
Median age 50 56
Median household income $75,348/yr $80,184/yr
+6% vs other
Median weekly rent $215/wk $250/wk
+16% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Merlwood Tablelands
0-4 3.8% / 3.4%
Merlwood — 0-4: 3.8% Tablelands — 0-4: 3.4%
5-14 15.4% / 7.8%
Merlwood — 5-14: 15.4% Tablelands — 5-14: 7.8%
15-19 4.8% / 4.3%
Merlwood — 15-19: 4.8% Tablelands — 15-19: 4.3%
20-24 7.7% / 3.4%
Merlwood — 20-24: 7.7% Tablelands — 20-24: 3.4%
25-34 2.9% / 4.3%
Merlwood — 25-34: 2.9% Tablelands — 25-34: 4.3%
35-44 5.8% / 10.3%
Merlwood — 35-44: 5.8% Tablelands — 35-44: 10.3%
45-54 13.5% / 13.8%
Merlwood — 45-54: 13.5% Tablelands — 45-54: 13.8%
55-64 22.1% / 22.4%
Merlwood — 55-64: 22.1% Tablelands — 55-64: 22.4%
65-74 10.6% / 21.6%
Merlwood — 65-74: 10.6% Tablelands — 65-74: 21.6%
75-84 12.5% / 6.9%
Merlwood — 75-84: 12.5% Tablelands — 75-84: 6.9%
85+ 3.8% / 3.4%
Merlwood — 85+: 3.8% Tablelands — 85+: 3.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Merlwood 52.0% lone person
Merlwood — Lone Person: 52.0% Merlwood — Couple Families: 32.0% Merlwood — One Parent Families: 16.0%
Tablelands 43.5% lone person
Tablelands — Lone Person: 43.5% Tablelands — Couple Families: 34.8% Tablelands — One Parent Families: 21.7%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Merlwood 10.5% renting
Merlwood — Owned Outright: 63.2% Merlwood — Mortgage: 26.3% Merlwood — Renting: 10.5%
Tablelands 15.0% renting
Tablelands — Owned Outright: 52.5% Tablelands — Mortgage: 32.5% Tablelands — Renting: 15.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Merlwood 100.0% houses
Merlwood — Houses: 100.0%
Tablelands 100.0% houses
Tablelands — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Merlwood Tablelands
Certificate III & IV 13.5% / 12.9%
Merlwood — Certificate III & IV: 13.5% Tablelands — Certificate III & IV: 12.9%
Bachelor Degree 2.9% / 7.8%
Merlwood — Bachelor Degree: 2.9% Tablelands — Bachelor Degree: 7.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 2.9% / 6.9%
Merlwood — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 2.9% Tablelands — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.9%
Postgraduate Degree — / 5.2%
Merlwood — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Tablelands — Postgraduate Degree: 5.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 5.2%
Merlwood — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Tablelands — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 5.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (13.5%).

Development activity

Merlwood Tablelands
New dwellings approved 198
across South Burnett
same for both
Approvals change year on year -18%
same for both

Ranking within QLD

Merlwood Tablelands
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 46% of QLD Higher than 51% of QLD
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 11% of QLD Higher than 49% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption —
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 29% of QLD Higher than 33% of QLD

Liveability

Merlwood Tablelands
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
same for both

Risk profile

Merlwood carries more crime risk (37 vs 22); Tablelands carries more bushfire risk (73 vs 50).

Merlwood Tablelands
Bushfire Moderate
50/100
 High
73/100
Crime Low
37/100
 Low
22/100
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 2
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Merlwood Tablelands
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

Amenities in the suburb

Merlwood Tablelands
Parks & reserves 0 2
Waterways 0 3

Mobility

Merlwood sits further from the CBD (271.7 km vs 260.5 km).

Merlwood Tablelands
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Brisbane 271.7 km
+4% vs other
 260.5 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 199 min 197 min
Electric vehicle share 0.0%
postcode 4605
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 49
postcode 4605
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.

Merlwood Tablelands
Car (driver) 81.1% / 80.0%
Merlwood — Car (driver): 81.1% Tablelands — Car (driver): 80.0%
Worked from Home 8.1% / 14.5%
Merlwood — Worked from Home: 8.1% Tablelands — Worked from Home: 14.5%
Bus 10.8% / —
Merlwood — Bus: 10.8% Tablelands — Bus: not among its largest
Walked Only — / 5.5%
Merlwood — Walked Only: not among its largest Tablelands — Walked Only: 5.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (81.1%).

Setting

Merlwood Tablelands
Elevation 311 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 438 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Merlwood Tablelands
Connectivity score 22/100 25/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
39 premises
 0%
53 premises

Council rates

Merlwood Tablelands
Average residential rate $1,401/yr
same for both
Council South Burnett
same for both

Federal electorate

Merlwood Tablelands
Division Wide Bay
same for both
Member Llew O'Brien
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Merlwood Tablelands
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Merlwood

Retirees Rural

Tablelands

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Merlwood

Merlwood vs Cloyna

Other comparisons with Tablelands

Tablelands vs Murgon Tablelands vs Manyung
Full data on Merlwood Full data on Tablelands
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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.

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