Mount Charlton vs Dows Creek

Dows Creek is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 53 in Mount Charlton. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Mount Charlton tends to suit older residents, while Dows Creek suits 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

Too close to call

Nothing among the 6 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

First-home buyers

Dows Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (13% vs 39%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Dows Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (7% vs 14%)

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

Commuting to the city

Dows Creek

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (1006.8 km vs 1022.1 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (694 min vs 701 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Mount Charlton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more residents already 65 and over (24% vs 9%)

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

Investors

Dows Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (7.4% vs 0.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Mount Charlton Dows Creek
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.

Mount Charlton Dows Creek
Walkability 0 / 0
Mount Charlton — Walkability: 0/100 Dows Creek — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 62 / 56
Mount Charlton — Safety: 62/100 Dows Creek — Safety: 56/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Mount Charlton — Low fire risk: 100/100 Dows Creek — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Dows Creek has higher household incomes ($133,224 vs $67,184); Mount Charlton skews older (53 vs 41).

Mount Charlton Dows Creek
Population 151
+3% vs other
 146
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +0.7% +7.4%
Median age 53 41
Median household income $67,184/yr $133,224/yr
+98% vs other
Median weekly rent $180/wk
same for both

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Mount Charlton Dows Creek
0-4 6.6% / 8.2%
Mount Charlton — 0-4: 6.6% Dows Creek — 0-4: 8.2%
5-14 2.6% / 16.4%
Mount Charlton — 5-14: 2.6% Dows Creek — 5-14: 16.4%
15-19 6.6% / 3.4%
Mount Charlton — 15-19: 6.6% Dows Creek — 15-19: 3.4%
20-24 4.0% / 6.2%
Mount Charlton — 20-24: 4.0% Dows Creek — 20-24: 6.2%
25-34 9.3% / 9.6%
Mount Charlton — 25-34: 9.3% Dows Creek — 25-34: 9.6%
35-44 10.6% / 11.0%
Mount Charlton — 35-44: 10.6% Dows Creek — 35-44: 11.0%
45-54 19.9% / 17.1%
Mount Charlton — 45-54: 19.9% Dows Creek — 45-54: 17.1%
55-64 21.9% / 17.1%
Mount Charlton — 55-64: 21.9% Dows Creek — 55-64: 17.1%
65-74 17.2% / 8.9%
Mount Charlton — 65-74: 17.2% Dows Creek — 65-74: 8.9%
75-84 7.3% / —
Mount Charlton — 75-84: 7.3% Dows Creek — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ — / —
Mount Charlton — 85+: not among its largest Dows Creek — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.9%).

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.

Mount Charlton Dows Creek
New Zealand 6.0% / —
Mount Charlton — New Zealand: 6.0% Dows Creek — New Zealand: not among its largest
England — / 2.1%
Mount Charlton — England: not among its largest Dows Creek — England: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Mount Charlton 71.0% couple families
Mount Charlton — Couple Families: 71.0% Mount Charlton — Lone Person: 19.4% Mount Charlton — One Parent Families: 9.7%
Dows Creek 73.1% couple families
Dows Creek — Couple Families: 73.1% Dows Creek — Lone Person: 15.4% Dows Creek — One Parent Families: 11.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Mount Charlton 100.0% houses
Mount Charlton — Houses: 100.0%
Dows Creek 100.0% houses
Dows Creek — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Mount Charlton Dows Creek
Certificate III & IV 16.6% / 30.1%
Mount Charlton — Certificate III & IV: 16.6% Dows Creek — Certificate III & IV: 30.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.9% / 4.1%
Mount Charlton — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.9% Dows Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.1%
Bachelor Degree 6.0% / 5.5%
Mount Charlton — Bachelor Degree: 6.0% Dows Creek — Bachelor Degree: 5.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (30.1%).

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Mount Charlton 8.7% renting
Mount Charlton — Owned Outright: 69.6% Mount Charlton — Mortgage: 21.7% Mount Charlton — Renting: 8.7%
Dows Creek 8.1% renting
Dows Creek — Owned Outright: 37.8% Dows Creek — Mortgage: 54.1% Dows Creek — Renting: 8.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Development activity

Mount Charlton Dows Creek
New dwellings approved 574
across Mackay
same for both
Approvals change year on year -6%
same for both

Ranking within QLD

Mount Charlton Dows Creek
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 33% of QLD Higher than 94% of QLD
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 6% of QLD Higher than 7% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 8% of QLD Higher than 14% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 24% of QLD Higher than 28% of QLD

Liveability

Mount Charlton Dows Creek
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
same for both

Risk profile

Mount Charlton Dows Creek
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
38/100
 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

Mount Charlton Dows Creek
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

Mount Charlton Dows Creek
Parks & reserves 2 0
Waterways 14 6

Mobility

Mount Charlton sits further from the CBD (1022.1 km vs 1006.8 km).

Mount Charlton Dows Creek
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Brisbane 1022.1 km
+1% vs other
 1006.8 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 701 min 694 min
Electric vehicle share 0.1%
postcode 4741
 0.1%
postcode 4754
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 70
postcode 4741
 78
postcode 4754

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.

Mount Charlton Dows Creek
Car (driver) 79.2% / 86.7%
Mount Charlton — Car (driver): 79.2% Dows Creek — Car (driver): 86.7%
Worked from Home 13.2% / 8.3%
Mount Charlton — Worked from Home: 13.2% Dows Creek — Worked from Home: 8.3%
Walked Only 7.5% / —
Mount Charlton — Walked Only: 7.5% Dows Creek — Walked Only: not among its largest
Car (passenger) — / 5.0%
Mount Charlton — Car (passenger): not among its largest Dows Creek — Car (passenger): 5.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (86.7%).

Setting

Mount Charlton Dows Creek
Elevation 76 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 80 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 16.5 km 24.7 km

NBN connectivity

Mount Charlton Dows Creek
Connectivity score 17/100 21/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster)
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
68 premises
 0%
53 premises

Climate

Mount Charlton Dows Creek
Annual rainfall 1,517 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.8°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 12.4°C
same for both

Council rates

Mount Charlton Dows Creek
Average residential rate $1,873/yr
same for both
Council Mackay
same for both

Federal electorate

Mount Charlton Dows Creek
Division Dawson Capricornia
Member Andrew Willcox Michelle Landry
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Mount Charlton Dows Creek
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Mount Charlton

Rural

Dows Creek

Family River Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Mount Charlton

Mount Charlton vs Calen Mount Charlton vs Mount Ossa Mount Charlton vs Mount Martin Mount Charlton vs Mount Pelion

Other comparisons with Dows Creek

Dows Creek vs Owens Creek Dows Creek vs Gargett Dows Creek vs Mount Martin Dows Creek vs Benholme
Full data on Mount Charlton Full data on Dows Creek
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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