Mount Maria vs Lowmead
Mount Maria is the younger of the two, with a median age of 53 against 57 in Lowmead. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Lowmead, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Lowmead tends to suit people living alone.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Mount Maria carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 81/100)
- Lowmead is already more of a family suburb (54% vs 45%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Lowmead
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 30%)
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $263/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Lowmead
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (296 min vs 302 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (428 km vs 431.9 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Mount Maria
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (51/100 vs 81/100)
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
Mount Maria and Lowmead drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Mount Maria rents higher ($263/wk vs $150/wk); Mount Maria has more residents (225 vs 179).
| Mount Maria | Lowmead | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 225 +20% vs other | 179 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +16.6% | +14.7% |
| Median age | 53 | 57 |
| Median household income | $45,708/yr | $45,760/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $263/wk +43% vs other | $150/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.3%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.9%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Mount Maria | Lowmead | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $480,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $470,000 | — |
Development activity
| Mount Maria | Lowmead | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 274 across Gladstone same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +132% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Mount Maria | Lowmead | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 7% of QLD | Higher than 8% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 20% of QLD | Higher than 56% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 26% of QLD | Higher than 19% of QLD |
Liveability
| Mount Maria | Lowmead | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Lowmead carries more bushfire risk (65 vs 0); Lowmead carries more crime risk (81 vs 51).
| Mount Maria | Lowmead | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Moderate 65/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 51/100 | High 81/100 |
| 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 Maria | Lowmead | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Mount Maria
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Lowmead
- Lowmead State School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Mount Maria | Lowmead | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 2 |
| Waterways | 5 | 20 |
Mobility
Mount Maria sits further from the CBD (431.9 km vs 428 km).
| Mount Maria | Lowmead | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 431.9 km | 428 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 302 min | 296 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 4674 | 0.0% postcode 4676 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 68 postcode 4674 | — |
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (70.2%).
Setting
| Mount Maria | Lowmead | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 56 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 144 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 17.3 km | 31.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Mount Maria | Lowmead | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 19/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 75 premises | 0% 50 premises |
Council rates
| Mount Maria | Lowmead | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,358/yr same for both | |
| Council | Gladstone same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Mount Maria | Lowmead | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Flynn same for both | |
| Member | Colin Boyce same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Mount Maria | Lowmead | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Mount Maria
Other comparisons with Lowmead
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.