Mount Pelion vs Calen
Calen is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 47 in Mount Pelion. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, Mount Pelion tends to suit people living alone, while Calen 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
Mount Pelion
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 65/100)
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
Calen
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (29% vs 18%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Mount Pelion
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (690 min vs 702 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (1012.5 km vs 1020.9 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Mount Pelion carries lower crime risk (18/100 vs 65/100)
- Calen has more residents already 65 and over (17% vs 11%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Calen
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (9.5% vs -28.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Mount Pelion and Calen 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
Calen has more residents (427 vs 90); Mount Pelion has higher household incomes ($87,724 vs $74,048).
| Mount Pelion | Calen | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 90 | 427 +374% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -28.0% | +9.5% |
| Median age | 47 | 43 |
| Median household income | $87,724/yr +16% vs other | $74,048/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 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 (23.3%).
Property market
| Mount Pelion | Calen | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $410,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Development activity
| Mount Pelion | Calen | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 574 across Mackay same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -6% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Mount Pelion | Calen | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 61% of QLD | Higher than 44% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 41% of QLD | Higher than 56% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 9% of QLD | Higher than 57% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 44% of QLD | Higher than 46% of QLD |
Liveability
| Mount Pelion | Calen | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
Calen carries more crime risk (65 vs 18).
| Mount Pelion | Calen | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 18/100 | Moderate 65/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | Moderate 58/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Mount Pelion | Calen | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Mount Pelion
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Calen
- Calen District State College Government · Combined at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Mount Pelion | Calen | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 9 | 11 |
Mobility
Calen sits further from the CBD (1020.9 km vs 1012.5 km).
| Mount Pelion | Calen | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 1012.5 km | 1020.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 690 min | 702 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 4741 | 0.4% postcode 4798 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 70 postcode 4741 | 67 postcode 4798 |
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 (89.5%).
Setting
| Mount Pelion | Calen | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 70 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 33 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 7.2 km | 9.4 km |
NBN connectivity
| Mount Pelion | Calen | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 36 premises | 0% 210 premises |
Climate
| Mount Pelion | Calen | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,517 mm | 1,502 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.8°C | 31.7°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | 12.4°C | 11.9°C |
Council rates
| Mount Pelion | Calen | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,873/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mackay same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Mount Pelion | Calen | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Dawson same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Willcox same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Mount Pelion | Calen | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Calen
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Mount Pelion
Other comparisons with Calen
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.