O'connell vs Wurdong Heights
O'Connell is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 46 in Wurdong Heights. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Wurdong Heights: a median of $810,000, against $660,000 in O'Connell. On these figures, O'Connell tends to suit families with children and buyers on a tighter budget.
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 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
O'Connell
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($660,000 vs $810,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
O'Connell
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (17% vs 5%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Wurdong Heights
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (357 min vs 370 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (515.9 km vs 526.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Wurdong Heights
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (18% vs 10%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
O'Connell
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (25.9% vs 0.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
O'connell and Wurdong Heights 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
Wurdong Heights has higher household incomes ($134,316 vs $121,316); Wurdong Heights skews older (46 vs 43).
| O'connell | Wurdong Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 399 | 465 +17% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +25.9% | +0.6% |
| Median age | 43 | 46 |
| Median household income | $121,316/yr | $134,316/yr +11% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $340/wk same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.3%).
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 (4.1%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| O'connell | Wurdong Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $660,000 | $810,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $372,500 | — |
Development activity
| O'connell | Wurdong Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 274 across Gladstone same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +132% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| O'connell | Wurdong Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 90% of QLD | Higher than 94% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 16% of QLD | Higher than 57% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 35% of QLD | Higher than 36% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 70% of QLD | Higher than 92% of QLD |
Liveability
| O'connell | Wurdong Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
O'Connell carries more bushfire risk (66 vs 53).
| O'connell | Wurdong Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 66/100 | Moderate 53/100 |
| Crime | — | Low 25/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| O'connell | Wurdong Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| O'connell | Wurdong Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 9 | 3 |
Mobility
O'Connell sits further from the CBD (526.7 km vs 515.9 km).
| O'connell | Wurdong Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 526.7 km +2% vs other | 515.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 370 min | 357 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 4680 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 59 postcode 4680 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (83.2%).
Setting
| O'connell | Wurdong Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 103 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 20 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 2.9 km | 6.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| O'connell | Wurdong Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 55/100 | 80/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Fibre to the premises |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 36% 121 premises | 61% 175 premises |
Climate
| O'connell | Wurdong Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 851 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 14.5°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| O'connell | Wurdong Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.3 µg/m³ | 4.9 µg/m³ |
| PM10 | 16.0 µg/m³ | 13.2 µg/m³ |
| NO₂ | 0.49 pphm | 0.16 pphm |
Council rates
| O'connell | Wurdong Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,358/yr same for both | |
| Council | Gladstone same for both | |
Federal electorate
| O'connell | Wurdong Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Flynn same for both | |
| Member | Colin Boyce same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| O'connell | Wurdong Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 O'connell
Other comparisons with Wurdong Heights
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.