Ooralea vs West Mackay

Ooralea is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 42 in West Mackay. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Ooralea, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Ooralea: a median of $741,000, against $630,000 in West Mackay, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Ooralea tends to suit families with children and couples, while West Mackay suits people living alone and older residents.

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

Ooralea

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (46/100 vs 85/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (68% vs 49%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (92% vs 78%)
  • But West Mackay has more childcare (8 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

West Mackay

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($442,500 vs $530,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($630,250 vs $740,550)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

West Mackay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($320/wk vs $440/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Ooralea sits closer to the CBD (961 km vs 964.2 km)
  • West Mackay is more walkable (81/100 vs 44/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

West Mackay

ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (23% vs 8%)
  • is more walkable (81/100 vs 44/100)
  • But Ooralea carries lower crime risk (46/100 vs 85/100)

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

Investors

West Mackay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (5.5% vs 4.3%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Ooralea West Mackay
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.

Ooralea West Mackay
Walkability 44 / 81
Ooralea — Walkability: 44/100 West Mackay — Walkability: 81/100
Safety 54 / 15
Ooralea — Safety: 54/100 West Mackay — Safety: 15/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Ooralea — Low fire risk: 100/100 West Mackay — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

West Mackay has more residents (6,536 vs 3,691); Ooralea rents higher ($440/wk vs $320/wk).

Ooralea West Mackay
Population 3,691 6,536
+77% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +9.7% +5.2%
Median age 35 42
Median household income $116,896/yr
+25% vs other
 $88,192/yr
Median weekly rent $440/wk
+27% vs other
 $320/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Ooralea West Mackay
0-4 7.3% / 5.2%
Ooralea — 0-4: 7.3% West Mackay — 0-4: 5.2%
5-14 13.6% / 11.6%
Ooralea — 5-14: 13.6% West Mackay — 5-14: 11.6%
15-19 6.2% / 4.9%
Ooralea — 15-19: 6.2% West Mackay — 15-19: 4.9%
20-24 7.0% / 6.3%
Ooralea — 20-24: 7.0% West Mackay — 20-24: 6.3%
25-34 15.1% / 12.0%
Ooralea — 25-34: 15.1% West Mackay — 25-34: 12.0%
35-44 16.1% / 13.0%
Ooralea — 35-44: 16.1% West Mackay — 35-44: 13.0%
45-54 11.0% / 13.2%
Ooralea — 45-54: 11.0% West Mackay — 45-54: 13.2%
55-64 10.8% / 12.3%
Ooralea — 55-64: 10.8% West Mackay — 55-64: 12.3%
65-74 8.0% / 9.7%
Ooralea — 65-74: 8.0% West Mackay — 65-74: 9.7%
75-84 3.7% / 6.6%
Ooralea — 75-84: 3.7% West Mackay — 75-84: 6.6%
85+ 1.1% / 5.4%
Ooralea — 85+: 1.1% West Mackay — 85+: 5.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Ooralea 53.6% couple families
Ooralea — Couple Families: 53.6% Ooralea — Lone Person: 24.5% Ooralea — One Parent Families: 14.0% Ooralea — Group Household: 6.0% Ooralea — Other Families: 1.9%
West Mackay 34.5% couple families
West Mackay — Couple Families: 34.5% West Mackay — Lone Person: 44.2% West Mackay — One Parent Families: 14.4% West Mackay — Group Household: 5.8% West Mackay — Other Families: 1.1%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Ooralea 26.4% renting
Ooralea — Owned Outright: 31.6% Ooralea — Mortgage: 42.0% Ooralea — Renting: 26.4%
West Mackay 35.6% renting
West Mackay — Owned Outright: 30.4% West Mackay — Mortgage: 34.0% West Mackay — Renting: 35.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Ooralea West Mackay
Certificate III & IV 20.5% / 18.2%
Ooralea — Certificate III & IV: 20.5% West Mackay — Certificate III & IV: 18.2%
Bachelor Degree 9.8% / 10.4%
Ooralea — Bachelor Degree: 9.8% West Mackay — Bachelor Degree: 10.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4.9% / 5.6%
Ooralea — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.9% West Mackay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.6%
Postgraduate Degree 1.8% / 1.9%
Ooralea — Postgraduate Degree: 1.8% West Mackay — Postgraduate Degree: 1.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.4% / 1.1%
Ooralea — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.4% West Mackay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.5%).

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.

Ooralea West Mackay
Philippines 2.3% / 4.1%
Ooralea — Philippines: 2.3% West Mackay — Philippines: 4.1%
New Zealand 1.7% / 1.9%
Ooralea — New Zealand: 1.7% West Mackay — New Zealand: 1.9%
India 2.0% / 0.9%
Ooralea — India: 2.0% West Mackay — India: 0.9%
England 1.0% / 1.5%
Ooralea — England: 1.0% West Mackay — England: 1.5%
Bangladesh 0.7% / —
Ooralea — Bangladesh: 0.7% West Mackay — Bangladesh: not among its largest
South Africa — / 0.5%
Ooralea — South Africa: not among its largest West Mackay — South Africa: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Ooralea 92.4% houses
Ooralea — Houses: 92.4% Ooralea — Townhouses: 7.5% Ooralea — Flats / Apartments: 0.1%
West Mackay 77.5% houses
West Mackay — Houses: 77.5% West Mackay — Townhouses: 19.4% West Mackay — Flats / Apartments: 3.2%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Ooralea West Mackay
Median house price $740,550 $630,250
Median unit price $530,000 $442,500
Median land price — $437,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 31 days
from 37 sales
 29 days
from 65 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Ooralea West Mackay
3 bed $660K / $620K
Ooralea — 3 bed: $660K (46 sales) West Mackay — 3 bed: $620K (85 sales)

46 vs 85 sales

4 bed $808K / $720K
Ooralea — 4 bed: $808K (67 sales) West Mackay — 4 bed: $720K (43 sales)

67 vs 43 sales

5 bed $920K / $860K
Ooralea — 5 bed: $920K (5 sales) West Mackay — 5 bed: $860K (11 sales)

5 vs 11 sales

Development activity

Ooralea West Mackay
New dwellings approved 574
across Mackay
same for both
Approvals change year on year -6%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Ooralea West Mackay
Houses 4.3%
$735/wk on $890K
 5.5%
$720/wk on $675K
Units — 7.1%
$548/wk on $399K

Ranking within QLD

Ooralea West Mackay
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 86% of QLD —
Schools — Higher than 75% of QLD
Walkability Higher than 85% of QLD Higher than 96% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 42% of QLD Higher than 41% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 99% of QLD Higher than 98% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 68% of QLD Higher than 97% of QLD
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 96% of QLD

Liveability

West Mackay is more walkable (81 vs 44); Ooralea scores higher overall (61 vs 52).

Ooralea West Mackay
Grade B
same for both
Score 61/100 52/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

West Mackay carries more crime risk (85 vs 46).

Ooralea West Mackay
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
46/100
 High
85/100
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 5
within 5 km
 4
within 5 km

Schools

Ooralea West Mackay
Inside the suburb 0 3
Rated above peers 0 1
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Ooralea

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in West Mackay

  • Catherine McAuley College Catholic · Secondary above peers
  • Mackay West State School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Ooralea West Mackay
Supermarkets 1 2
Cafes & restaurants 1 3
Parks & reserves 6 7
Childcare 1 8
GPs 0 3
Pharmacies 1 3
Hospitals 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2
Fuel stations 0 3
Waterways 0 5

Mobility

West Mackay sits further from the CBD (964.2 km vs 961 km).

Ooralea West Mackay
Walkability score 44/100 81/100
Distance to Brisbane 961 km 964.2 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 657 min 660 min
Public transport score 31/100
Bus
 56/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 6.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 17.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 2 min
scheduled, not actual
 1 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 4740
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 56
postcode 4740
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.

Ooralea West Mackay
Car (driver) 87.4% / 82.2%
Ooralea — Car (driver): 87.4% West Mackay — Car (driver): 82.2%
Car (passenger) 5.1% / 6.3%
Ooralea — Car (passenger): 5.1% West Mackay — Car (passenger): 6.3%
Worked from Home 4.0% / 4.7%
Ooralea — Worked from Home: 4.0% West Mackay — Worked from Home: 4.7%
Walked Only 1.2% / 4.2%
Ooralea — Walked Only: 1.2% West Mackay — Walked Only: 4.2%
Bus 1.8% / 0.9%
Ooralea — Bus: 1.8% West Mackay — Bus: 0.9%
Bicycle 0.5% / 1.6%
Ooralea — Bicycle: 0.5% West Mackay — Bicycle: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (87.4%).

Setting

Ooralea West Mackay
Elevation 11 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
same for both
Distance to the ocean 5.1 km 4.1 km
4.1 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Ooralea West Mackay
Connectivity score 99/100 97/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 98%
1,519 premises
 93%
3,303 premises

Climate

Ooralea West Mackay
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

Air quality (annual mean)

Ooralea West Mackay
PM2.5 6.6 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.9 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Ooralea West Mackay
Average residential rate $1,873/yr
same for both
Council Mackay
same for both

Federal electorate

Ooralea West Mackay
Division Capricornia Dawson
Member Michelle Landry Andrew Willcox
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Ooralea West Mackay
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Ooralea

Large Blocks Parks Quiet

West Mackay

Affordable Parks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Ooralea

Ooralea vs Bakers Creek Ooralea vs Paget Ooralea vs Te Kowai Ooralea vs Racecourse

Other comparisons with West Mackay

West Mackay vs South Mackay West Mackay vs North Mackay West Mackay vs Mount Pleasant West Mackay vs Mackay West Mackay vs Paget West Mackay vs Racecourse
Full data on Ooralea Full data on West Mackay
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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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