Palen Creek vs Rathdowney
Palen Creek is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 52 in Rathdowney. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Palen Creek, about half of households are couple families. In Rathdowney, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Rathdowney tends to suit people living alone, families with children, 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
Palen Creek
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (32/100 vs 69/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (68% vs 44%)
- But Rathdowney has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Rathdowney
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (27% vs 43%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Palen Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (27% vs 15%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Rathdowney
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (111.4 km vs 114.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Palen Creek carries lower crime risk (32/100 vs 69/100)
- Rathdowney has more residents already 65 and over (29% vs 14%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Palen Creek
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (31.4% vs 3.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Palen Creek and Rathdowney 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
Rathdowney skews older (52 vs 41).
| Palen Creek | Rathdowney | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 368 +13% vs other | 320 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +31.4% | +3.9% |
| Median age | 41 | 52 |
| Median household income | $61,048/yr +6% vs other | $57,668/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $231/wk | $230/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.3%).
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 (15.3%).
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 (2.8%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Palen Creek | Rathdowney | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $615,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Development activity
| Palen Creek | Rathdowney | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 524 across Scenic Rim same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +65% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Palen Creek | Rathdowney | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 26% of QLD | Higher than 20% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 33% of QLD | Higher than 29% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 56% of QLD same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 44% of QLD | Higher than 43% of QLD |
Liveability
| Palen Creek | Rathdowney | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Palen Creek carries more bushfire risk (75 vs 0); Rathdowney carries more crime risk (69 vs 32).
| Palen Creek | Rathdowney | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 75/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Low 32/100 | Moderate 69/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Palen Creek | Rathdowney | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Palen Creek
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Rathdowney
- Rathdowney State School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Palen Creek | Rathdowney | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 2 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 4 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 16 | 10 |
Mobility
Palen Creek sits further from the CBD (114.1 km vs 111.4 km).
| Palen Creek | Rathdowney | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 114.1 km +2% vs other | 111.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 98 min same for both | |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 4287 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 65 postcode 4287 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 (70.4%).
Setting
| Palen Creek | Rathdowney | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 266 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 171 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Palen Creek | Rathdowney | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 91 premises | 0% 167 premises |
Climate
| Palen Creek | Rathdowney | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,016 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Palen Creek | Rathdowney | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,689/yr same for both | |
| Council | Scenic Rim same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Palen Creek | Rathdowney | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Wright same for both | |
| Member | Scott Buchholz same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Palen Creek | Rathdowney | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Palen Creek
Rathdowney
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Palen Creek
Other comparisons with Rathdowney
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.