Paluma vs Bambaroo

Bambaroo is the younger of the two, with a median age of 50 against 58 in Paluma. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Paluma, most households are people living alone. In Bambaroo, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Paluma 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

Bambaroo

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 27/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (54% vs 35%)
  • But Paluma has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)

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

Paluma

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($160/wk vs $175/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Bambaroo

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (982 min vs 1166 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (1437 km vs 1466.2 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Paluma has more residents already 65 and over (33% vs 26%)
  • Bambaroo carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 27/100)

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

Investors

Paluma

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (27.9% vs 15.9%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Paluma Bambaroo
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.

Paluma Bambaroo
Walkability 0 / 0
Paluma — Walkability: 0/100 Bambaroo — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 73 / 89
Paluma — Safety: 73/100 Bambaroo — Safety: 89/100
Low fire risk 52 / 50
Paluma — Low fire risk: 52/100 Bambaroo — Low fire risk: 50/100

Demographics

Bambaroo has more residents (146 vs 87); Paluma has higher household incomes ($70,200 vs $57,044).

Paluma Bambaroo
Population 87 146
+68% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +27.9% +15.9%
Median age 58 50
Median household income $70,200/yr
+19% vs other
 $57,044/yr
Median weekly rent $160/wk $175/wk
+9% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Paluma Bambaroo
0-4 6.9% / 5.5%
Paluma — 0-4: 6.9% Bambaroo — 0-4: 5.5%
5-14 4.6% / 11.6%
Paluma — 5-14: 4.6% Bambaroo — 5-14: 11.6%
15-19 5.7% / 4.1%
Paluma — 15-19: 5.7% Bambaroo — 15-19: 4.1%
20-24 — / 4.1%
Paluma — 20-24: not among its largest Bambaroo — 20-24: 4.1%
25-34 9.2% / 10.3%
Paluma — 25-34: 9.2% Bambaroo — 25-34: 10.3%
35-44 — / 7.5%
Paluma — 35-44: not among its largest Bambaroo — 35-44: 7.5%
45-54 20.7% / 13.0%
Paluma — 45-54: 20.7% Bambaroo — 45-54: 13.0%
55-64 21.8% / 17.1%
Paluma — 55-64: 21.8% Bambaroo — 55-64: 17.1%
65-74 21.8% / 17.8%
Paluma — 65-74: 21.8% Bambaroo — 65-74: 17.8%
75-84 8.0% / 8.2%
Paluma — 75-84: 8.0% Bambaroo — 75-84: 8.2%
85+ 3.4% / —
Paluma — 85+: 3.4% Bambaroo — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Paluma 65.4% lone person
Paluma — Lone Person: 65.4% Paluma — Couple Families: 34.6% Paluma — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Bambaroo 45.5% lone person
Bambaroo — Lone Person: 45.5% Bambaroo — Couple Families: 33.3% Bambaroo — One Parent Families: 21.2%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Paluma 16.2% renting
Paluma — Owned Outright: 67.6% Paluma — Mortgage: 16.2% Paluma — Renting: 16.2%
Bambaroo 13.5% renting
Bambaroo — Owned Outright: 61.5% Bambaroo — Mortgage: 25.0% Bambaroo — Renting: 13.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Paluma 100.0% houses
Paluma — Houses: 100.0% Paluma — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Bambaroo 93.1% houses
Bambaroo — Houses: 93.1% Bambaroo — Flats / Apartments: 6.9%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Paluma Bambaroo
Certificate III & IV 18.4% / 16.4%
Paluma — Certificate III & IV: 18.4% Bambaroo — Certificate III & IV: 16.4%
Bachelor Degree 12.6% / 4.1%
Paluma — Bachelor Degree: 12.6% Bambaroo — Bachelor Degree: 4.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4.6% / 6.2%
Paluma — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.6% Bambaroo — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.4% / —
Paluma — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.4% Bambaroo — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest
Postgraduate Degree — / 2.1%
Paluma — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Bambaroo — Postgraduate Degree: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.4%).

Property market

Paluma Bambaroo
Median house price $330,000 —
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Development activity

Paluma Bambaroo
New dwellings approved 24
across Charters Towers
 23
across Hinchinbrook
Approvals change year on year -67% -86%

Ranking within QLD

Paluma Bambaroo
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 37% of QLD Higher than 19% of QLD
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 12% of QLD Higher than 1% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 57% of QLD Higher than 4% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 4% of QLD Higher than 29% of QLD

Liveability

Paluma Bambaroo
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Paluma carries more crime risk (27 vs 11).

Paluma Bambaroo
Bushfire Moderate
48/100
 Moderate
50/100
Crime Low
27/100
 Low
11/100
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

Paluma Bambaroo
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

Paluma Bambaroo
Cafes & restaurants 1 0
Parks & reserves 4 0
Waterways 120 18

Mobility

Paluma sits further from the CBD (1466.2 km vs 1437 km).

Paluma Bambaroo
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Brisbane 1466.2 km
+2% vs other
 1437 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 1166 min 982 min
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 4816
 0.1%
postcode 4850
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 73
postcode 4816
 51
postcode 4850

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.

Paluma Bambaroo
Car (driver) 38.2% / 66.7%
Paluma — Car (driver): 38.2% Bambaroo — Car (driver): 66.7%
Worked from Home 38.2% / 14.0%
Paluma — Worked from Home: 38.2% Bambaroo — Worked from Home: 14.0%
Walked Only 23.5% / 14.0%
Paluma — Walked Only: 23.5% Bambaroo — Walked Only: 14.0%
Car (passenger) — / 5.3%
Paluma — Car (passenger): not among its largest Bambaroo — Car (passenger): 5.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.7%).

Setting

Paluma Bambaroo
Elevation 697 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 33 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 38.7 km 8.9 km

NBN connectivity

Paluma Bambaroo
Connectivity score 15/100 22/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster)
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
45 premises
 0%
28 premises

Council rates

Paluma Bambaroo
Average residential rate $1,328/yr $1,516/yr
Council Charters Towers Hinchinbrook

Federal electorate

Paluma Bambaroo
Division Kennedy
same for both
Member Bob Katter
same for both
Party Katter's Australian Party (KAP)
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Paluma Bambaroo
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Paluma

Retirees Rural

Bambaroo

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Paluma

Paluma vs Hervey Range Paluma vs Basalt Paluma vs Upper Stone Paluma vs Mount Fox Paluma vs Dotswood Paluma vs Yuruga

Other comparisons with Bambaroo

Bambaroo vs Coolbie Bambaroo vs Yuruga
Full data on Paluma Full data on Bambaroo
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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