Paluma vs Mount Fox
Mount Fox is the younger of the two, with a median age of 51 against 58 in Paluma. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are 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
Paluma
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (4 vs 1)
- carries lower crime risk (27/100 vs 60/100)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 84%)
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
Mount Fox
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($88/wk vs $160/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Paluma sits closer to the CBD (1466.2 km vs 1517.6 km)
- Mount Fox has a shorter drive in (1048 min vs 1166 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Paluma
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (27/100 vs 60/100)
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 -3.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Paluma and Mount Fox 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
Paluma rents higher ($160/wk vs $88/wk); Paluma has higher household incomes ($70,200 vs $40,768).
| Paluma | Mount Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 87 +3% vs other | 84 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +27.9% | -3.4% |
| Median age | 58 | 51 |
| Median household income | $70,200/yr +42% vs other | $40,768/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $160/wk +45% vs other | $88/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.6%).
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 (26.2%).
Property market
| Paluma | Mount Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $330,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Development activity
| Paluma | Mount Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 24 across Charters Towers | 23 across Hinchinbrook |
| Approvals change year on year | -67% | -86% |
Ranking within QLD
| Paluma | Mount Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 37% of QLD | Higher than 4% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 12% of QLD | Higher than 59% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 57% of QLD | Higher than 5% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 4% of QLD | Higher than 20% of QLD |
Liveability
| Paluma | Mount Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Mount Fox carries more crime risk (60 vs 27); Mount Fox carries more bushfire risk (66 vs 48).
| Paluma | Mount Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 48/100 | Moderate 66/100 |
| Crime | Low 27/100 | Moderate 60/100 |
| 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 | Mount Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Paluma
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Mount Fox
- Mount Fox State School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Paluma | Mount Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 1 |
| Waterways | 120 | 4 |
Mobility
Mount Fox sits further from the CBD (1517.6 km vs 1466.2 km).
| Paluma | Mount Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 1466.2 km | 1517.6 km +4% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 1166 min | 1048 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (68.2%).
Setting
| Paluma | Mount Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 697 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 706 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 38.7 km | 43.0 km |
NBN connectivity
| Paluma | Mount Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 45 premises | 0% 39 premises |
Council rates
| Paluma | Mount Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,328/yr | $1,516/yr |
| Council | Charters Towers | Hinchinbrook |
Federal electorate
| Paluma | Mount Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Mount Fox | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Paluma
Other comparisons with Mount Fox
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.