Paluma vs Upper Stone

Upper Stone 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 and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Paluma, most households are people living alone. In Upper Stone, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Paluma tends to suit people living alone, while Upper Stone suits couples.

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

Upper Stone

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 (52% vs 35%)

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

First-home buyers

Upper Stone

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (21% vs 26%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Paluma

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($160/wk vs $234/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (12% vs 17%)

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

  • Paluma sits closer to the CBD (1466.2 km vs 1503.1 km)
  • Upper Stone has a shorter drive in (1039 min vs 1166 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Upper Stone

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 27/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Paluma and Upper Stone 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 Upper Stone
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 Upper Stone
Walkability 0 / 0
Paluma — Walkability: 0/100 Upper Stone — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 73 / 89
Paluma — Safety: 73/100 Upper Stone — Safety: 89/100
Low fire risk 52 / 49
Paluma — Low fire risk: 52/100 Upper Stone — Low fire risk: 49/100

Demographics

Upper Stone rents higher ($234/wk vs $160/wk); Upper Stone has more residents (111 vs 87).

Paluma Upper Stone
Population 87 111
+28% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +27.9% +27.6%
Median age 58 51
Median household income $70,200/yr $71,500/yr
+2% vs other
Median weekly rent $160/wk $234/wk
+46% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Paluma Upper Stone
0-4 6.9% / 3.6%
Paluma — 0-4: 6.9% Upper Stone — 0-4: 3.6%
5-14 4.6% / 10.8%
Paluma — 5-14: 4.6% Upper Stone — 5-14: 10.8%
15-19 5.7% / 4.5%
Paluma — 15-19: 5.7% Upper Stone — 15-19: 4.5%
20-24 — / 6.3%
Paluma — 20-24: not among its largest Upper Stone — 20-24: 6.3%
25-34 9.2% / 10.8%
Paluma — 25-34: 9.2% Upper Stone — 25-34: 10.8%
35-44 — / 2.7%
Paluma — 35-44: not among its largest Upper Stone — 35-44: 2.7%
45-54 20.7% / 21.6%
Paluma — 45-54: 20.7% Upper Stone — 45-54: 21.6%
55-64 21.8% / 18.0%
Paluma — 55-64: 21.8% Upper Stone — 55-64: 18.0%
65-74 21.8% / 14.4%
Paluma — 65-74: 21.8% Upper Stone — 65-74: 14.4%
75-84 8.0% / 11.7%
Paluma — 75-84: 8.0% Upper Stone — 75-84: 11.7%
85+ 3.4% / 2.7%
Paluma — 85+: 3.4% Upper Stone — 85+: 2.7%

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%
Upper Stone 48.4% lone person
Upper Stone — Lone Person: 48.4% Upper Stone — Couple Families: 51.6%
Lone Person Couple 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%
Upper Stone 10.8% renting
Upper Stone — Owned Outright: 51.4% Upper Stone — Mortgage: 37.8% Upper Stone — Renting: 10.8%
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%
Upper Stone 97.7% houses
Upper Stone — Houses: 97.7% Upper Stone — Flats / Apartments: 2.3%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Paluma Upper Stone
Certificate III & IV 18.4% / 18.0%
Paluma — Certificate III & IV: 18.4% Upper Stone — Certificate III & IV: 18.0%
Bachelor Degree 12.6% / —
Paluma — Bachelor Degree: 12.6% Upper Stone — Bachelor Degree: not among its largest
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4.6% / 4.5%
Paluma — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.6% Upper Stone — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.4% / —
Paluma — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.4% Upper Stone — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest
Postgraduate Degree — / 2.7%
Paluma — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Upper Stone — Postgraduate Degree: 2.7%

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

Property market

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

Development activity

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

Ranking within QLD

Paluma Upper Stone
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 37% of QLD Higher than 39% of QLD
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 12% of QLD Higher than 7% 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 24% of QLD

Liveability

Paluma Upper Stone
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
same for both

Risk profile

Paluma carries more crime risk (27 vs 11).

Paluma Upper Stone
Bushfire Moderate
48/100
 Moderate
51/100
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 Upper Stone
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 Upper Stone
Cafes & restaurants 1 0
Parks & reserves 4 2
Waterways 120 30

Mobility

Upper Stone sits further from the CBD (1503.1 km vs 1466.2 km).

Paluma Upper Stone
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Brisbane 1466.2 km 1503.1 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 1166 min 1039 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 Upper Stone
Car (driver) 38.2% / 84.0%
Paluma — Car (driver): 38.2% Upper Stone — Car (driver): 84.0%
Worked from Home 38.2% / 8.0%
Paluma — Worked from Home: 38.2% Upper Stone — Worked from Home: 8.0%
Walked Only 23.5% / 8.0%
Paluma — Walked Only: 23.5% Upper Stone — Walked Only: 8.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (84.0%).

Setting

Paluma Upper Stone
Elevation 697 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 83 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 38.7 km 32.1 km

NBN connectivity

Paluma Upper Stone
Connectivity score 15/100 17/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster)
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
45 premises
 0%
38 premises

Council rates

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

Federal electorate

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

Tags

Paluma

Retirees Rural

Upper Stone

Retirees River Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Paluma

Paluma vs Hervey Range Paluma vs Basalt Paluma vs Bambaroo Paluma vs Mount Fox Paluma vs Dotswood Paluma vs Yuruga

Other comparisons with Upper Stone

Upper Stone vs Lannercost Upper Stone vs Helens Hill Upper Stone vs Peacock Siding Upper Stone vs Mount Fox Upper Stone vs Yuruga
Full data on Paluma Full data on Upper Stone
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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