Ridgelands vs South Yaamba
South Yaamba is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 44 in Ridgelands. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Ridgelands, most households are couple families. In South Yaamba, about half of households are couple families.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Ridgelands has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- South Yaamba carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 25/100)
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
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Ridgelands has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $275/wk)
- South Yaamba has a bigger rental market to choose from (18% vs 6%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Ridgelands
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (462 min vs 470 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (664.4 km vs 668.8 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Ridgelands has more residents already 65 and over (16% vs 4%)
- South Yaamba carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 25/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Ridgelands
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (17.5% vs -20.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Ridgelands and South Yaamba 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
Ridgelands has more residents (195 vs 79); Ridgelands skews older (44 vs 35).
| Ridgelands | South Yaamba | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 195 +59% vs other | 79 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +17.5% | -20.2% |
| Median age | 44 | 35 |
| Median household income | $94,224/yr | $110,500/yr +17% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk | $275/wk +10% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.8%).
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 (20.3%).
Development activity
| Ridgelands | South Yaamba | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 390 across Rockhampton same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +133% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Ridgelands | South Yaamba | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 67% of QLD | Higher than 82% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 31% of QLD | Higher than 26% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 20% of QLD | Higher than 19% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 36% of QLD | Higher than 55% of QLD |
Liveability
| Ridgelands | South Yaamba | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Ridgelands carries more crime risk (25 vs 14).
| Ridgelands | South Yaamba | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 25/100 | Low 14/100 |
| 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
| Ridgelands | South Yaamba | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Ridgelands
- Ridgelands State School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in South Yaamba
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Ridgelands | South Yaamba | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 0 | 3 |
Mobility
South Yaamba sits further from the CBD (668.8 km vs 664.4 km).
| Ridgelands | South Yaamba | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 664.4 km | 668.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 462 min | 470 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 4702 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 58 postcode 4702 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 (86.6%).
Setting
| Ridgelands | South Yaamba | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 54 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 17 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 41.6 km | 40.9 km |
NBN connectivity
| Ridgelands | South Yaamba | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 27/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 65 premises | 0% 41 premises |
Climate
| Ridgelands | South Yaamba | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 811 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 32.5°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 11.6°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Ridgelands | South Yaamba | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 4.3 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 8.6 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Ridgelands | South Yaamba | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,313/yr same for both | |
| Council | Rockhampton same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Ridgelands | South Yaamba | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Flynn same for both | |
| Member | Colin Boyce same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Ridgelands | South Yaamba | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Ridgelands
Other comparisons with South Yaamba
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.