Rockmount vs Preston

Preston is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 49 in Rockmount. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Preston, the large majority of households are couple families. On these figures, Rockmount tends to suit older residents, while Preston suits families with children and 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

Preston

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (84% vs 70%)

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

  • Rockmount has a bigger rental market to choose from (23% vs 4%)
  • Preston leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 25%)

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

Commuting to the city

Rockmount

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (106 min vs 111 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (131.7 km vs 136.6 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Rockmount

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 12%)

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

Investors

Preston

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (4.9% vs -5.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Rockmount Preston
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.

Rockmount Preston
Walkability 0 / 0
Rockmount — Walkability: 0/100 Preston — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 36 / 27
Rockmount — Safety: 36/100 Preston — Safety: 27/100
Low fire risk 57 / 100
Rockmount — Low fire risk: 57/100 Preston — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Preston has more residents (644 vs 82); Preston has higher household incomes ($128,544 vs $84,500).

Rockmount Preston
Population 82 644
+685% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -5.7% +4.9%
Median age 49 40
Median household income $84,500/yr $128,544/yr
+52% vs other
Median weekly rent $400/wk $420/wk
+5% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Rockmount Preston
0-4 — / 5.7%
Rockmount — 0-4: not among its largest Preston — 0-4: 5.7%
5-14 11.0% / 21.7%
Rockmount — 5-14: 11.0% Preston — 5-14: 21.7%
15-19 11.0% / 6.7%
Rockmount — 15-19: 11.0% Preston — 15-19: 6.7%
20-24 6.1% / 2.5%
Rockmount — 20-24: 6.1% Preston — 20-24: 2.5%
25-34 3.7% / 6.5%
Rockmount — 25-34: 3.7% Preston — 25-34: 6.5%
35-44 14.6% / 14.0%
Rockmount — 35-44: 14.6% Preston — 35-44: 14.0%
45-54 19.5% / 18.0%
Rockmount — 45-54: 19.5% Preston — 45-54: 18.0%
55-64 9.8% / 13.4%
Rockmount — 55-64: 9.8% Preston — 55-64: 13.4%
65-74 14.6% / 7.5%
Rockmount — 65-74: 14.6% Preston — 65-74: 7.5%
75-84 7.3% / 4.3%
Rockmount — 75-84: 7.3% Preston — 75-84: 4.3%
85+ — / —
Rockmount — 85+: not among its largest Preston — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Rockmount 44.4% couple families
Rockmount — Couple Families: 44.4% Rockmount — Lone Person: 29.6% Rockmount — One Parent Families: 25.9%
Preston 75.7% couple families
Preston — Couple Families: 75.7% Preston — Lone Person: 15.4% Preston — One Parent Families: 8.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Rockmount 22.9% renting
Rockmount — Owned Outright: 40.0% Rockmount — Mortgage: 37.1% Rockmount — Renting: 22.9%
Preston 4.0% renting
Preston — Owned Outright: 38.0% Preston — Mortgage: 58.0% Preston — Renting: 4.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Rockmount 100.0% houses
Rockmount — Houses: 100.0% Rockmount — Townhouses: 0.0%
Preston 98.1% houses
Preston — Houses: 98.1% Preston — Townhouses: 1.9%
Houses Townhouses

Qualifications

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

Rockmount Preston
Certificate III & IV 15.9% / 14.4%
Rockmount — Certificate III & IV: 15.9% Preston — Certificate III & IV: 14.4%
Bachelor Degree 13.4% / 14.9%
Rockmount — Bachelor Degree: 13.4% Preston — Bachelor Degree: 14.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 12.2% / 7.6%
Rockmount — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 12.2% Preston — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.6%
Postgraduate Degree 3.7% / 6.8%
Rockmount — Postgraduate Degree: 3.7% Preston — Postgraduate Degree: 6.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 2.3%
Rockmount — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Preston — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.9%).

Property market

Rockmount Preston
Median house price — $1,600,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $1,600,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 62 days
from 8 sales

Development activity

Rockmount Preston
New dwellings approved 352
across Lockyer Valley
 1,513
across Toowoomba
Approvals change year on year +103% -25%

Ranking within QLD

Rockmount Preston
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 56% of QLD Higher than 93% of QLD
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 3% of QLD Higher than 8% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 64% of QLD Higher than 66% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 25% of QLD Higher than 70% of QLD

Liveability

Rockmount Preston
Grade — B
Score — 54/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Rockmount carries more bushfire risk (43 vs 0).

Rockmount Preston
Bushfire Moderate
43/100
 None
0/100
Crime Moderate
64/100
 High
73/100
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

Rockmount Preston
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

Rockmount Preston
Parks & reserves 1
same for both
Waterways 23 0

Mobility

Preston sits further from the CBD (136.6 km vs 131.7 km).

Rockmount Preston
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Brisbane 131.7 km 136.6 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 106 min 111 min
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 4344
 0.6%
postcode 4352
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 79
postcode 4344
 84
postcode 4352

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.

Rockmount Preston
Car (driver) 71.4% / 79.1%
Rockmount — Car (driver): 71.4% Preston — Car (driver): 79.1%
Worked from Home 20.0% / 16.1%
Rockmount — Worked from Home: 20.0% Preston — Worked from Home: 16.1%
Walked Only 8.6% / 1.0%
Rockmount — Walked Only: 8.6% Preston — Walked Only: 1.0%
Car (passenger) — / 3.8%
Rockmount — Car (passenger): not among its largest Preston — Car (passenger): 3.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.1%).

Setting

Rockmount Preston
Elevation 359 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 572 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Rockmount Preston
Connectivity score 18/100 55/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
32 premises
 33%
238 premises

Climate

Rockmount Preston
Annual rainfall 643 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Rockmount Preston
PM2.5 2.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 3.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Rockmount Preston
Average residential rate $1,952/yr $1,618/yr
Council Lockyer Valley Toowoomba

Federal electorate

Rockmount Preston
Division Wright Groom
Member Scott Buchholz Garth Hamilton
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Rockmount Preston
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Rockmount

River Rural

Preston

Acreage Family Premium

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Rockmount

Rockmount vs Ramsay Rockmount vs Upper Flagstone Rockmount vs Stockyard Rockmount vs Fordsdale

Other comparisons with Preston

Preston vs Kearneys Spring Preston vs Middle Ridge Preston vs Hodgson Vale Preston vs Top Camp Preston vs Ramsay Preston vs Upper Flagstone
Full data on Rockmount Full data on Preston
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or