Sunnyside vs Balberra

Sunnyside is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 47 in Balberra. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Sunnyside tends to suit families with children.

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

Sunnyside

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (57/100 vs 67/100)

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

Balberra

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $275/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Sunnyside

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (946.4 km vs 948.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Sunnyside carries lower crime risk (57/100 vs 67/100)
  • Balberra has more residents already 65 and over (17% vs 11%)

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

Investors

Balberra

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (-7.0% vs -12.4%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Sunnyside Balberra
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.

Sunnyside Balberra
Walkability 0 / 0
Sunnyside — Walkability: 0/100 Balberra — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 43 / 33
Sunnyside — Safety: 43/100 Balberra — Safety: 33/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Sunnyside — Low fire risk: 100/100 Balberra — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Balberra has more residents (425 vs 127); Balberra skews older (47 vs 37).

Sunnyside Balberra
Population 127 425
+235% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -12.4% -7.0%
Median age 37 47
Median household income $97,500/yr $96,824/yr
Median weekly rent $275/wk
+9% vs other
 $250/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Sunnyside Balberra
0-4 8.7% / 3.5%
Sunnyside — 0-4: 8.7% Balberra — 0-4: 3.5%
5-14 18.1% / 13.4%
Sunnyside — 5-14: 18.1% Balberra — 5-14: 13.4%
15-19 4.7% / 5.9%
Sunnyside — 15-19: 4.7% Balberra — 15-19: 5.9%
20-24 5.5% / 5.2%
Sunnyside — 20-24: 5.5% Balberra — 20-24: 5.2%
25-34 11.8% / 8.5%
Sunnyside — 25-34: 11.8% Balberra — 25-34: 8.5%
35-44 13.4% / 10.8%
Sunnyside — 35-44: 13.4% Balberra — 35-44: 10.8%
45-54 13.4% / 16.9%
Sunnyside — 45-54: 13.4% Balberra — 45-54: 16.9%
55-64 18.9% / 20.9%
Sunnyside — 55-64: 18.9% Balberra — 55-64: 20.9%
65-74 5.5% / 8.7%
Sunnyside — 65-74: 5.5% Balberra — 65-74: 8.7%
75-84 5.5% / 6.4%
Sunnyside — 75-84: 5.5% Balberra — 75-84: 6.4%
85+ — / 2.1%
Sunnyside — 85+: not among its largest Balberra — 85+: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Sunnyside 50.0% couple families
Sunnyside — Couple Families: 50.0% Sunnyside — Lone Person: 36.4% Sunnyside — One Parent Families: 13.6%
Balberra 53.2% couple families
Balberra — Couple Families: 53.2% Balberra — Lone Person: 28.7% Balberra — One Parent Families: 18.1%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Sunnyside 20.9% renting
Sunnyside — Owned Outright: 34.9% Sunnyside — Mortgage: 44.2% Sunnyside — Renting: 20.9%
Balberra 13.2% renting
Balberra — Owned Outright: 47.1% Balberra — Mortgage: 39.7% Balberra — Renting: 13.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Sunnyside 102.4% houses
Sunnyside — Houses: 102.4% Sunnyside — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Balberra 97.9% houses
Balberra — Houses: 97.9% Balberra — Flats / Apartments: 2.1%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Sunnyside Balberra
Certificate III & IV 28.3% / 21.9%
Sunnyside — Certificate III & IV: 28.3% Balberra — Certificate III & IV: 21.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 2.4% / 4.2%
Sunnyside — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 2.4% Balberra — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.2%
Bachelor Degree 3.1% / 1.9%
Sunnyside — Bachelor Degree: 3.1% Balberra — Bachelor Degree: 1.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 1.6%
Sunnyside — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Balberra — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (28.3%).

Property market

Sunnyside Balberra
Median house price — $580,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Development activity

Sunnyside Balberra
New dwellings approved 574
across Mackay
same for both
Approvals change year on year -6%
same for both

Ranking within QLD

Sunnyside Balberra
House price —
same for both
Income — Higher than 70% of QLD
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 33% of QLD Higher than 15% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 5% of QLD Higher than 40% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 57% of QLD Higher than 52% of QLD

Liveability

Sunnyside Balberra
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
same for both

Risk profile

Balberra carries more crime risk (67 vs 57).

Sunnyside Balberra
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
57/100
 Moderate
67/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 High
84/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Sunnyside Balberra
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

Sunnyside Balberra
Parks & reserves 1 0
Waterways 5 7

Mobility

Balberra sits further from the CBD (948.9 km vs 946.4 km).

Sunnyside Balberra
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Brisbane 946.4 km 948.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 644 min 648 min
Electric vehicle share 0.1%
postcode 4737
 0.3%
postcode 4740
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 66
postcode 4737
 56
postcode 4740

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.

Sunnyside Balberra
Car (driver) 78.7% / 80.8%
Sunnyside — Car (driver): 78.7% Balberra — Car (driver): 80.8%
Worked from Home 8.2% / 11.5%
Sunnyside — Worked from Home: 8.2% Balberra — Worked from Home: 11.5%
Car (passenger) 6.6% / 4.9%
Sunnyside — Car (passenger): 6.6% Balberra — Car (passenger): 4.9%
Walked Only 6.6% / 2.7%
Sunnyside — Walked Only: 6.6% Balberra — Walked Only: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.8%).

Setting

Sunnyside Balberra
Elevation 36 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 13 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 12.5 km 3.6 km

NBN connectivity

Sunnyside Balberra
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
67 premises
 0%
188 premises

Climate

Sunnyside Balberra
Annual rainfall 1,517 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.8°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 12.4°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Sunnyside Balberra
PM2.5 6.6 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.9 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Sunnyside Balberra
Average residential rate $1,873/yr
same for both
Council Mackay
same for both

Federal electorate

Sunnyside Balberra
Division Capricornia
same for both
Member Michelle Landry
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Sunnyside Balberra
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Sunnyside

Family Rural Young Families

Balberra

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Sunnyside

Sunnyside vs Sarina Sunnyside vs Oakenden Sunnyside vs Munbura Sunnyside vs Blue Mountain

Other comparisons with Balberra

Balberra vs Alligator Creek Balberra vs Oakenden Balberra vs Homebush Balberra vs Sandiford Balberra vs Chelona Balberra vs Munbura
Full data on Sunnyside Full data on Balberra
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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