Sunnyside vs Oakenden

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Sunnyside, about half of households are couple families. In Oakenden, the large majority of households are couple families. On these figures, Sunnyside tends to suit people living alone, while Oakenden 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

Oakenden

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 57/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (90% vs 64%)
  • But Sunnyside has more separate houses rather than flats (102% vs 91%)

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

First-home buyers

Oakenden

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 25%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Sunnyside

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (21% vs 9%)
  • has cheaper rent ($275/wk vs $435/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Sunnyside

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (644 min vs 655 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (946.4 km vs 958.1 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Oakenden

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 57/100)

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

Investors

Oakenden

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (-1.6% vs -12.4%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Sunnyside and Oakenden 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 Oakenden
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 Oakenden
Walkability 0 / 0
Sunnyside — Walkability: 0/100 Oakenden — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 43 / 77
Sunnyside — Safety: 43/100 Oakenden — Safety: 77/100
Low fire risk 100 / 41
Sunnyside — Low fire risk: 100/100 Oakenden — Low fire risk: 41/100

Demographics

Oakenden has more residents (424 vs 127); Oakenden rents higher ($435/wk vs $275/wk).

Sunnyside Oakenden
Population 127 424
+234% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -12.4% -1.6%
Median age 37 39
Median household income $97,500/yr $123,084/yr
+26% vs other
Median weekly rent $275/wk $435/wk
+58% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Sunnyside Oakenden
0-4 8.7% / 7.3%
Sunnyside — 0-4: 8.7% Oakenden — 0-4: 7.3%
5-14 18.1% / 17.5%
Sunnyside — 5-14: 18.1% Oakenden — 5-14: 17.5%
15-19 4.7% / 9.4%
Sunnyside — 15-19: 4.7% Oakenden — 15-19: 9.4%
20-24 5.5% / 4.5%
Sunnyside — 20-24: 5.5% Oakenden — 20-24: 4.5%
25-34 11.8% / 8.5%
Sunnyside — 25-34: 11.8% Oakenden — 25-34: 8.5%
35-44 13.4% / 12.3%
Sunnyside — 35-44: 13.4% Oakenden — 35-44: 12.3%
45-54 13.4% / 14.4%
Sunnyside — 45-54: 13.4% Oakenden — 45-54: 14.4%
55-64 18.9% / 13.2%
Sunnyside — 55-64: 18.9% Oakenden — 55-64: 13.2%
65-74 5.5% / 8.7%
Sunnyside — 65-74: 5.5% Oakenden — 65-74: 8.7%
75-84 5.5% / 4.2%
Sunnyside — 75-84: 5.5% Oakenden — 75-84: 4.2%
85+ — / 0.9%
Sunnyside — 85+: not among its largest Oakenden — 85+: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).

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%
Oakenden 79.8% couple families
Oakenden — Couple Families: 79.8% Oakenden — Lone Person: 9.5% Oakenden — One Parent Families: 10.7%
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%
Oakenden 9.4% renting
Oakenden — Owned Outright: 34.6% Oakenden — Mortgage: 55.9% Oakenden — Renting: 9.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Sunnyside 102.4% houses
Sunnyside — Houses: 102.4% Sunnyside — Townhouses: 0.0%
Oakenden 90.9% houses
Oakenden — Houses: 90.9% Oakenden — Townhouses: 10.6%
Houses Townhouses

Qualifications

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

Sunnyside Oakenden
Certificate III & IV 28.3% / 19.3%
Sunnyside — Certificate III & IV: 28.3% Oakenden — Certificate III & IV: 19.3%
Bachelor Degree 3.1% / 5.9%
Sunnyside — Bachelor Degree: 3.1% Oakenden — Bachelor Degree: 5.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 2.4% / 5.2%
Sunnyside — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 2.4% Oakenden — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 2.1%
Sunnyside — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Oakenden — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.1%

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

Property market

Sunnyside Oakenden
Median house price — $800,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Development activity

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

Ranking within QLD

Sunnyside Oakenden
House price —
same for both
Income — Higher than 91% 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 8% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 57% of QLD Higher than 52% of QLD

Liveability

Sunnyside Oakenden
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Oakenden carries more bushfire risk (59 vs 0); Sunnyside carries more crime risk (57 vs 23).

Sunnyside Oakenden
Bushfire None
0/100
 Moderate
59/100
Crime Moderate
57/100
 Low
23/100
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

Sunnyside Oakenden
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 Sunnyside

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Oakenden

  • Oakenden State School Government · Primary

Amenities in the suburb

Sunnyside Oakenden
Parks & reserves 1 0
Waterways 5 18

Mobility

Oakenden sits further from the CBD (958.1 km vs 946.4 km).

Sunnyside Oakenden
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Brisbane 946.4 km 958.1 km
+1% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 644 min 655 min
Electric vehicle share 0.1%
postcode 4737
 0.1%
postcode 4741
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 66
postcode 4737
 70
postcode 4741

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 Oakenden
Car (driver) 78.7% / 77.3%
Sunnyside — Car (driver): 78.7% Oakenden — Car (driver): 77.3%
Worked from Home 8.2% / 14.3%
Sunnyside — Worked from Home: 8.2% Oakenden — Worked from Home: 14.3%
Car (passenger) 6.6% / 4.9%
Sunnyside — Car (passenger): 6.6% Oakenden — Car (passenger): 4.9%
Walked Only 6.6% / 1.5%
Sunnyside — Walked Only: 6.6% Oakenden — Walked Only: 1.5%
Bus — / 2.0%
Sunnyside — Bus: not among its largest Oakenden — Bus: 2.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (78.7%).

Setting

Sunnyside Oakenden
Elevation 36 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 54 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 12.5 km 16.4 km

NBN connectivity

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

Climate

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

Council rates

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

Federal electorate

Sunnyside Oakenden
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 Oakenden
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

Oakenden

Family Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Sunnyside

Sunnyside vs Sarina Sunnyside vs Balberra Sunnyside vs Munbura Sunnyside vs Blue Mountain

Other comparisons with Oakenden

Oakenden vs Eton Oakenden vs Balberra Oakenden vs Homebush Oakenden vs Blue Mountain
Full data on Sunnyside Full data on Oakenden
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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