Thorneside vs Birkdale

In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Birkdale, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Thorneside tends to suit people living alone, while Birkdale 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

Birkdale

ahead on 5 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (9 vs 1)
  • has more parks and reserves (26 vs 8)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 1)

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

First-home buyers

Thorneside

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper units ($745,000 vs $847,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Thorneside

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($370/wk vs $435/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Birkdale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (77/100 vs 56/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Thorneside has more units and townhouses to downsize into (36% vs 16%)
  • Birkdale is more walkable (77/100 vs 56/100)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Thorneside Birkdale
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.

Thorneside Birkdale
Walkability 56 / 77
Thorneside — Walkability: 56/100 Birkdale — Walkability: 77/100
Safety 67 / 60
Thorneside — Safety: 67/100 Birkdale — Safety: 60/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Thorneside — Low fire risk: 100/100 Birkdale — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Birkdale has more residents (14,816 vs 3,877); Birkdale has higher household incomes ($98,956 vs $77,376).

Thorneside Birkdale
Population 3,877 14,816
+282% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.1% +2.2%
Median age 41 43
Median household income $77,376/yr $98,956/yr
+28% vs other
Median weekly rent $370/wk $435/wk
+18% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Thorneside Birkdale
0-4 5.8% / 5.0%
Thorneside — 0-4: 5.8% Birkdale — 0-4: 5.0%
5-14 13.6% / 12.9%
Thorneside — 5-14: 13.6% Birkdale — 5-14: 12.9%
15-19 4.3% / 6.2%
Thorneside — 15-19: 4.3% Birkdale — 15-19: 6.2%
20-24 4.9% / 5.3%
Thorneside — 20-24: 4.9% Birkdale — 20-24: 5.3%
25-34 12.4% / 10.1%
Thorneside — 25-34: 12.4% Birkdale — 25-34: 10.1%
35-44 13.9% / 12.4%
Thorneside — 35-44: 13.9% Birkdale — 35-44: 12.4%
45-54 12.7% / 13.6%
Thorneside — 45-54: 12.7% Birkdale — 45-54: 13.6%
55-64 13.3% / 12.6%
Thorneside — 55-64: 13.3% Birkdale — 55-64: 12.6%
65-74 12.5% / 11.9%
Thorneside — 65-74: 12.5% Birkdale — 65-74: 11.9%
75-84 5.2% / 7.0%
Thorneside — 75-84: 5.2% Birkdale — 75-84: 7.0%
85+ 1.4% / 2.9%
Thorneside — 85+: 1.4% Birkdale — 85+: 2.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (13.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Thorneside 33.3% couple families
Thorneside — Couple Families: 33.3% Thorneside — Lone Person: 40.0% Thorneside — One Parent Families: 21.0% Thorneside — Group Household: 4.3% Thorneside — Other Families: 1.3%
Birkdale 50.1% couple families
Birkdale — Couple Families: 50.1% Birkdale — Lone Person: 29.7% Birkdale — One Parent Families: 16.2% Birkdale — Group Household: 2.7% Birkdale — Other Families: 1.4%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Thorneside 29.4% renting
Thorneside — Owned Outright: 33.6% Thorneside — Mortgage: 37.0% Thorneside — Renting: 29.4%
Birkdale 19.8% renting
Birkdale — Owned Outright: 37.4% Birkdale — Mortgage: 42.8% Birkdale — Renting: 19.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Thorneside Birkdale
Certificate III & IV 18.3% / 17.7%
Thorneside — Certificate III & IV: 18.3% Birkdale — Certificate III & IV: 17.7%
Bachelor Degree 11.5% / 11.3%
Thorneside — Bachelor Degree: 11.5% Birkdale — Bachelor Degree: 11.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.6% / 8.6%
Thorneside — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.6% Birkdale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.6%
Postgraduate Degree 2.6% / 3.0%
Thorneside — Postgraduate Degree: 2.6% Birkdale — Postgraduate Degree: 3.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.0% / 1.9%
Thorneside — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.0% Birkdale — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.3%).

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Thorneside Birkdale
England 5.8% / 5.6%
Thorneside — England: 5.8% Birkdale — England: 5.6%
New Zealand 5.1% / 4.6%
Thorneside — New Zealand: 5.1% Birkdale — New Zealand: 4.6%
South Africa 0.8% / 1.8%
Thorneside — South Africa: 0.8% Birkdale — South Africa: 1.8%
Scotland 0.9% / 0.9%
Thorneside — Scotland: 0.9% Birkdale — Scotland: 0.9%
Netherlands — / 0.9%
Thorneside — Netherlands: not among its largest Birkdale — Netherlands: 0.9%
Philippines 0.7% / —
Thorneside — Philippines: 0.7% Birkdale — Philippines: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Thorneside 63.5% houses
Thorneside — Houses: 63.5% Thorneside — Townhouses: 32.6% Thorneside — Flats / Apartments: 3.9%
Birkdale 83.9% houses
Birkdale — Houses: 83.9% Birkdale — Townhouses: 11.2% Birkdale — Flats / Apartments: 4.9%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Thorneside Birkdale
Median house price $1,260,000 $1,250,000
Median unit price $745,000 $847,000
Median land price $1,375,000 $1,217,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 23 days
from 35 sales
 20 days
from 166 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Thorneside Birkdale
2 bed $700K / $680K
Thorneside — 2 bed: $700K (5 sales) Birkdale — 2 bed: $680K (5 sales)

5 vs 5 sales

3 bed $1.01M / $1.03M
Thorneside — 3 bed: $1.01M (22 sales) Birkdale — 3 bed: $1.03M (96 sales)

22 vs 96 sales

4 bed $1.3M / $1.31M
Thorneside — 4 bed: $1.3M (29 sales) Birkdale — 4 bed: $1.31M (116 sales)

29 vs 116 sales

5 bed $2.25M / $1.72M
Thorneside — 5 bed: $2.25M (7 sales) Birkdale — 5 bed: $1.72M (31 sales)

7 vs 31 sales

Development activity

Thorneside Birkdale
New dwellings approved 1,598
across Redland
same for both
Approvals change year on year -26%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Thorneside Birkdale
Houses 3.6%
$680/wk on $989K
 3.7%
$875/wk on $1.24M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within QLD

Thorneside Birkdale
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 48% of QLD Higher than 73% of QLD
Schools — Higher than 24% of QLD
Walkability Higher than 88% of QLD Higher than 95% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 74% of QLD Higher than 82% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 82% of QLD Higher than 89% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 28% of QLD Higher than 35% of QLD

Liveability

Birkdale is more walkable (77 vs 56); Thorneside scores higher overall (70 vs 64).

Thorneside Birkdale
Grade A B
Score 70/100 64/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Thorneside Birkdale
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Low
33/100
 Moderate
40/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Low
19/100
 Low
34/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 3
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Thorneside Birkdale
Inside the suburb 1 3
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 3
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Thorneside

  • South East Brisbane Steiner School Independent · Primary

Schools in Birkdale

  • Birkdale South State School Government · Primary at peers
  • Birkdale State School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Mary MacKillop Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Thorneside Birkdale
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 1 5
Parks & reserves 8 26
Childcare 1 9
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 1 2
Banks & Bank@Post 0 2
Fuel stations 1 3
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 0 20

Mobility

Thorneside Birkdale
Walkability score 56/100 77/100
Distance to Brisbane 23 km 24.6 km
+7% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 34 min
same for both
Public transport score 80/100
Rail · Bus
 79/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 40.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 103.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 4158
 1.0%
postcode 4159
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 56
postcode 4158
 81
postcode 4159

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.

Thorneside Birkdale
Car (driver) 70.3% / 72.5%
Thorneside — Car (driver): 70.3% Birkdale — Car (driver): 72.5%
Worked from Home 17.5% / 18.7%
Thorneside — Worked from Home: 17.5% Birkdale — Worked from Home: 18.7%
Train 6.0% / 3.5%
Thorneside — Train: 6.0% Birkdale — Train: 3.5%
Car (passenger) 4.2% / 3.7%
Thorneside — Car (passenger): 4.2% Birkdale — Car (passenger): 3.7%
Walked Only 0.9% / 0.8%
Thorneside — Walked Only: 0.9% Birkdale — Walked Only: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (72.5%).

Setting

Thorneside Birkdale
Elevation 6 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 26 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 475 m
2.9 km to a named beach
 1.9 km
4.8 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Thorneside Birkdale
Connectivity score 73/100 77/100
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
1,817 premises
 11%
6,282 premises

Climate

Thorneside Birkdale
Annual rainfall 1,032 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 8.9°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Thorneside Birkdale
PM2.5 3.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Thorneside Birkdale
Average residential rate $1,879/yr
same for both
Council Redland
same for both

Federal electorate

Thorneside Birkdale
Division Bowman
same for both
Member Henry Pike
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Thorneside Birkdale
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Thorneside

Coastal Middle-Ring Parks Quiet Townhouses Trains Transport Hub

Birkdale

Coastal Middle-Ring Parks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Thorneside

Thorneside vs Lota Thorneside vs Ransome

Other comparisons with Birkdale

Birkdale vs Capalaba Birkdale vs Alexandra Hills Birkdale vs Wellington Point Birkdale vs Chandler Birkdale vs Ransome
Full data on Thorneside Full data on Birkdale
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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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