Willows vs Alpha

Alpha is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 59 in Willows. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Willows, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Willows tends to suit people living alone and older residents.

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

Alpha

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (7 vs 0)
  • carries lower crime risk (38/100 vs 52/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (54% vs 40%)

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

First-home buyers

Alpha

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (10% vs 22%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Alpha

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (29% vs 7%)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (8% vs 14%)

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

Commuting to the city

Willows

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (966.1 km vs 1055.5 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (719 min vs 738 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Willows has more residents already 65 and over (40% vs 18%)
  • Alpha carries lower crime risk (38/100 vs 52/100)

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

Where they sit

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

Willows Alpha
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.

Willows Alpha
Walkability 0 / 0
Willows — Walkability: 0/100 Alpha — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 48 / 62
Willows — Safety: 48/100 Alpha — Safety: 62/100
Low fire risk 69 / 61
Willows — Low fire risk: 69/100 Alpha — Low fire risk: 61/100

Demographics

Alpha has more residents (559 vs 139); Alpha has higher household incomes ($80,444 vs $41,184).

Willows Alpha
Population 139 559
+302% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -3.5% —
Median age 59 44
Median household income $41,184/yr $80,444/yr
+95% vs other
Median weekly rent $113/wk $120/wk
+6% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Willows Alpha
0-4 5.0% / 5.5%
Willows — 0-4: 5.0% Alpha — 0-4: 5.5%
5-14 7.2% / 9.7%
Willows — 5-14: 7.2% Alpha — 5-14: 9.7%
15-19 — / 3.8%
Willows — 15-19: not among its largest Alpha — 15-19: 3.8%
20-24 3.6% / 7.0%
Willows — 20-24: 3.6% Alpha — 20-24: 7.0%
25-34 9.4% / 12.5%
Willows — 25-34: 9.4% Alpha — 25-34: 12.5%
35-44 6.5% / 12.2%
Willows — 35-44: 6.5% Alpha — 35-44: 12.2%
45-54 10.8% / 15.0%
Willows — 45-54: 10.8% Alpha — 45-54: 15.0%
55-64 23.0% / 15.9%
Willows — 55-64: 23.0% Alpha — 55-64: 15.9%
65-74 20.9% / 9.5%
Willows — 65-74: 20.9% Alpha — 65-74: 9.5%
75-84 15.1% / 6.8%
Willows — 75-84: 15.1% Alpha — 75-84: 6.8%
85+ 3.6% / 2.1%
Willows — 85+: 3.6% Alpha — 85+: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Willows 60.0% lone person
Willows — Lone Person: 60.0% Willows — Couple Families: 28.6% Willows — One Parent Families: 11.4% Willows — Group Household: 0.0% Willows — Other Families: 0.0%
Alpha 41.7% lone person
Alpha — Lone Person: 41.7% Alpha — Couple Families: 43.1% Alpha — One Parent Families: 11.1% Alpha — Group Household: 2.1% Alpha — Other Families: 2.1%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Willows 6.7% renting
Willows — Owned Outright: 71.7% Willows — Mortgage: 21.7% Willows — Renting: 6.7%
Alpha 29.2% renting
Alpha — Owned Outright: 49.7% Alpha — Mortgage: 21.1% Alpha — Renting: 29.2%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Willows Alpha
England 5.0% / 1.6%
Willows — England: 5.0% Alpha — England: 1.6%
Canada 2.9% / —
Willows — Canada: 2.9% Alpha — Canada: not among its largest
New Zealand — / 2.3%
Willows — New Zealand: not among its largest Alpha — New Zealand: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.0%).

Qualifications

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

Willows Alpha
Certificate III & IV 15.1% / 15.6%
Willows — Certificate III & IV: 15.1% Alpha — Certificate III & IV: 15.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.5% / 3.6%
Willows — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.5% Alpha — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.6%
Bachelor Degree 2.9% / 5.4%
Willows — Bachelor Degree: 2.9% Alpha — Bachelor Degree: 5.4%
Postgraduate Degree — / 0.7%
Willows — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Alpha — Postgraduate Degree: 0.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Willows 93.2% houses
Willows — Houses: 93.2% Willows — Flats / Apartments: 6.8% Willows — Townhouses: 0.0%
Alpha 97.0% houses
Alpha — Houses: 97.0% Alpha — Flats / Apartments: 0.0% Alpha — Townhouses: 3.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Willows Alpha
Median house price — $230,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $35,000

Development activity

Willows Alpha
New dwellings approved 35
across Central Highlands (Qld)
 6
across Barcaldine
Approvals change year on year -75% —

Ranking within QLD

Willows Alpha
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 5% of QLD Higher than 51% of QLD
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 38% of QLD Higher than 55% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 20% of QLD —
NBN connectivity Higher than 13% of QLD Higher than 84% of QLD

Liveability

Willows Alpha
Grade — C
Score — 36/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Willows carries more crime risk (52 vs 38).

Willows Alpha
Bushfire Low
31/100
 Low
39/100
Crime Moderate
52/100
 Low
38/100
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

Willows Alpha
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Willows

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

Schools in Alpha

  • Alpha State School Government · Combined at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Willows Alpha
Cafes & restaurants 0 1
Parks & reserves 0 7
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Hospitals 0 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 46 475

Mobility

Alpha sits further from the CBD (1055.5 km vs 966.1 km).

Willows Alpha
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Brisbane 966.1 km 1055.5 km
+9% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 719 min 738 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 4702
 0.0%
postcode 4724
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 58
postcode 4702
 45
postcode 4724

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.

Willows Alpha
Worked from Home 56.4% / 36.1%
Willows — Worked from Home: 56.4% Alpha — Worked from Home: 36.1%
Car (driver) 43.6% / 43.5%
Willows — Car (driver): 43.6% Alpha — Car (driver): 43.5%
Walked Only — / 16.3%
Willows — Walked Only: not among its largest Alpha — Walked Only: 16.3%
Car (passenger) — / 2.7%
Willows — Car (passenger): not among its largest Alpha — Car (passenger): 2.7%
Bicycle — / 1.4%
Willows — Bicycle: not among its largest Alpha — Bicycle: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (56.4%).

Setting

Willows Alpha
Elevation 372 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 361 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Willows Alpha
Connectivity score 15/100 74/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
18 premises
 69%
329 premises

Federal electorate

Willows Alpha
Division Flynn Maranoa
Member Colin Boyce David Littleproud
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Willows Alpha
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Willows

Retirees Rural

Alpha

Affordable Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Willows

Willows vs Anakie Siding Willows vs Lochington

Other comparisons with Alpha

Alpha vs Clermont Alpha vs Blackall Alpha vs Jericho Alpha vs Lochington
Full data on Willows Full data on Alpha
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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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