Atherton QLD 4883
Atherton is a town in Queensland, 1,706 km from Brisbane CBD, around 19 hours 40 minutes by car. Population is 7,724; the median age is 46 and the median household income is $57,148 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The town grew 5.4% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $280 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,300. Atherton is characterised by high crime risk and high bushfire risk. Of 4 schools within the town boundary, 1 ranks above the state average, and walkability is high.
Is Atherton a good town?
Atherton scores a C (36/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit, weaker on safety and community.
Mixed results
4 schools · 1 above peer schools
Very walkable
Walkability 88/100 · 1705.9 km · 1180 min drive to Brisbane
Median available
Median $574K
High bushfire risk
Fire 74/100 · Crime 90/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 2/10 · median age 46 · 7,724 residents
Liveability Rating
36 / 100 · Ranked #844 in QLDEach bar is Atherton's rank among QLD suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).
Flood data for Queensland covers only the areas mapped there — a blank here is not an all-clear.
How do you rate the liveability in Atherton?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
36 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataAtherton's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $574,000, roughly 24% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$574,000
Based on 173 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 40 days — median across 94 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 8 sales $475K
- 3 bed 83 sales $515K
- 4 bed 70 sales $656K
- 5 bed 6 sales $731K
Land
$687,500
Based on 14 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 50 days — median across 8 sales that recorded a listing period
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Atherton are currently listed at around $722,000 on average. Based on 72 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$722K
72 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$415K
4 units listed in the last 6 months.
76 of the suburb's 3,094 dwellings (2.5%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Atherton rent for around $510 a week on average, based on 23 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$510/wk
23 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$385/wk
7 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
30 rentals advertised against an estimated 1,191 rented homes (2.5%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $550/wk
- 20 bonds
- +38% since 2021
- 2-bed units
- $420/wk
- 19 bonds
- +42% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies. Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025156 Affordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 19% of its income on the median rent in postcode 4883.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$510/week ($27,000 a year) on a $722,000 median
$385/week ($20,000 a year) on a $415,000 median
Based on a small sample (4 listings) — indicative only.
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Is Atherton safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Atherton sits in the high band, with 349 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 25% on the prior year. The longer-run trend has eased steadily across the available years.
349 offences
25.1% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2020–202449 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 1 of them fatal
Where they happened
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the town carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Schools
Four schools serve Atherton, and results are mixed — some outperforming peer-suburb schools, some below. St Joseph's School leads the pack.
- • 2,249 students across 4 schools (avg 562)
- • Sectors: 2 Government, 1 Independent, 1 Catholic
- • ICSEA 903-1022, median 990 (around the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Jubilee Christian College (850 students)
Primary
Secondary
Combined
Walkability
Atherton is very walkable on foot — at 88/100, most daily errands can be done on foot. Within the town there are 2 supermarkets, 15 parks and 12 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
We hold no public transport timetable data for this area, so public transport is not rated here and the score is spread across the remaining components. It is not counted as zero.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Atherton.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 47%
- Premises covered
- 4,376
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Tablelands: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this town alone — this town's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 19 small areas inside this town and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 5 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this town rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Atherton is home to about 7,700 residents, with a median age of 46, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $57,000 a year, with unemployment at 5.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
7,724
Median Age
46
Median Household Income
$57,148/yr
Census Median Rent
$280/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,300/mo
Avg Household Size
2.2
Median Personal Income
$33,332/yr
Unemployment Rate
5.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
10.4%
Total Dwellings
3,094
Owner-Occupier Rate
61.5%
Houses
81.7%
Rental Stress
25.5%
Mortgage Stress
27.3%
Work From Home
8.6%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
127 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 71 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 1,142 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 76.6%
- English Spoken at Home
- 84.6%
- Employment Rate
- 48%
- Completed Year 12
- 34.8%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
156 residents (2.0%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
3.3% of residents (242) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Brisbane (92).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 7,377 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,609 a year through Tablelands based on 2025 figures.
Building Approvals: Tablelands
In the year to August 2026, 167 new dwellings were approved across Tablelands. That mix is 155 houses and 12 units. Approvals are down 80.4% on the same period a year earlier.
New Homes Planned
New homes planned in this town: 1,101 to 2,850 homes
- Within 2 years 49 to 125 homes
- In 2 to 5 years 166 to 355 homes
- In 5 to 10 years 124 to 315 homes
- In 10 years or more 126 to 290 homes
- No timeframe set 636 to 1,765 homes
Land the Queensland Government's residential land supply study identifies for future housing (66 parcels), by when it expects lots to be registered. Yields are published in ranges, so these are too.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
No native title party is registered for this area. Under the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 the Aboriginal party is then whoever is recognised under tradition or custom as responsible for the area — which a native title register cannot show.
Climate & Setting
from Walkamin Research Station, 15.8 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 785 m
- above sea level, at the town centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 47.4 km
- Annual rainfall
- 1,114 mm
- 84 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 30.3°C
- 7 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 13.8°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the town centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
EV adoption
In postcode 4883, 26 of 7,694 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.5% (193 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.8%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 4883, 1,582 rooftop-solar systems totalling 12.1 MW have been installed since 2001, against 3,865 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 151 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$30,000 for new homes priced up to $750,000.
$30,000 for contracts signed on or after 20 November 2023, with no end date. IT DID NOT REVERT TO $15,000: the tier was due to end 30 June 2026 and the 2026-27 Queensland Budget (23 June 2026) continued it for contracts signed from 1 July 2026. This file carried a "due to revert" note until 2026-09-18 — it was never true, and a note predicting a change is not the same as a change. Cap is "less than $750,000" including land and contract variations — less than, not up to. New homes only: "There are no home owner grants for established homes."
Mortgage repayments
5 mortgage brokers are registered in this town.
Transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with Queensland Revenue Office
The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $750,000 may qualify for $30,000 — see what qualifies with Queensland Revenue Office.
At $574,000 this is under the $750,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $30,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with Queensland Revenue Office.
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Bob Katter Katter's Australian Party (KAP)
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Bob Katter | 40.7% | 59.3% | +0.8 |
| 2022 | Bob Katter | 39.8% | 60.2% | -4.3 |
| 2019 | Bob Katter | 35.5% | 64.5% | +7.8 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact town's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Shane Knuth Katter's Australian Party (KAP)
Next state election: 28 October 2028.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Shane Knuth KAP | 63.7% |
| 2020 | Shane Knuth KAP | 72.5% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2017, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this town's voters. Results: Electoral Commission of Queensland.
Looking at a specific address in Atherton?
Every figure above is a town average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 7,724 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Nearby suburbs
Compare Atherton to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other QLD suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Atherton
Is Atherton a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Atherton is high (90/100, ranked against other QLD suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Atherton?
Atherton has a high recorded bushfire history (74/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are town-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Atherton a good place to live?
Atherton has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (36/100), ranked against other QLD suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Atherton?
Atherton, QLD had a population of 7,724 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Atherton, QLD?
The postcode for Atherton, QLD is 4883.
How far is Atherton from Brisbane?
Atherton is 1,706 km from Brisbane CBD by road, about 1180 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Atherton?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Atherton was $57,148 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Atherton?
The median advertised rent in Atherton is $510 a week for houses (23 listings) and $385 a week for units (7 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Atherton?
The median age of residents in Atherton was 46 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Atherton at risk of bushfire?
Atherton has a high recorded bushfire history (74/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the town relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.
How are the schools in Atherton?
There are 4 schools inside the Atherton boundary: 1 above and 3 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Atherton walkable?
Atherton scores 88/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the weather like in Atherton?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Atherton, Walkamin Research Station (15.8 km away), summer days average 30.3°C, winter nights 13.8°C, 1,114 mm of rain a year over 84 rainy days, and 7 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Atherton?
First-home buyers in QLD may be eligible for $30,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $750,000. The grant is administered by Queensland Revenue Office; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Atherton belong to?
Atherton sits within the Tablelands local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Atherton?
The average residential rates bill through Tablelands is $1,609 a year (2025). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Atherton?
Across Tablelands, 167 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 80.4% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Atherton in?
Atherton sits within the federal Division of Kennedy, currently held by Bob Katter (Katter's Australian Party (KAP)).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2025–26
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Road crashes · 2020–2024
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2024
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.