Balberra QLD 4740
Balberra sits 949 km from Brisbane CBD in Queensland, around 10 hours 50 minutes by car. Census data records 425 residents with a median age of 47 and a median household income of $96,824 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. The locality fell 7.0% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $250 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,997. Balberra is characterised by high coastal erosion risk and high crime risk. Walkability is low.
This locality is too small to rate.
The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 425. Below that the school, census and safety figures behind the score cover too few people to rank fairly against the rest of the state. The individual measures further down this page are still shown.
How do you rate the liveability in Balberra?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
Not enough data to score this locality.
Residents say
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Median House Price
Public listings dataThe median house sale price in Balberra sits at $580,000, broadly flat year-on-year. That said, only five sales settled in the quarter, so the median is a noisy signal — treat it as a direction rather than a level.
$580,000
Based on only 5 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Rental Market
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025105 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 29% of its income on the median rent in postcode 4740.
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.
Is Balberra safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Balberra sits in the moderate band, with 1 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 80% on the prior year.
1 offences
80.0% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2020–202413 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Where they happened
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the locality carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Coastal Erosion
Shoreline Change Summary
1988–2025Nearest Eroding Coastline
- Distance
- 3.9 km
- Rate
- -0.16 m/yr
- Net Movement
- —
- Certainty
- insufficient observations
Data Quality
Schools
Walkability
Balberra is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car.
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 Balberra.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 188
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
Mackay: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this locality alone — this locality's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
Balberra is home to 425 residents, with a median age of 47, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $97,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.7%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
425
Median Age
47
Median Household Income
$96,824/yr
Census Median Rent
$250/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,997/mo
Avg Household Size
2.6
Median Personal Income
$40,196/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.7%
Unoccupied Dwellings
12.6%
Total Dwellings
143
Owner-Occupier Rate
86.8%
Houses
97.9%
Rental Stress
13.4%
Mortgage Stress
24.8%
Work From Home
11.5%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 82.1%
- English Spoken at Home
- 87.1%
- Employment Rate
- 57.6%
- Completed Year 12
- 26.6%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, 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 $1,873 a year through Mackay based on 2025 figures.
Building Approvals: Mackay
In the year to August 2026, 574 new dwellings were approved across Mackay. That mix is 508 houses and 66 units. Approvals are down 5.8% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
The Aboriginal party for this area is Yuwibara People.
Under Queensland's Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 the Aboriginal party for an area follows native title. Native title over this area has been determined.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 6.6 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 2 days exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
PM10 averaged 17.9 µg/m³. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 2.
From the West Mackay (Mackay, Central Queensland) monitoring station, 15.4 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Mackay Aero, 14.5 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 13 m
- above sea level, at the locality centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 3.6 km
- Near high-voltage lines
- 2.5% of addresses
- 7 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
- Annual rainfall
- 1,517 mm
- 95 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 30.8°C
- 3 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 12.4°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the locality 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 4740, 236 of 79,509 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.1% (1,679 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.4%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 4740, 19,193 rooftop-solar systems totalling 153.0 MW have been installed since 2001, against 34,171 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 1,487 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
34 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 4740.
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 $580,000 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 Michelle Landry Liberal National Party of Queensland
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Michelle Landry | 44.2% | 55.8% | +0.8 |
| 2022 | Michelle Landry | 43.4% | 56.6% | -5.8 |
| 2019 | Michelle Landry | 37.6% | 62.4% | +11.7 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact locality's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Glen Kelly Liberal National Party of Queensland
Next state election: 28 October 2028.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Glen Kelly LNP | 51.0% |
| 2020 | Stephen Andrew ON | 59.0% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2017, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this locality's voters. Results: Electoral Commission of Queensland.
Looking at a specific address in Balberra?
Every figure above is a locality 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 425 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
Alligator Creek QLD 4740
Oakenden QLD 4741
Homebush QLD 4740
Sandiford QLD 4740
Sunnyside QLD 4737
Chelona QLD 4740
Compare Balberra to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other QLD suburb — type a name and pick one.
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Common questions about Balberra
Is Balberra a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Balberra is moderate (67/100, ranked against other QLD suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Balberra?
Balberra has no recorded bushfire history. These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
What is the population of Balberra?
Balberra, QLD had a population of 425 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Balberra, QLD?
The postcode for Balberra, QLD is 4740.
How far is Balberra from Brisbane?
Balberra is 949 km from Brisbane CBD by road, about 648 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Balberra?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Balberra was $96,824 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 Balberra?
There are too few current rental listings in Balberra for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $250, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Balberra?
The median age of residents in Balberra was 47 at the 2021 ABS Census.
What is the air quality in Balberra?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Balberra (West Mackay (Mackay, Central Queensland)) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.6 µg/m³ and PM10 of 17.9 µg/m³. That puts Balberra below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Balberra?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Balberra, Mackay Aero (14.5 km away), summer days average 30.8°C, winter nights 12.4°C, 1,517 mm of rain a year over 95 rainy days, and 3 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Balberra?
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 Balberra belong to?
Balberra sits within the Mackay local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Balberra?
The average residential rates bill through Mackay is $1,873 a year (2025). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Balberra?
Across Mackay, 574 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 5.8% 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 Balberra in?
Balberra sits within the federal Division of Capricornia, currently held by Michelle Landry (Liberal National Party of Queensland).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2025–26
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Road crashes · 2020–2024
- Air quality · 2025
- 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.