Columbia QLD 4820

Located in Queensland, Columbia sits 1,362 km from Brisbane CBD, around 15 hours 20 minutes by car. The locality has 97 residents, a median age of 43, and a median household income of $107,224 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the middle range nationally. The locality fell 4.0% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $220 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,584. Columbia is characterised by high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. 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 97. 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 Columbia?

Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.

Our score

Not enough data to score this locality.

Residents say

…

AwfulPoorAverageGoodGreat
What applies here? (optional)

One rating per person. You can change yours at any time.

Is Columbia safe? Crime statistics

2025

Crime in Columbia sits in the high band, with 2 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 67% on the prior year.

2 offences

66.7% since 2024
Assault 2 (100.0%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2020–2024

3 crashes

where someone was killed or admitted to hospital

Where they happened

Flinders Highway 3 (100.0%)

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.

Schools

No schools in this locality boundary.

Walkability

Columbia is very car-dependent on foot — at 4/100, nearly all errands require a car.

4
out of 100
Very Car-Dependent
Public Transport within 1 km not measured
Schools within 1.5 km 0
Parks within 800 m 0
Supermarkets within 1 km 0
GPs within 1 km 0
Pharmacies within 1 km 0
Childcare within 1 km 0
Hospitals within 5 km 60

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 Columbia.

35
connectivity score / 100
Most common
Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
4%
Premises covered
47
Technology mix
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 85%
Fibre to the node (FTTN) 11%
Fibre to the premises (FTTP) 4%

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

Supermarkets
None
Shopping Centres
None
Cafes & Restaurants
None
Parks & Reserves
None
Sport & Recreation
1 in locality
Beaches
None
Waterways
1 in locality
Childcare
None
GPs
None
Pharmacies
None
Hospitals
None
Police Stations
None
Banks & Bank@Post
None
Fuel Stations
None
EV Chargers
None
Pubs & Bars
None
Arts & Culture
None
Places of Worship
None

Charters Towers: council population

The whole council area, not just Columbia · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
12,088
+0.5% in a year
Change
+58
people since 2024
Density
0.2
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
+4
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+25
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+29
arrivals minus departures

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

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
5/10
7/10 within QLD
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
8/10
8/10 within QLD
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
4/10
5/10 within QLD
qualifications and job type, income excluded

Columbia is home to 97 residents, with a median age of 43, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $107,000 a year, with unemployment at 8.7%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

97

4.0% since 2016

Median Age

43

16.2% since 2016

Median Household Income

$107,224/yr

20.7% since 2016
Top 21% in QLD

Census Median Rent

$220/wk

15.4% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$1,584/mo

12.4% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.9

no change since 2016

Median Personal Income

$34,424/yr

24.4% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

8.7%

9.4% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

10.7%

3.9% since 2016

Total Dwellings

28

3.4% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

100.0%

26.9% since 2016

Houses

100.0%

3.3% since 2016

Rental Stress

10.7%

29.6% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

17.7%

6.8% since 2016

Work From Home

0.0%

Dwelling Types

Houses 28 (100.0%)

Property Ownership

Mortgage 16 (64.0%)
Owned Outright 9 (36.0%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
82.5%
English Spoken at Home
87.6%
Employment Rate
53.3%
15.0% since 2016
Completed Year 12
28.9%

Occupations

Technicians & Trades 15 (36.6%)
Professionals 6 (14.6%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 6 (14.6%)
Clerical & Administrative 5 (12.2%)
Community & Personal Service 3 (7.3%)

Religion

Christianity 58 (59.8%)
No Religion 28 (28.9%)

Age Distribution

0-4 3 (3.1%)
5-14 16 (16.5%)
15-19 9 (9.3%)
25-34 6 (6.2%)
35-44 15 (15.5%)
45-54 11 (11.3%)
55-64 16 (16.5%)
65-74 11 (11.3%)
75-84 4 (4.1%)

Family & Household Composition

Couple Families 10 (71.4%)
Lone Person 4 (28.6%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 27 (90.0%)
Bus 3 (10.0%)

Education

Certificate III & IV 23 (23.7%)
Bachelor Degree 8 (8.2%)

Cars per Dwelling

1 car 9 (29.0%)
2 cars 11 (35.5%)
3 cars 7 (22.6%)
4+ cars 3 (9.7%)

Council Rates

Charters Towers
FY 2025-26

Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,328 a year through Charters Towers based on 2025 figures.

Avg residential rate
$1,328/yr
About the QLD average ($1,328) · median of 59 councils
Valuation basis
Unimproved Value
land only

Building Approvals: Charters Towers

The whole council area, not just Columbia · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

In the year to August 2026, 24 new dwellings were approved across Charters Towers. Almost all of the pipeline is detached houses. Approvals are down 66.7% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
24dwellings
-66.7% YoY
Houses
24
detached dwellings
Units
0
townhouses + apartments

Aboriginal Cultural Heritage

The Aboriginal party for this area is Gudjala 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.

Climate & Setting

from Charters Towers Airport Comparison, 1.3 km

Moderate rainfall — very hot summers, mild winters.

Elevation
285 m
above sea level, at the locality centre
Annual rainfall
690 mm
51 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
33.9°C
61 days ≥ 35°C
Winter min (Jul)
12.0°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

0.2%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.00% in 2021
+0.1 points this year
Bottom 24% in QLD

In postcode 4820, 15 of 8,924 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.4% (126 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.6%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.00%
2022
0.04%
2023
0.00%
2024
0.06%
2025
0.17%

Rooftop solar

49
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 7.3 kW each

In postcode 4820, 2,143 rooftop-solar systems totalling 15.7 MW have been installed since 2001, against 4,370 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 143 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.

Systems installed, year by year
2019
105
2020
125
2021
95
2022
122
2023
152
2024
241
2025
132
2026
94

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."

Verify eligibility with Queensland Revenue Office

Federal Electorate

Division of Kennedy

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 locality's voters across time.

State Electorate

Traeger District

Currently held by Robbie Katter Katter's Australian Party (KAP)

Next state election: 28 October 2028.

Year Winner Won with
2024 Robbie Katter KAP 63.7%
2020 Robbie Katter KAP 74.7%

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 Columbia?

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.

Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.

Nearby suburbs

Compare Columbia 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 Columbia

Is Columbia a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Columbia is high (77/100, 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 Columbia?

Columbia 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 Columbia?

Columbia, QLD had a population of 97 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Columbia, QLD?

The postcode for Columbia, QLD is 4820.

How far is Columbia from Brisbane?

Columbia is 1,362 km from Brisbane CBD by road, about 922 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Columbia?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Columbia was $107,224 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 Columbia?

There are too few current rental listings in Columbia for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $220, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Columbia?

The median age of residents in Columbia was 43 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is Columbia walkable?

Columbia scores 4/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very car-dependent. 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 Columbia?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Columbia, Charters Towers Airport Comparison (1.3 km away), summer days average 33.9°C, winter nights 12°C, 690 mm of rain a year over 51 rainy days, and 61 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Columbia?

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 Columbia belong to?

Columbia sits within the Charters Towers local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Columbia?

The average residential rates bill through Charters Towers is $1,328 a year (2025). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Columbia?

Across Charters Towers, 24 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 66.7% 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 Columbia in?

Columbia sits within the federal Division of Kennedy, currently held by Bob Katter (Katter's Australian Party (KAP)).

Search another suburb or address

Data freshness

Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.

Was the information on this page useful to you?

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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or