Located in Queensland, Sapphire Central sits 930 km from Brisbane CBD, around 10 hours 40 minutes by car. The town has 1,214 residents, a median age of 59, and a median household income of $33,488 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $160 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $867. Walkability is low.
Is Sapphire Central a good town?
Sapphire Central scores a D (19/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on transit and community.
Car-dependent
Walkability 0/100 · 930.4 km · 639 min drive to Brisbane
Moderate crime risk
Fire 28/100 · Crime 51/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 1/10 · median age 59 · 1,214 residents
Liveability Rating
19 / 100 · Ranked #1037 in QLDEach bar is Sapphire Central's rank among QLD suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
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 Sapphire Central?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
19 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Rental Market
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025114 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 26% of its income on the median rent in postcode 4702.
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 Sapphire Central safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Sapphire Central sits in the moderate band, with 12 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 33% on the prior year.
12 offences
33.3% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2020–20245 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 1 of them fatal
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
Walkability
Sapphire Central 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 Sapphire Central.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 527
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
Central Highlands (Qld): 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
Sapphire Central is home to about 1,200 residents, with a median age of 59 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $33,000 a year, with unemployment at 13.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,214
Median Age
59
Median Household Income
$33,488/yr
Census Median Rent
$160/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$867/mo
Avg Household Size
1.8
Median Personal Income
$22,724/yr
Unemployment Rate
13.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
52.5%
Total Dwellings
566
Owner-Occupier Rate
88.1%
Houses
88.5%
Rental Stress
24.8%
Mortgage Stress
31.1%
Work From Home
14.5%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 65.5%
- English Spoken at Home
- 81.2%
- Employment Rate
- 26.3%
- Completed Year 12
- 19.7%
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.
3 residents (0.2%) 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.
4.6% of residents (54) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Brisbane (54).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,185 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 $1,276 a year through Central Highlands (Qld) based on 2025 figures.
Building Approvals: Central Highlands (Qld)
In the year to August 2026, 35 new dwellings were approved across Central Highlands (Qld). That mix is 33 houses and 2 units. Approvals are down 75.0% on the same period a year earlier.
New Homes Planned
New homes planned in this town: 3 to 15 homes
- In 2 to 5 years 2 to 10 homes
- In 5 to 10 years 1 to 5 homes
Land the Queensland Government's residential land supply study identifies for future housing (3 parcels), by when it expects lots to be registered. Yields are published in ranges, so these are too.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
The Aboriginal party for this area is Western Kangoulu People.
Under Queensland's Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 the Aboriginal party for an area follows native title. A native title claim over this area is registered with the Federal Court.
Climate & Setting
from Emerald Airport, 46.7 kmModerate rainfall — very hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 232 m
- above sea level, at the town centre
- Annual rainfall
- 597 mm
- 46 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 34.2°C
- 63 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 9.9°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 4702, 44 of 27,587 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.3% (368 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.5%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 4702, 6,763 rooftop-solar systems totalling 45.2 MW have been installed since 2001, against 11,722 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 410 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."
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Colin Boyce Liberal National Party of Queensland
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Colin Boyce | 39.8% | 60.2% | -6.4 |
| 2022 | Colin Boyce | 46.2% | 53.8% | -4.8 |
| 2019 | Ken O'Dowd | 41.3% | 58.7% | +7.6 |
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 Sean Dillon Liberal National Party of Queensland
Next state election: 28 October 2028.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Sean Dillon LNP | 71.0% |
| 2020 | Lachlan Millar LNP | 67.2% |
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 Sapphire Central?
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 1,214 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 Sapphire Central 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 Sapphire Central
Is Sapphire Central a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Sapphire Central is moderate (51/100, ranked against other QLD suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Sapphire Central?
Sapphire Central has a low recorded bushfire history (28/100, 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 Sapphire Central a good place to live?
Sapphire Central has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (19/100), 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 Sapphire Central?
Sapphire Central, QLD had a population of 1,214 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Sapphire Central, QLD?
The postcode for Sapphire Central, QLD is 4702.
How far is Sapphire Central from Brisbane?
Sapphire Central is 930 km from Brisbane CBD by road, about 639 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Sapphire Central?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Sapphire Central was $33,488 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 Sapphire Central?
There are too few current rental listings in Sapphire Central for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $160, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Sapphire Central?
The median age of residents in Sapphire Central was 59 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Sapphire Central at risk of bushfire?
Sapphire Central has a low recorded bushfire history (28/100). 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.
What is the weather like in Sapphire Central?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Sapphire Central, Emerald Airport (46.7 km away), summer days average 34.2°C, winter nights 9.9°C, 597 mm of rain a year over 46 rainy days, and 63 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Sapphire Central?
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 Sapphire Central belong to?
Sapphire Central sits within the Central Highlands (Qld) local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Sapphire Central?
The average residential rates bill through Central Highlands (Qld) is $1,276 a year (2025). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Sapphire Central?
Across Central Highlands (Qld), 35 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 75.0% 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 Sapphire Central in?
Sapphire Central sits within the federal Division of Flynn, currently held by Colin Boyce (Liberal National Party of Queensland).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- 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.