The Caves sits 656 km from Brisbane CBD in Queensland, around 7 hours 40 minutes by car. Census data records 680 residents with a median age of 40 and a median household income of $100,152 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. The suburb fell 5.3% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $300 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,500. All 1 school within the suburb boundary rank above the state average, and walkability is low.
Is The Caves a good suburb?
The Caves scores a D (33/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on transit.
Mixed results
1 school · 1 above peer schools
Car-dependent
Walkability 23/100 · 656 km · 458 min drive to Brisbane
Median available
Median $800K
Moderate bushfire risk
Fire 46/100 · Crime 43/100
Below-average income
SEIFA decile 3/10 · median age 40 · 680 residents
Liveability Rating
33 / 100 · Ranked #890 in QLDEach bar is The Caves'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 The Caves?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
33 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataThe Caves's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $800,000, roughly 47% above where it sat a year earlier. That said, only nine sales settled in the quarter, so the median is a noisy signal — treat it as a direction rather than a level.
$800,000
Based on only 9 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Typically sold in 116 days — median across 4 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 7 sales $695K
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 The Caves safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in The Caves sits in the moderate band, with 5 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 67% on the prior year.
5 offences
66.7% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2020–20242 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Schools
One school serve The Caves, and the cohort skews above peer-suburb performance. The Caves State School leads the pack.
- • 60 students in one school (avg 60)
Primary
Walkability
The Caves is very car-dependent on foot — at 23/100, 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 The Caves.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 269
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
Livingstone: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The Caves is home to 680 residents, with a median age of 40, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $100,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.7%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
680
Median Age
40
Median Household Income
$100,152/yr
Census Median Rent
$300/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,500/mo
Avg Household Size
2.7
Median Personal Income
$45,916/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.7%
Unoccupied Dwellings
14.1%
Total Dwellings
213
Owner-Occupier Rate
89.6%
Houses
100.0%
Rental Stress
15.6%
Mortgage Stress
18.0%
Work From Home
6.5%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 84.3%
- English Spoken at Home
- 88.8%
- Employment Rate
- 61.3%
- Completed Year 12
- 33.1%
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 $2,445 a year through Livingstone based on 2025 figures.
Building Approvals: Livingstone
In the year to August 2026, 317 new dwellings were approved across Livingstone. That mix is 253 houses and 64 units. Approvals are up 97.1% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
The Aboriginal party for this area is Darumbal 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
CLEANPM2.5 averaged 4.3 µg/m³ in 2025 — below the WHO 2021 annual guideline (5 µg/m³). 1 day exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
PM10 averaged 8.6 µg/m³. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 1.
From the Parkhurst (Rockhampton, Central Queensland) monitoring station, 16.1 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Rockhampton Aero, 22.3 kmModerate rainfall — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 75 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 29.7 km
- Annual rainfall
- 811 mm
- 61 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 32.5°C
- 26 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 11.6°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the suburb 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."
Mortgage repayments
4 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 4702.
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 $800,000 this is $50,000 above 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 suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Nigel Hutton Liberal National Party of Queensland
Next state election: 28 October 2028.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Nigel Hutton LNP | 60.5% |
| 2020 | Brittany Lauga ALP | 55.6% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2017, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: Electoral Commission of Queensland.
Looking at a specific address in The Caves?
Every figure above is a suburb 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 680 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.
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Common questions about The Caves
Is The Caves a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in The Caves is moderate (43/100, ranked against other QLD suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect The Caves?
The Caves has a moderate recorded bushfire history (46/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is The Caves a good place to live?
The Caves has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (33/100), 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 The Caves?
The Caves, QLD had a population of 680 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for The Caves, QLD?
The postcode for The Caves, QLD is 4702.
How far is The Caves from Brisbane?
The Caves is 656 km from Brisbane CBD by road, about 458 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in The Caves?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in The Caves was $100,152 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 The Caves?
There are too few current rental listings in The Caves for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $300, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in The Caves?
The median age of residents in The Caves was 40 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is The Caves at risk of bushfire?
The Caves has a moderate recorded bushfire history (46/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the suburb 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 The Caves?
There is 1 school inside the The Caves boundary: 1 above similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is The Caves walkable?
The Caves scores 23/100 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 air quality in The Caves?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to The Caves (Parkhurst (Rockhampton, Central Queensland)) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 4.3 µg/m³ and PM10 of 8.6 µg/m³. That puts The Caves below the WHO annual guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in The Caves?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to The Caves, Rockhampton Aero (22.3 km away), summer days average 32.5°C, winter nights 11.6°C, 811 mm of rain a year over 61 rainy days, and 26 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in The Caves?
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 The Caves belong to?
The Caves sits within the Livingstone local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in The Caves?
The average residential rates bill through Livingstone is $2,445 a year (2025). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near The Caves?
Across Livingstone, 317 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 97.1% 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 The Caves in?
The Caves 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
- 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
- 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.