Official data: Where we live.

Frequently asked questions

What is Suburb Guide?

Suburb Guide publishes suburb profiles for every state and territory — population, housing, crime, schools, transport, amenities, weather, planning and more — from official government and open data.

Where does Suburb Guide get its data?

Data comes from Australian open-data sources such as the ABS Census, state and territory government portals, national transport feeds, OpenStreetMap, and other publicly available datasets. Each metric lists its source on the suburb profile.

Which states and territories are covered?

All eight — ACT, NSW, NT, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia. Suburb boundaries and profiles are live nationwide. Census, SEIFA, amenities, weather, schools, transport, and many other datasets run for every jurisdiction. A few metrics depend on what each state publishes openly (for example, suburb-level crime is limited in Tasmania and Western Australia), so some sections may be absent on individual profiles.

Why is a section missing on a suburb profile?

Sections appear only when data exists for that suburb. Coverage varies by metric and jurisdiction — not every state publishes suburb-level crime, housing, or planning feeds, and some suburbs have no recorded activity in a category. When a section is shown, its data source is listed at the bottom of that section.

What is the Desirability Index?

The Australian Suburb Desirability Index (ASDI) scores each suburb out of 100 across eight weighted pillars: Safety, Housing, Education, Accessibility, Lifestyle, Environment, Future Growth and Community. Metrics are normalised by percentile against comparable suburbs. Crime and transport are ranked within each state. Each suburb gets a national rank, a state rank, a peer rank among similar suburbs, and a data confidence score. Each state has a methodology page with the pillar weights.

How often is suburb data updated?

Collectors run three times per day on a rotating schedule — one state or territory per run, so all eight are covered over eight consecutive runs (~three days). Roadworks, planning, and crime are incremental (TTL-based). Weather is refreshed twice daily for every state at 6am and 6pm Australian Eastern time. Census, SEIFA, and similar static datasets update when new official releases are available.

Is Suburb Guide free to use?

Yes. Suburb Guide is a free reference site for researching Australian suburbs. Data is provided for informational purposes and should be verified against official sources for important decisions.