QLD · Barcaldine Council

Alpha, 4724

Est. population · Jun 2025

575

Growth (1 yr)

+0.9%

Growth (5 yr)

+2.7%

Median age

44

Median income

$1,547/wk

Employment rate

69.8%

University qualified

7.2%

Work from home

32.1%

Languages at home

0.8%non-English

Most common: Mandarin

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

37.7/100
Below average

967th in QLD

Verified 85% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • National parks
  • Agricultural
  • Holiday parks
  • Remote
What Alpha is known for: Green suburb, National parks, Agricultural, Holiday parks, Remote

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Suburb Guide, “Alpha, QLD Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/qld/alpha

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Suburb profile

Alpha is a remote locality in Queensland, in Barcaldine Council.

Local amenities are a relative strength, placing it among the highest-ranked remote localities. Health access is an exceptional strength. Open-space access is better than in most comparable places. Green cover is stronger than in comparable places.

Overall, Alpha suits people prioritising local amenities and open space.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Remote locality · compared with remote localities in Queensland (544)

Strengths

  • Local amenities are a relative strength
  • Open-space access is better than in most comparable places
  • Health-facility access is stronger than in comparable places
  • Green cover is stronger than in comparable places

Weaknesses

No relative weaknesses against comparable places.

What stands out

Nothing distinctive beyond the usual profile.

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • StudentsInsufficient data
  • Budget buyersInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How Alpha compares

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent (Census)

$120/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

575

+0.9% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

21.0%

Census unoccupied dwellings

Livability profile

Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Desirability

#124

among Country & regional · Established

Crime rate

58th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

39th

percentile in QLD

Rented dwellings

29%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

5/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

7th

percentile among schools with ICSEA

Population growth

Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years

Housing mix

Dwelling types from the 2021 Census

Risks & flags

Quick scan — open a section below for full context

Living here

Desirability

Ranks & confidence
Desirability score
37.7/100 — Below average
National rank
4988th in Australia
State rank
967th in QLD
Peer rank
#124 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#514 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
85%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Population

Estimated resident population

575(June 2025)

+0.9% annual · +2.7% over 5 years · 39th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.9%
5-year growth
+2.7%
Change in 1 year
+5
Change in 5 years
+15
Growth rank in QLD
39th percentile

ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.

Methodology

Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.

The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~550), extrapolated at -0.9% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
559
Median age
44
Median household income / week
$1,547
Dwelling vacancy
21%
Unoccupied private dwellings
53 of 252
Median monthly mortgage
$650
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$120
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
49.7% / 21.1% / 29.2%
Employment rate
69.8%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
32.1% / 0% / 43%
Walked or cycled to work
15.8%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
194 / 6 / 0

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Qualifications

7.2% of adults have a university degree, compared with 21.9% across Queensland. 18.4% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified7.2% · 21.9% QLD
  • Diploma qualified4.2% · 9.4% QLD
  • Trade / vocational18.4% · 18.9% QLD
  • Year 12 or below70.2% · 49.8% QLD

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Engineering and related technologies18.6%
  • Agriculture and environment17.3%
  • Health14.7%
  • Management and commerce13.5%
  • Education12.2%
  • Architecture and building10.3%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$55,054

48th percentile in QLD · -6% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$52,050

15th percentile in QLD · -20% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
10.0%

38th percentile in QLD · -27% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$72,235

57th percentile in QLD · +14% vs Australia

Residents with business income
17.0%

93rd percentile in QLD · +64% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 4724 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
390
Taxpayers reporting net rent
40
Median net rent
$2,608
Taxpayers reporting business income
65
Taxable income vs state median
-1%
Salary / wages vs state median
-15%
Rental investment vs state median
-9%
Super vs state median
+4%
Business income vs state median
+70%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in QLD, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Seasonal & agricultural work

48.2% of employed residents work in agriculture, forestry and fishing, 21.0× the Australian share (2.3%) — compared with 2.5% across Queensland.

Agriculture, forestry & fishing
48.2%

90th percentile in QLD · +1996% vs Australia

Resident workers (2021)
159
WHM specified work
Subclass 417 / 462

Postcode 4724

Occupation mix in this industry

2021 Census G56, residents employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing. Counts below 10 are not shown.

  • Managers98
  • Labourers45

Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census General Community Profile tables G54 (industry of employment) and G56 (industry by occupation), Statistical Area Level (suburb), place of usual residence. Figures are residents’ main job in the week before Census night — not jobs located in the suburb. Agriculture, forestry and fishing is the 1-digit ANZSIC division; grape growing and other 3- and 4-digit industries are not in this datapack. The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Plant and animal cultivation in postcode 4724 (Northern and Regional Australia) may count as specified work for Working Holiday Maker visas (subclasses 417 and 462). This is a postcode rule from the Home Affairs instruments — not evidence that seasonal jobs exist here, and not a count of WHM residents. Home Affairs specified work · LIN 22/012 · LIN 22/013. Compilation used: 5 April 2025.

Region employment estimates (SA4, not this suburb)

Jobs and Skills Australia NERO modelled estimates for Queensland - Outback (SA4 315), 2026-08. These figures describe the broader region, not this suburb, and occupations are not added together.

  • Livestock Farmers ANZSCO 12131,891
  • Livestock Farm Workers ANZSCO 8415830
  • Crop Farmers ANZSCO 1212261
  • Other Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers ANZSCO 8419129
  • Crop Farm Workers ANZSCO 8412112
  • Agricultural, Forestry and Horticultural Plant Operators ANZSCO 721167
  • Mixed Crop and Livestock Farmers ANZSCO 121449
  • Mixed Crop and Livestock Farm Workers ANZSCO 841626
  • Aquaculture Workers ANZSCO 841113
  • Forestry and Logging Workers ANZSCO 841310

Queensland - Outback is a Statistical Area Level 4. Fruit, nut and vegetable workers are not published separately in NERO (they sit under ANZSCO 8412). Jobs and Skills Australia warns not to sum occupations or geographies. NERO data. Nowcast of Employment by Region and Occupation, Jobs and Skills Australia, Commonwealth of Australia. CC BY 4.0.

Census employed residents counted in G54: 330 · AFF share +1828% vs the state.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — industry of employment (G54/G56), place of usual residence — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated · Resident main job in the week before Census night, not jobs located in the suburb

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • WHM specified work areas (LIN 22/012 and LIN 22/013) — Department of Home Affairs · 2025-04-05 · Updated · Postcode eligibility for plant and animal cultivation; not a count of WHM residents
  • Nowcast of Employment by Region and Occupation (NERO), SA4 × ANZSCO 4-digit — Jobs and Skills Australia · 2026-08 · Updated · Monthly modelled SA4 estimates; not suburb-level. CC BY 4.0

Community & culture

0.8% speak a language other than English at home; 5.4% born overseas

Language at home
500 English only · 4 other
Non-English at home
0.8%
Born overseas
27 (5.4%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
19 (3.4%)
Australian citizens
504
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
1

Top languages other than English

Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).

  • Mandarin3 · 100%

Religion

63.3%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 63.3%, while 23.4% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion23.4%40.7%
Christianity63.3%45.7%
Other / not stated13.2%13.6%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic27.9%18.6%
Anglican16.1%11.3%
Uniting Church12.7%3.6%
Presbyterian and Reformed2.9%2.1%
Christian (not further defined)2.3%3.1%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Reported offences are running higher than the same point last year.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2026 to Sep 2026)
32
Against the person
10
Against property
9
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
74.5
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 56 residents
State crime-rate percentile
57.5th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+58.5%

Most common offence types

  • Other Offences Against The Person2
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)8
  • Drug Offences4
  • Traffic And Related Offences7
  • Good Order Offences6

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

  • QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Sep 2026; Jan 2026 to Sep 2026 · Updated · Calendar-year aggregates

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
1
Median school ICSEA
879
Median ICSEA percentile
7th
Primary catchments overlapping suburb
4
Secondary catchments overlapping suburb
1
School list
  • Alpha State SchoolCombined · Government · ICSEA 879 · 7th percentile · LBOTE 3% · 54 students · Top SEA quarter 0%View on My School →
School catchments
  • Alpha SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Jericho SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Lochington SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Mistake Creek SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment

Government school intake zones that overlap this suburb boundary. Living in a catchment does not guarantee enrolment; check the education authority.

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

11 mapped amenities

7 campgrounds

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life — 4 parks mapped in suburb
Walkability proxy
0/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
7.16
Sport & outdoors(4)
  • Bimblebox Nature RefugeNature reserve
  • Cudmore (Limited Depth) National ParkNature reserve
  • Cudmore Resources ReserveNature reserve
  • Rainmore Nature RefugeNature reserve
Camping & holiday parks(7)
  • -23.823511,146.548059Campground
  • Alpha Caravan & Villa ParkCampground
  • Alpha Showground - Events OnlyCampground
  • Barcaldine Regional CouncilCampground
  • Belyando River Rest AreaCampground
  • Drummond Range LookoutCampground
  • Pine Hill Creek Rest AreaCampground

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Sporting clubs

2 named sporting clubs in this suburb

  • Alpha Golf Club

    Golf · +61 7 4985 1398

  • Alpha Golf Club

    Golf · +61 7 4985 1398

Named sporting clubs from OpenStreetMap, assigned to this suburb's boundary. Sporting facilities such as ovals, courts and recreation centres are listed under Amenities.

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap sporting clubs — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Geofabrik australia-latest.osm.pbf

Parks & reserves

3 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Bimblebox Nature RefugeNature reserve
  • Lioness ParkPark
  • Settlers ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
3%
Woodland / forest cover
3%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
20
Parks (OSM)
4
Typical summer maximum
33°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
3
Nearest hospital
Alpha Emergency Hub (7.4 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
On site
GP clinics in suburb
1
GPs tagged bulk billing (OSM)
0 of 1
Aged-care services
2
Residential aged-care places
5

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

  • Alpha Multi-Purpose ServiceALPHAMulti-Purpose Service
  • Alpha Private SurgeryBurns StreetGP
  • Alpha Emergency HubHospital
  • Alpha PharmacyShakespeare StreetPharmacy
Aged-care services
  • Barcaldine Regional Council - AlphaALPHAHome Care

Australian Government–subsidised services from the AIHW GEN list (30 June 2025), assigned to this suburb by location.

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
10
Participants per 1,000 residents
17.4

Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.

For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.

Data sources & freshness

Weather

Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.

Summer (Dec–Feb)

Usual max / min
33° / 20°
Rainfall
264 mm · ~33 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
28° / 14°
Rainfall
133 mm · ~17 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
22° / 6°
Rainfall
71 mm · ~9 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
30° / 14°
Rainfall
111 mm · ~14 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Planning & development

Development applications from QLD coordinated projects (lodged 2020–2026).

2 planning-related records

Other· 2 proposals
  • Kevin's Corner Project
    Combined open-cut and underground coal mine with an ultimate capacity of 30 million tonnes per annum.Completed EIS project
  • South Galilee Coal Mine
    A 15 - 20 million tonnes per annum open-cut and underground coal-mining operation.Completed EIS project

Data sources & freshness

Roadworks & transport

1 active roadworks / incidents

  • About 83 kilometres south of Alpha, along a 5 kilometre stretchTambo Road01 Sep 2026 – 30 May 2027

Data sources & freshness

  • Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · current · Updated

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid
Flood / inundation overlay
No mapped inundation on suburb boundary

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping. Flood cover uses floodplain overlay polygons against the suburb boundary where published.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Maranoa
Member of Parliament
David LITTLEPROUD (Liberal National Party of Queensland)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
115,520
Turnout (2025)
89.4%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
-1.8 pp toward Coalition

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 74.0%Labor 26.0%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 311.3 km away).

Coalition 75.9%Labor 24.1%

1.9 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +0.4 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • AlphaLabor 24.1% · Coalition 75.9% TPP (2025)9.7 km away
  • BarcaldineLabor 38.2% · Coalition 61.8% TPP (2025)145.3 km away
  • TamboLabor 15.6% · Coalition 84.4% TPP (2025)150.5 km away
  • BlackallLabor 23.8% · Coalition 76.2% TPP (2025)156.8 km away
  • AramacLabor 19.4% · Coalition 80.6% TPP (2025)166.2 km away

Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
5/10
IRSD decile (2021)
5/10

ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).

What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?

IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.

IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.

A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

More in Barcaldine Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.