QLD · Southern Downs Council
Broadwater, 4380
Current weather
11.5°CMainly clear
92% humidity · 15.4 km/h wind · 17.1° / 8.6° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- Education hub
- High desirability
- Café precinct
Suburb profile
Broadwater offers a slower smaller community life in Southern Downs, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Out in the wider region, it rewards those who value open country and a pace set by the land, not the clock. Generous greenery runs through the area, from street trees to tucked-away reserves.
Established families and long-term residents give the suburb a settled feel, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.
Housing remains accessible compared with many parts of the state. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and schools and education against similar regional towns, even with parks and green space holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 321
- Median age
- 44
- Median household income / week
- $1,183
- Dwelling vacancy
- 11.8%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 15 of 127
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,517
- Employment rate
- 49%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 6 / 0 / 0
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
- 11
- Against the person
- 2
- Against property
- 2
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 34.3
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 160 residents
- State safety percentile
- 37.8th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +4.5%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault16
- Drug Offences42
- Good Order Offences27
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)33
- Traffic And Related Offences127
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Jul 2026; Jan 2026 to Jul 2026 · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 878
- Broadwater State SchoolPrimary
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Amenities
2 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Broadwater Amiens Rural Fire BrigadeFire station
- Parking
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 2/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 3/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 33
- Parks (OSM)
- 0
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 30.3/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5170th in Australia
- State rank
- 1204th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #406 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #711 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 66%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Assaultcrime16
- Drug Offencescrime42
- Good Order Offencescrime27
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime33
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime127
- Broadwater State SchoolschoolsPrimary
- Broadwater Amiens Rural Fire Brigadeamenitiesfire_station
- Parkingamenitiesparking
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
More in Southern Downs Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.