QLD · Flinders Council

Hughenden, 4821

Est. population · Jun 2025

1,144

Growth (1 yr)

+0.3%

Growth (5 yr)

+2.5%

Median age

42

Median income

$1,306/wk

Employment rate

56.4%

Languages at home

3.2%non-English

Most common: Afrikaans, Bengali, French

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

26/100
Below average

1350th in QLD

Verified 77% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Education hub
  • National parks
  • High desirability
  • Green suburb
What Hughenden is known for: Education hub, National parks, High desirability, Green suburb

Suburb profile

Hughenden offers a slower smaller community life in Flinders Council, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. The area suits established families and long-term locals, with a strong presence of young families throughout. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting.

Local parks and tree cover add a welcome outdoor dimension to suburban life. A car helps for most daily errands, with fewer amenities clustered within an easy walk. Housing is more affordable than in many parts of the state.

Reported crime has been rising recently. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.

The desirability picture is below average, weighed down by softer local dining and lifestyle amenities relative to similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Hughenden snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

1,144

+0.3% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

24.0%

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

#208

among Country & regional · Established

Safety

86th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

25th

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

2/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

27th

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
26.0/100 — Below average
National rank
6146th in Australia
State rank
1350th in QLD
Peer rank
#208 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#837 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
77%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability indexSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Population

Estimated resident population

1,144(June 2025)

+0.3% annual · +2.5% over 5 years · 25th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.3%
5-year growth
+2.5%
Change in 1 year
+4
Change in 5 years
+28
Growth rank in QLD
25th 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 (~1,100), extrapolated at -1.2% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
1,113
Median age
42
Median household income / week
$1,306
Dwelling vacancy
24%
Unoccupied private dwellings
132 of 551
Median monthly mortgage
$800
Employment rate
56.4%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
321 / 81 / 3 (+ 6 other)

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

  • Estimated Resident PopulationAustralian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Community & culture

No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

Crime & safety

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

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2026 to Aug 2026)
91
Against the person
19
Against property
11
Rate per 1,000 residents
79.5
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 59 residents
State safety percentile
85.9th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+51.5%

Most common offence types

  • Traffic And Related Offences49
  • Assault14
  • Drug Offences22
  • Good Order Offences6
  • Other Property Damage5

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

  • QPS Online Crime MapQueensland Police Service · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Aug 2026; Jan 2026 to Aug 2026 · Updated · Calendar-year aggregates

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
2
Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
942
Median ICSEA percentile
27th
School list
  • Hughenden State SchoolCombined · Government · ICSEA 891 · 9th percentile · LBOTE 1% · 115 students · Top SEA quarter 1%View on My School →
  • St Francis Catholic SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 993 · 44th percentile · LBOTE 3% · 32 students · Top SEA quarter 17%View on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Childcare

1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap

  • C&K Hughenden Kindergarten & Early Childhood Centrekindergarten

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

Childcare centre count

Data sources & freshness

  • Childcare servicesOpenStreetMap · current · Updated

Amenities

1 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

1 sports centres

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
Walkability proxy
0/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
1.8
Sport & outdoors(1)
  • Hughenden RacecourseSports centre

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insightsSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenitiesOpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Parks & reserves

1 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • J.A. "Bully" Playford ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
2
Parks (OSM)
2

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

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
4
Nearest hospital
Hughenden Hospital (2.8 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
On site
  • Hughenden Doctor's SurgeryBrodie StreetDoctor
  • Hughenden HospitalHospital
  • Hughenden HospitalRichmond Hill DriveHospital
  • Hughenden PharmacyBrodie StreetPharmacy

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
18
Participants per 1,000 residents
15.7

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
36° / 23°
Rainfall
291 mm · ~36 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
31° / 18°
Rainfall
91 mm · ~11 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
26° / 10°
Rainfall
30 mm · ~4 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
34° / 18°
Rainfall
68 mm · ~8 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normalsWorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

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 overlaysState government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Kennedy
Member of Parliament
Bob KATTER (Katter's Australian Party (KAP))
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
123,696
Turnout (2025)
83.8%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+0.8 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 59.3%Labor 40.7%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 255.1 km away).

Coalition 68.8%Labor 31.2%

9.5 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +1.1 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • HughendenLabor 31.2% · Coalition 68.8% TPP (2025)1.4 km away
  • RichmondLabor 28.8% · Coalition 71.2% TPP (2025)109.9 km away
  • PentlandLabor 21.4% · Coalition 78.6% TPP (2025)130.7 km away
  • Charters TowersLabor 37.5% · Coalition 62.5% TPP (2025)232.0 km away
  • Charters Towers CentralLabor 41.9% · Coalition 58.1% TPP (2025)232.3 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)
2/10
IRSD decile (2021)
2/10

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 (5%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)

Data sources & freshness

More in Flinders Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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