QLD · Brisbane Council

Karana Downs, 4306

Est. population · Jun 2025

3,946

Growth (1 yr)

+0.4%

Growth (5 yr)

+2.3%

Median age

41

Median income

$2,255/wk

Employment rate

67%

Languages at home

5.8%non-English

Most common: Afrikaans, German, Spanish

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

55.8/100
Good

Top 22% of Queensland's suburbs

Verified 73% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • High desirability
  • Education hub
What Karana Downs is known for: High desirability, Education hub

Suburb profile

Karana Downs is a well-connected mid-sized suburb in Brisbane Council with everyday amenities close at hand. Well placed between the city and outer suburbs, it offers practical access in every direction. Families and commuters make up much of the community, with plenty of young families in the mix.

Fitness and outdoor sport options are a real part of local life, not just a distant club trip away. Parks and open space are a real strength relative to many metro suburbs, easy for walks, sport and weekend downtime. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here than in denser, more walkable pockets.

Homes cost more here than in most comparable suburbs. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.

Desirability rates good overall, led by community and employment, while schools and education land closer to the middle of the pack for similar metro suburbs.

At a glance

Karana Downs snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

3,946

+0.4% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

4.3%

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

#131

among Metro Brisbane · Established

Safety

31st

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

26th

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

9/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

68th

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
55.8/100 — Good
State standing
Top 22% of Queensland's suburbs
National rank
1468th in Australia
State rank
333rd in QLD
Peer rank
#131 among Metro Brisbane · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#202 among Metro Brisbane suburbs
Data confidence
73%

Data sources & freshness

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

Population

Estimated resident population

3,946(June 2025)

+0.4% annual · +2.3% over 5 years · 26th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.4%
5-year growth
+2.3%
Change in 1 year
+15
Change in 5 years
+88
Growth rank in QLD
26th 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 (~4,000), extrapolated at +0.1% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
3,800
Median age
41
Median household income / week
$2,255
Dwelling vacancy
4.3%
Unoccupied private dwellings
60 of 1,395
Median monthly mortgage
$1,800
Employment rate
67%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
1,255 / 55 / 23 (+ 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)
133
Against the person
21
Against property
70
Rate per 1,000 residents
33.7
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 181 residents
State safety percentile
31.1th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+5.2%

Most common offence types

  • Assault120
  • Drug Offences164
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)495
  • Traffic And Related Offences305
  • Unlawful Entry135

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
1
Median school ICSEA
1,048
Median ICSEA percentile
68th
School list
  • Mount Crosby State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1048 · 68th percentile · LBOTE 9% · 559 students · Top SEA quarter 23% · 1.5 km awayView 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

  • Edge Early Learning Karana Downschildcare

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

Childcare centre count

Data sources & freshness

  • Childcare servicesOpenStreetMap · current · Updated

Amenities

43 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

1 restaurants · 1 supermarkets · 1 bakeries · 1 playgrounds · 11 swimming pools · 1 petrol stations

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life11 parks mapped in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
  • Strong local sport and recreation14 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
Walkability proxy
29/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0.53
Parks per 1,000 residents
2.89
Food & drink(2)
  • Karana Krusty BakeryBakery

    Unit Shop 6 1 College Road, Karana Downs

  • Doughlicious PizzaRestaurant

    Unit Shop 5 1 Awonga Court, Karana Downs

Shopping(2)
  • Freedom FuelsConvenience store

    2 Awonga Court, Karana Downs

  • Friendly GrocerSupermarket

    College Road, Karana Downs

Community(2)
  • Edge Early Learning Karana DownsChildcare
  • Mount Crosby State SchoolSchool
Sport & outdoors(21)
  • Karana Downs Golf CourseGolf course
  • Burrun ParkPark
  • Dumburru ParkPark
  • Emungerie Grove ReservePark
  • Heritage ParkPark
  • Murri ParkPark
  • Park
  • Picnic area
  • Playground
  • Sports field
  • Pool ProSwimming pool

    Unit Shop 3 1 Awonga Court, Karana Downs

  • Swimming pool (10)
Other(6)
  • CheersAlcohol

    Unit Shop 2 College Road, Karana Downs

  • Parking (5)
  • Parking Space (7)
  • Freedom Fuels Karana DownsPetrol station

    2 Awonga Court, Karana Downs

  • Australia PostPost Box
  • Shelter

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

6 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Burrun ParkPark
  • Dumburru ParkPark
  • Emungerie Grove ReservePark
  • Heritage ParkPark
  • Kookaburra ParkPark
  • Murri ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
11
Parks (OSM)
11

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

Nearest hospital
St Andrews Private Hospital (10.2 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
88
Participants per 1,000 residents
22.3

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
28° / 18°
Rainfall
493 mm · ~62 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
25° / 14°
Rainfall
343 mm · ~43 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
20° / 7°
Rainfall
144 mm · ~18 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
25° / 12°
Rainfall
249 mm · ~31 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
Blair
Member of Parliament
Shayne NEUMANN (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
142,006
Turnout (2025)
88.2%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+0.5 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 44.3%Labor 55.7%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 8.5 km away).

Coalition 48.5%Labor 51.5%

4.2 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +0.2 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Karana DownsLabor 52.0% · Coalition 48.0% TPP (2025)1.8 km away
  • KaraleeLabor 45.8% · Coalition 54.2% TPP (2025)2.2 km away
  • TivoliLabor 54.6% · Coalition 45.4% TPP (2025)6.4 km away
  • BundambaLabor 59.9% · Coalition 40.1% TPP (2025)7.0 km away
  • RiverviewLabor 62.2% · Coalition 37.8% TPP (2025)7.1 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)
9/10
IRSD decile (2021)
9/10

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

Compare with

Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.

More in Brisbane Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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