QLD · Brisbane Council

Karawatha, 4117

Est. population · Jun 2025

371

Growth (1 yr)

+1.6%

Growth (5 yr)

+9.1%

Median age

31

Median income

$2,531/wk

Employment rate

56.3%

Languages at home

74.9%non-English

Most common: Mandarin, Urdu, Hindi

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

23.5/100
Below average

1431st in QLD

Verified 66% confidence

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

Suburb profile

Karawatha is a practical smaller community in Brisbane Council, with a familiar suburban feel rather than a self-contained town centre. A younger crowd gives the area energy, with family life visible on every street. Dining is thinner on the ground than in busier metro pockets, so many residents head to neighbouring suburbs for a night out.

Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls. A car helps for most daily errands, with fewer amenities clustered within an easy walk. Housing is expensive relative to much of the state.

Reported crime has been rising recently. The suburb still has an emerging character, as newer residents settle in and local identity forms.

Desirability lands below average here: softer schools and education weighing on the result versus similar metro suburbs, even with community and employment holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Karawatha snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

371

+1.6% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

7.8%

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

#77

among Metro Brisbane · Emerging

Safety

93rd

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

67th

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

10/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

5th

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
23.5/100 — Below average
National rank
6449th in Australia
State rank
1431st in QLD
Peer rank
#77 among Metro Brisbane · Emerging suburbs
Cohort rank
#404 among Metro Brisbane suburbs
Data confidence
66%

Data sources & freshness

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

Population

Estimated resident population

371(June 2025)

+1.6% annual · +9.1% over 5 years · 67th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.6%
5-year growth
+9.1%
Change in 1 year
+6
Change in 5 years
+31
Growth rank in QLD
67th 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 (~400), extrapolated at +1.9% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
337
Median age
31
Median household income / week
$2,531
Dwelling vacancy
7.8%
Unoccupied private dwellings
7 of 90
Median monthly mortgage
$2,600
Employment rate
56.3%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
61 / 18 / 0

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)
44
Against the person
5
Against property
30
Rate per 1,000 residents
118.6
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 67 residents
State safety percentile
92.7th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+15.1%

Most common offence types

  • Drug Offences19
  • Other Property Damage19
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)191
  • Traffic And Related Offences49
  • Assault26

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
856
Median ICSEA percentile
5th
School list
  • Woodridge State High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 856 · 5th percentile · LBOTE 74% · 1,088 students · Top SEA quarter 1% · 1.9 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

14 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life1 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
2.97
Entertainment(1)
  • Karawatha Forest Discovery CentreMuseum

    149 Acacia Road, Karawatha

Other(10)
  • Bbq
  • Poets RockBench
  • Drinking water (2)
  • Information
  • Karawatha Forest Track MapInformation
  • Parking (2)
  • Public toilets
  • Recycling
  • Shelter
  • Waste Basket (2)

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

  • Acacia Forest ParkNature reserve

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
2
Parks (OSM)
1

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
Hospital (5.5 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)
6
Participants per 1,000 residents
16.2

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
Rankin
Member of Parliament
Jim CHALMERS (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
114,950
Turnout (2025)
85.2%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+6.5 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 34.5%Labor 65.5%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 3.3 km away).

Coalition 29.3%Labor 70.7%

5.2 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +3.6 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • WoodridgeLabor 76.1% · Coalition 23.9% TPP (2025)1.8 km away
  • Woodridge NorthLabor 71.7% · Coalition 28.3% TPP (2025)2.3 km away
  • BerrinbaLabor 71.6% · Coalition 28.4% TPP (2025)2.5 km away
  • Stretton EastLabor 68.3% · Coalition 31.7% TPP (2025)2.6 km away
  • StrettonLabor 70.6% · Coalition 29.4% TPP (2025)2.9 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)
10/10
IRSD decile (2021)
8/10

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.