QLD · Toowoomba Council

Mount Lofty, 4350

Est. population · Jun 2025

3,974

Growth (1 yr)

+0.3%

Growth (5 yr)

+3.1%

Median age

43

Median income

$2,002/wk

Employment rate

62.2%

Languages at home

7.3%non-English

Most common: German, Mandarin, Nepali

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

43.9/100
Average

Top 44% of Queensland's suburbs

Verified 73% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • National parks
  • Education hub
  • Heritage area
  • High desirability
What Mount Lofty is known for: Green suburb, National parks, Education hub, Heritage area, High desirability

Suburb profile

Set among the hills of Toowoomba Council, Mount Lofty is a mid-sized suburb with bushland views and a cooler, leafier feel. Regional towns and local services do more of the everyday heavy lifting than the city. The area suits established families and long-term locals, with family life visible on every street.

Fitness and outdoor sport options are a real part of local life, not just a distant club trip away. Local parks and tree cover add a welcome outdoor dimension to suburban life. A car helps for most daily errands, though buses still link the suburb further afield.

Property sits in a premium price band and is harder to enter for many buyers. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.

Desirability lands around average here: softer safety weighing on the result versus similar regional towns, even with community and employment holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Mount Lofty snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

$630/wk

Population (ERP)

3,974

+0.3% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

7.2%

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

#88

among Country & regional · Established

Safety

77th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

25th

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

9/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

53rd

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
43.9/100 — Average
State standing
Top 44% of Queensland's suburbs
National rank
3097th in Australia
State rank
670th in QLD
Peer rank
#88 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#282 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
73%

Data sources & freshness

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

Housing

All types (Mar 2026)
$630

Median weekly rent from Queensland RTA rental bond data. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.

Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)

Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum

Data sources & freshness

Population

Estimated resident population

3,974(June 2025)

+0.3% annual · +3.1% over 5 years · 25th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.3%
5-year growth
+3.1%
Change in 1 year
+13
Change in 5 years
+121
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 (~4,050), extrapolated at +0.3% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
3,825
Median age
43
Median household income / week
$2,002
Dwelling vacancy
7.2%
Unoccupied private dwellings
114 of 1,582
Median monthly mortgage
$1,733
Employment rate
62.2%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
1,305 / 143 / 16

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)
265
Against the person
52
Against property
127
Rate per 1,000 residents
66.7
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 74 residents
State safety percentile
76.5th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+7.7%

Most common offence types

  • Drug Offences1315
  • Good Order Offences973
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)2115
  • Traffic And Related Offences674
  • Unlawful Entry730

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)
1,022
Median ICSEA percentile
53th
School list
  • Toowoomba State High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 934 · 19th percentile · LBOTE 28% · 775 students · Top SEA quarter 7% · 1.7 km awayView on My School →
  • Fairholme CollegeCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1110 · 87th percentile · LBOTE 12% · 849 students · Top SEA quarter 44% · 2.0 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

  • Chiselhurstkindergarten

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

Childcare centre count

Data sources & freshness

  • Childcare servicesOpenStreetMap · current · Updated

Amenities

61 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

1 playgrounds · 28 swimming pools

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Decent local green space7 parks in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
  • Strong local sport and recreation30 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
Walkability proxy
2/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
1.83
Sport & outdoors(35)
  • Harvey ParkPark
  • Mt Lofty ParkPark
  • Warana Avenue ReservePark
  • Windemere Terrace ParkPark
  • Woodward ParkPark
  • Playground
  • Sports field
  • Swimming pool (28)
Entertainment(1)
  • LookoutViewpoint
Transport(1)

1 bus stops

Other(13)
  • Bench
  • Toowoomba Regional CouncilBicycle Parking
  • Drinking water
  • Jubilee ParkNature Reserve
  • Parking (10)
  • North RidgePicnic Table
  • Australia PostPost Box
  • Public toilets
  • Shelter (3)
  • The GazeboShelter
  • Mt Lofty Heights Nursing HomeSocial Facility
  • TelstraTelephone
  • University of Queensland Boyce GardensUniversity

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

8 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Bunya ParkPark
  • Bushland ParkPark
  • Harvey ParkPark
  • Jubilee ParkNature reserve
  • Mt Lofty ParkPark
  • Warana Avenue ReservePark
  • Windemere Terrace ParkPark
  • Woodward ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
10
Parks (OSM)
7

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
Toowoomba Surgicentre (3.3 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)
94
Participants per 1,000 residents
23.7

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
29° / 17°
Rainfall
287 mm · ~36 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
25° / 12°
Rainfall
153 mm · ~19 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
18° / 4°
Rainfall
95 mm · ~12 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
25° / 11°
Rainfall
194 mm · ~24 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normalsWorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Heritage

1 heritage place

  • Boyce GardensState heritage place

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage registerState heritage authority · current · Updated

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
Groom
Member of Parliament
Garth HAMILTON (Liberal National Party of Queensland)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
119,008
Turnout (2025)
91.2%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+0.8 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 63.4%Labor 36.6%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 4.2 km away).

Coalition 53.1%Labor 46.9%

10.2 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +3.0 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Mount LoftyLabor 51.6% · Coalition 48.4% TPP (2025)1.6 km away
  • East Toowoomba EastLabor 40.7% · Coalition 59.3% TPP (2025)2.1 km away
  • HarlaxtonLabor 44.7% · Coalition 55.3% TPP (2025)2.2 km away
  • East ToowoombaLabor 42.5% · Coalition 57.5% TPP (2025)2.8 km away
  • Toowoomba NorthLabor 50.9% · Coalition 49.1% TPP (2025)3.8 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)
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

More in Toowoomba Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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