QLD · Scenic Rim Council

Rathdowney, 4287

Est. population · Jun 2025

366

Growth (1 yr)

+3.4%

Growth (5 yr)

+11.9%

Median age

52

Median income

$1,109/wk

Employment rate

48%

Languages at home

1.4%non-English

Mostly English at home

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

24.7/100
Below average

1391st in QLD

Verified 66% confidence

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

Suburb profile

Rathdowney offers a slower smaller community life in Scenic Rim Council, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name.

Parks and open space are a real strength relative to many regional towns, easy for walks, sport and weekend downtime. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here than in denser, more walkable pockets. Homes are relatively cheap compared with the wider market, which keeps entry costs lower.

Local crime has been trending higher of late. 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 community and employment, plus schools and education relative to similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Rathdowney snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

366

+3.4% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

16.2%

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

#394

among Country & regional · Mature

Safety

63rd

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

91st

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

2/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

25th

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
24.7/100 — Below average
National rank
6327th in Australia
State rank
1391st in QLD
Peer rank
#394 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#874 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
66%

Data sources & freshness

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

Population

Estimated resident population

366(June 2025)

+3.4% annual · +11.9% over 5 years · 91th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+3.4%
5-year growth
+11.9%
Change in 1 year
+12
Change in 5 years
+39
Growth rank in QLD
91th 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
320
Median age
52
Median household income / week
$1,109
Dwelling vacancy
16.2%
Unoccupied private dwellings
25 of 154
Median monthly mortgage
$1,300
Employment rate
48%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
119 / 0 / 0 (+ 8 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 higher than the same point last year.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2026 to Aug 2026)
18
Against the person
2
Against property
8
Rate per 1,000 residents
49.2
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 160 residents
State safety percentile
62.6th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+94.7%

Most common offence types

  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)7
  • Unlawful Use Of Motor Vehicle5
  • Assault4
  • Drug Offences14
  • Miscellaneous Offences5

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
950
Median ICSEA percentile
25th
School list
  • Rathdowney State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 950 · 25th percentile · LBOTE 4% · 58 students · Top SEA quarter 2%View on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

1 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life4 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
12.5
Other(1)
  • Frog Hollow Studio & GalleryGallery

    3843 Boonah - Rathdowney Road

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

3 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Captain Logan Lookout ParkPark
  • Collins ParkPark
  • EM Tilley ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
5
Parks (OSM)
4

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
Boonah Hospital (24.9 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)
15
Participants per 1,000 residents
41.0

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

Roadworks & transport

2 active roadworks / incidents

  • Between Ugly Gully Road and Rathdowney Tip Access RoadMount Lindesay Highway24 May 2026 – 04 Sep 2026
  • Between Upper Logan Road and Mt Lindesay HighwayRathdowney Road18 Jun 2026 – 03 Sep 2026

Data sources & freshness

  • Road incidents & closuresState road authority open-data feeds · 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
Wright
Member of Parliament
Scott BUCHHOLZ (Liberal National Party of Queensland)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
140,286
Turnout (2025)
88.8%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+2.9 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 58.0%Labor 42.0%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 30.2 km away).

Coalition 67.3%Labor 32.8%

9.3 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +0.6 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • RathdowneyLabor 30.3% · Coalition 69.7% TPP (2025)7.4 km away
  • KooralbynLabor 38.5% · Coalition 61.5% TPP (2025)12.2 km away
  • TamrookumLabor 36.4% · Coalition 63.6% TPP (2025)15.6 km away
  • Mount AlfordLabor 23.7% · Coalition 76.3% TPP (2025)23.6 km away
  • BoonahLabor 34.8% · Coalition 65.2% TPP (2025)23.9 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)
2/10
IRSD decile (2021)
3/10

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 Scenic Rim Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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