QLD · Mount Isa Council

The Gap, 4825

Est. population · Jun 2025

817

Growth (1 yr)

-0.8%

Growth (5 yr)

-4.0%

Median age

33

Median income

$1,987/wk

Employment rate

62.9%

Languages at home

18.5%non-English

Most common: Tagalog, Australian Indigenous languages, Filipino

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

25.7/100
Below average

1364th in QLD

Verified 66% confidence

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

Suburb profile

Set among the hills of Mount Isa Council, The Gap is a smaller community with bushland views and a cooler, leafier feel. The community skews younger, with family life visible on every street. Families have many nearby school and early-learning options to choose from.

Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice. 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.

Property prices are middling for the area: fair relative to what is nearby. 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

The Gap snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

817

-0.8% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

21.8%

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

#211

among Country & regional · Established

Safety

97th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

0th

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

4/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

6th

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
25.7/100 — Below average
National rank
6189th in Australia
State rank
1364th in QLD
Peer rank
#211 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#850 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
66%

Data sources & freshness

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

Population

Estimated resident population

817(June 2025)

-0.8% annual · -4.0% over 5 years · 0th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
-0.8%
5-year growth
-4.0%
Change in 1 year
-7
Change in 5 years
-34
Growth rank in QLD
0th 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 (~750), extrapolated at -1.2% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
817
Median age
33
Median household income / week
$1,987
Dwelling vacancy
21.8%
Unoccupied private dwellings
92 of 422
Median monthly mortgage
$1,300
Employment rate
62.9%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
176 / 119 / 27

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)
159
Against the person
65
Against property
41
Rate per 1,000 residents
194.6
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 13 residents
State safety percentile
96.9th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+7.4%

Most common offence types

  • Assault892
  • Drug Offences656
  • Good Order Offences513
  • Other Property Damage353
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)350

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
9
Median school ICSEA (9 schools)
866
Median ICSEA percentile
6th
School list
  • Good Shepherd Catholic CollegeSecondary · Catholic · ICSEA 978 · 37th percentile · LBOTE 17% · 434 students · Top SEA quarter 13% · 0.6 km awayView on My School →
  • Mount Isa Central State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 791 · 3th percentile · LBOTE 26% · 211 students · Top SEA quarter 2% · 0.8 km awayView on My School →
  • Mount Isa School of the AirCombined · Government · ICSEA 1009 · 51th percentile · LBOTE 6% · 175 students · Top SEA quarter 16% · 1.2 km awayView on My School →
  • Townview State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 776 · 2th percentile · LBOTE 18% · 209 students · Top SEA quarter 2% · 1.2 km awayView on My School →
  • Mount Isa Special SchoolSpecial · Government · ICSEA 877 · 7th percentile · LBOTE 28% · 35 students · Top SEA quarter 9% · 1.4 km awayView on My School →
  • St Kieran's Catholic SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 858 · 5th percentile · LBOTE 21% · 140 students · Top SEA quarter 3% · 1.4 km awayView on My School →
  • Spinifex State College - Mount Isa Education and Training PrecinctSecondary · Government · ICSEA 866 · 6th percentile · LBOTE 21% · 926 students · Top SEA quarter 3% · 1.6 km awayView on My School →
  • Healy State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 887 · 8th percentile · LBOTE 11% · 217 students · Top SEA quarter 5% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
  • Mount Isa Flexible SchoolSpecial · Catholic · ICSEA 736 · 2th percentile · LBOTE 11% · 53 students · Top SEA quarter 1% · 2.0 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

1 ev charging · 1 petrol stations

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life2 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
2.45
Health & services(1)
  • Copper City Vet ClinicVeterinary
Sport & outdoors(2)
  • Lookout ParkPark
  • Park
Entertainment(1)
  • John Cambell Miles Memorial LookoutViewpoint
Other(8)
  • YurikaEV charging
  • travellers havenHostel
  • Information
  • Lookout Car ParkParking
  • Parking (3)
  • PumaPetrol station
  • Shelter
  • Helloworld TravelTravel Agency

    24 Marian Street

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

  • Lookout 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

Nearest hospital
Mount Isa Base Hospital (0.8 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)
24
Participants per 1,000 residents
29.4

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° / 24°
Rainfall
294 mm · ~37 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
31° / 18°
Rainfall
120 mm · ~15 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
25° / 10°
Rainfall
16 mm · ~2 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
34° / 19°
Rainfall
58 mm · ~7 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 106.9 km away).

Coalition 46.5%Labor 53.5%

12.8 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +6.2 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Mount IsaLabor 52.1% · Coalition 47.9% TPP (2025)0.9 km away
  • KalkadoonLabor 60.1% · Coalition 39.9% TPP (2025)1.2 km away
  • HealyLabor 51.0% · Coalition 49.0% TPP (2025)1.7 km away
  • SunsetLabor 52.2% · Coalition 47.8% TPP (2025)2.1 km away
  • Soldiers HillLabor 46.9% · Coalition 53.1% TPP (2025)2.2 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)
4/10
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 Mount Isa Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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