QLD · Tablelands Council

Tolga, 4882

Est. population · Jun 2025

3,418

Growth (1 yr)

+1.4%

Growth (5 yr)

+6.9%

Median age

44

Median income

$1,479/wk

Employment rate

56.3%

Languages at home

7.3%non-English

Most common: Italian, Afrikaans, French

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

43/100
Average

Top 47% of Queensland's suburbs

Verified 66% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • Education hub
  • Heritage area
  • High desirability
What Tolga is known for: Green suburb, Education hub, Heritage area, High desirability

Suburb profile

Tolga offers a slower mid-sized suburb life in Tablelands Council, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Established families and long-term residents give the suburb a settled feel, with plenty of young families in the mix. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name.

Pocket parks and green corners give residents room to get outside without leaving the neighbourhood. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here than in denser, more walkable pockets. Property prices are middling for the area: fair relative to what is nearby.

Reported crime has been falling recently. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.

The desirability picture is around 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

Tolga snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

3,418

+1.4% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

6.8%

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

#91

among Country & regional · Emerging

Safety

5th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

58th

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

4/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

38th

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
43.0/100 — Average
State standing
Top 47% of Queensland's suburbs
National rank
3261st in Australia
State rank
703rd in QLD
Peer rank
#91 among Country & regional · Emerging suburbs
Cohort rank
#304 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
66%

Data sources & freshness

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

Population

Estimated resident population

3,418(June 2025)

+1.4% annual · +6.9% over 5 years · 58th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.4%
5-year growth
+6.9%
Change in 1 year
+46
Change in 5 years
+220
Growth rank in QLD
58th 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 (~3,650), extrapolated at +1.3% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
3,177
Median age
44
Median household income / week
$1,479
Dwelling vacancy
6.8%
Unoccupied private dwellings
83 of 1,226
Median monthly mortgage
$1,600
Employment rate
56.3%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
1,110 / 0 / 0 (+ 23 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)
44
Against the person
16
Against property
14
Rate per 1,000 residents
12.9
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 199 residents
State safety percentile
4.5th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-28.6%

Most common offence types

  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)4
  • Assault8
  • Drug Offences4
  • Traffic And Related Offences10
  • Good Order Offences7

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
981
Median ICSEA percentile
38th
School list
  • Tolga State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 981 · 38th percentile · LBOTE 4% · 269 students · Top SEA quarter 9%View on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

3 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
Walkability proxy
0/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Other(3)
  • Rocky Creek War Memorial ParkCamp Site
  • Drinking water
  • Parking

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

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
7
Parks (OSM)
0

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
Atherton Hospital (8.5 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)
98
Participants per 1,000 residents
28.7

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
31° / 25°
Rainfall
1,038 mm · ~90 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
29° / 24°
Rainfall
925 mm · ~92 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
25° / 20°
Rainfall
164 mm · ~20 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
28° / 22°
Rainfall
188 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

Roadworks & transport

1 active roadworks / incidents

  • Rocky Creek War Memorial ParkKennedy Highway14 Aug 2026 – 15 Aug 2026

Data sources & freshness

  • Road incidents & closuresState road authority open-data feeds · current · Updated

Heritage

2 heritage places

  • Rocky Creek World War Two Hospital Complex (former)State heritage place
  • WWII RAAF 220 Radar StationState 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
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 22.0 km away).

Coalition 62.0%Labor 38.0%

2.7 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +3.0 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • TolgaLabor 36.2% · Coalition 63.8% TPP (2025)4.2 km away
  • KairiLabor 29.4% · Coalition 70.7% TPP (2025)8.0 km away
  • Atherton NorthLabor 49.0% · Coalition 51.0% TPP (2025)8.3 km away
  • WalkaminLabor 34.9% · Coalition 65.1% TPP (2025)8.3 km away
  • AthertonLabor 45.9% · Coalition 54.1% TPP (2025)9.1 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)
4/10
IRSD decile (2021)
5/10

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 Tablelands Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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