QLD · Western Downs Council

Wandoan, 4419

Est. population · Jun 2025

696

Growth (1 yr)

+0.9%

Growth (5 yr)

+4.0%

Median age

31

Median income

$1,243/wk

Employment rate

53.3%

Languages at home

12.1%non-English

Most common: Spanish, French

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

23.4/100
Below average

1436th in QLD

Verified 75% confidence

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

Suburb profile

Wandoan offers a slower smaller community life in Western Downs Council, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. A younger crowd gives the area energy, with plenty of young families in the mix. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice.

With limited local amenities, residents regularly travel to a neighbouring town for shops, appointments and a wider choice. Green space punches above what many regional towns offer, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb. 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. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.

Desirability sits below average overall, with local dining and lifestyle amenities, plus community and employment the main drag compared with similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Wandoan snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

696

+0.9% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

40.6%

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

#228

among Country & regional · Established

Safety

65th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

39th

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

1/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

14th

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
23.4/100 — Below average
National rank
6458th in Australia
State rank
1436th in QLD
Peer rank
#228 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#914 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
75%

Data sources & freshness

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

Population

Estimated resident population

696(June 2025)

+0.9% annual · +4.0% over 5 years · 39th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.9%
5-year growth
+4.0%
Change in 1 year
+6
Change in 5 years
+27
Growth rank in QLD
39th 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 +0.9% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
666
Median age
31
Median household income / week
$1,243
Dwelling vacancy
40.6%
Unoccupied private dwellings
138 of 340
Median monthly mortgage
$712
Employment rate
53.3%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
170 / 15 / 14 (+ 6 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)
36
Against the person
9
Against property
10
Rate per 1,000 residents
51.7
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 74 residents
State safety percentile
65.2th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+2.5%

Most common offence types

  • Good Order Offences6
  • Drug Offences10
  • Other Offences Against The Person5
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)9
  • Traffic And Related Offences12

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
915
Median ICSEA percentile
14th
School list
  • Wandoan State School P-10Combined · Government · ICSEA 915 · 14th percentile · LBOTE 6% · 124 students · Top SEA quarter 3%View on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

2 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life3 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
4.5
Other(1)
  • Parking (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

3 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Apex ParkPark
  • O'Sullivan Memorial ParkPark
  • Waterloo Plains Environmental ParkNature reserve

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
3
Parks (OSM)
3

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

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
2
Nearest hospital
Wandoan Hospital (5.4 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
On site
  • The Wandoan PharmacyPharmacy
  • Wandoan HospitalHospital

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
16
Participants per 1,000 residents
23.0

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
33° / 19°
Rainfall
258 mm · ~32 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
28° / 14°
Rainfall
127 mm · ~16 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
21° / 5°
Rainfall
90 mm · ~11 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
29° / 13°
Rainfall
157 mm · ~20 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normalsWorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Planning & development

Development applications from QLD coordinated projects (lodged 2020–2026).

1 planning-related records

Other· 1 proposal
  • Wandoan Coal Project
    Open-cut thermal coal mine producing 30 million tonnes per annum; and supporting infrastructure.Completed EIS project

Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)

Development and planning activity

Data sources & freshness

Roadworks & transport

1 active roadworks / incidents

  • Between Nathan Road and Booral RoadLeichhardt Highway17 Aug 2026 – 18 Aug 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
Maranoa
Member of Parliament
David LITTLEPROUD (Liberal National Party of Queensland)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
115,520
Turnout (2025)
89.4%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
-1.8 pp toward Coalition

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 74.0%Labor 26.0%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 121.1 km away).

Coalition 75.1%Labor 24.9%

1.1 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: -0.4 pp toward Coalition

Nearest polling places

  • WandoanLabor 25.1% · Coalition 74.9% TPP (2025)6.3 km away
  • DulaccaLabor 17.8% · Coalition 82.2% TPP (2025)58.4 km away
  • MilesLabor 25.8% · Coalition 74.2% TPP (2025)64.7 km away
  • WallumbillaLabor 16.0% · Coalition 84.0% TPP (2025)87.2 km away
  • CondamineLabor 13.4% · Coalition 86.6% TPP (2025)90.9 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)
1/10
IRSD decile (2021)
1/10

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 Western Downs Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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