Balonne

Queensland · Darling Downs - Maranoa · 4,207 people · 5 suburbs · 4 postcodes

Balonne at a glance

4,207
Population
#41 of 69 in QLD
30,227
km² area
0/km² density
39.7
Median age
+0.4 vs QLD
$1,350
Median HH income/wk
#42 of 69 in QLD
928
SEIFA IRSAD
#35 of 69 in QLD
7
Schools
6 gov, 1 Cath, 0 indep
6.3%
Born overseas
39.0%
Renting

Map shows the Balonne LGA boundary in blue with a marker per suburb. Hover for suburb name, click for details.

Marker colour reflects SEIFA IRSAD decile: 1-2 (most disadvantaged), 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 (most advantaged).

Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021. Map tiles: OpenStreetMap contributors.

Balonne is a Local Government Area in Queensland, in the Brisbane region. It covers 5 suburbs across 4 postcodes and an area of 30,227 km². Balonne has a population of 4,207 , ranking #41 most populous in QLD. The most populous suburb is St George (3,130 residents), and the highest median household income is in St George at $1,399/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,350/week and median age is 39.7. About 6.3% of residents were born overseas and 3.6% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (20.1%) 15–24 (12.2%) 25–44 (23.6%) 45–64 (27.8%) 65+ (16.3%)
Show counts
0–14 years838 (20.1%)
15–24 years509 (12.2%)
25–44 years982 (23.6%)
45–64 years1,159 (27.8%)
65+ years678 (16.3%)
6.3%
Born overseas
3.6%
Speak a language other than English at home
20.4%
First Nations
2.4
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (36.6%) Mortgaged (24.4%) Renting (39.0%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (91.8%) Semi/townhouse (7.3%) Flat/apartment (0.9%)
$192
Median weekly rent
$1,124
Median monthly mortgage
37.3%
Households with 0-1 cars
62.7%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

4.7%
Unemployment rate
1,381
In full-time work
534
In part-time work

Schools in Balonne

7 schools across Balonne: 85.7% Government, 14.3% Catholic, 0% Independent. The QLD average is 69.8% / 17.1% / 13.1%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 959 (range 794 to 1008). QLD median is 985; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

QLD average for comparison
Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

Primary (71.4%) Secondary (14.3%) Combined (14.3%) Special (0%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300
LGA median 959 QLD median 985LGA range 794 to 1008

ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) summarises the socio-economic background of each school's families. Higher values indicate more advantage. Source: ACARA 2025.

All 7 schools in Balonne, sorted by enrolment:

School Sector Type Suburb Students ICSEA
St George State High School Government Secondary St George 189 845
St George State School Government Primary St George 149 794
St Patrick's School Catholic Primary St George 149 959
Dirranbandi P-10 State School Government Combined Dirranbandi 72 838
Thallon State School Government Primary Thallon 16 993
Bollon State School Government Primary Bollon 14 1008
Hebel State School Government Primary Hebel 14 985

Source: ACARA School Profiles 2025. ICSEA shown where reported; some schools (notably small primaries) do not publish ICSEA.

SEIFA socio-economic indexes

SEIFA 2021 ranks Australian areas across four dimensions. Scores are population-weighted averages of suburb-level SEIFA scores within Balonne. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

928
Ranked #35 of 69 QLD LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

942

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

940

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

928

Suburbs in Balonne

Balonne contains 5 suburbs and 4 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
St George 4487 3,130 $1,399/wk 38
Dirranbandi 4486 610 $1,266/wk 44
Thallon 4497 231 $1,239/wk 42
Bollon 4488 174 $987/wk 47
Hebel 4486 62 $1,124/wk 51

Postcodes covered

4486, 4487, 4488, 4497

Compare Balonne with neighbouring LGAs

Side-by-side demographic and socio-economic snapshot of Balonne and its closest neighbouring LGAs.

LGA Population Median age Median HH income SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Balonne (QLD) 4,207 39.7 $1,350/wk 928 39.0% 6.3%
Goondiwindi 10,292 41.0 $1,454/wk 938 33.6% 6.2%
Maranoa 12,794 38.8 $1,629/wk 966 36.1% 6.8%
Paroo 1,686 43.1 $997/wk 884 39.2% 5.3%

Services and amenities

Frequently asked questions about Balonne

What is the population of Balonne?

The 2021 Census recorded 4,207 people living in Balonne, across 5 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Balonne?

Balonne contains 5 suburbs. The most populous are St George, Dirranbandi, Thallon, Bollon, Hebel.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Balonne?

Balonne covers 4 postcodes: 4486, 4487, 4488, 4497.

What is the median household income in Balonne?

The population-weighted median household income across Balonne is $1,350 per week (2021 Census), ranking #42 of 69 QLD LGAs.

How many schools are in Balonne?

Balonne has 7 schools, including 6 government, 1 Catholic, and 0 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Balonne?

Balonne has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 928, where the national average is 1000. Higher scores indicate more relative advantage.

Page last reviewed . Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0), SEIFA 2021 (IRSD, IRSAD, IER, IEO), ACARA School Profiles 2025, ABS ASGS 2021 LGA boundaries. How this data is sourced.