Home
Queensland
Central Highlands (Qld)

Central Highlands (Qld)

Queensland · Central Queensland · 27,760 people · 72 suburbs · 10 postcodes

Central Highlands (Qld) at a glance

27,760

Population

#26 of 69 in QLD

58,396

km² area

0/km² density

34.6

Median age

-4.7 vs QLD

$2,116

Median HH income/wk

#5 of 69 in QLD

961

SEIFA IRSAD

#19 of 69 in QLD

Schools

23 gov, 4 Cath, 2 indep

11.7%

Born overseas

44.7%

Renting

Map shows the Central Highlands (Qld) 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.

Central Highlands (Qld) is a Local Government Area in Queensland, in the Brisbane region. It covers 72 suburbs across 10 postcodes and an area of 58,396 km². Central Highlands (Qld) has a population of 27,760 , ranking #26 most populous in QLD. The most populous suburb is Emerald (14,904 residents), and the highest median household income is in Argyll at $5,250/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $2,116/week and median age is 34.6. About 11.7% of residents were born overseas and 5.9% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

23.3%

12.2%

30.1%

24.8%

9.7%

0–14 (23.3%) 15–24 (12.2%) 25–44 (30.1%) 45–64 (24.8%) 65+ (9.7%)

Show counts

0–14 years	6,430 (23.3%)
15–24 years	3,358 (12.2%)
25–44 years	8,294 (30.1%)
45–64 years	6,844 (24.8%)
65+ years	2,670 (9.7%)

11.7%

Born overseas

5.9%

Speak a language other than English at home

5.8%

First Nations

2.6

Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

24.0%

31.3%

44.7%

Owned outright (24.0%) Mortgaged (31.3%) Renting (44.7%)

Dwelling type mix

92.3%

Separate house (92.3%) Semi/townhouse (4.4%) Flat/apartment (3.3%)

$237

Median weekly rent

$1,364

Median monthly mortgage

34.7%

Households with 0-1 cars

65.3%

Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

3.5%

Unemployment rate

9,580

In full-time work

3,560

In part-time work

Schools in Central Highlands (Qld)

29 schools across Central Highlands (Qld): 79.3% Government, 13.8% Catholic, 6.9% Independent. The QLD average is 69.8% / 17.1% / 13.1%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 948 (range 785 to 1055). QLD median is 985; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

79.3%

13.8%

QLD average for comparison

69.8%

17.1%

13.1%

Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

72.4%

13.8%

10.3%

Primary (72.4%) Secondary (13.8%) Combined (10.3%) Special (3.4%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300

LGA median 948 QLD median 985LGA range 785 to 1055

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 29 schools in Central Highlands (Qld), sorted by enrolment:

School	Sector	Type	Suburb	Students	ICSEA
Capricornia School of Distance Education	Government	Combined	Emerald	5,463	960
Emerald State High School	Government	Secondary	Emerald	847	945
Marist College	Catholic	Secondary	Emerald	697	999
St Patrick's Catholic Primary School	Catholic	Primary	Emerald	482	1021
Blackwater North State School	Government	Primary	Blackwater	446	916
Denison State School	Government	Primary	Emerald	364	948
St Brigid's Catholic Primary School	Catholic	Primary	Emerald	323	990
Emerald North State School	Government	Primary	Emerald	314	878
Blackwater State High School	Government	Secondary	Blackwater	307	880
Emerald State School	Government	Primary	Emerald	295	948
Capella State School	Government	Primary	Capella	179	938
Springsure State School	Government	Combined	Springsure	168	944
Capella State High School	Government	Secondary	Capella	149	925
Blackwater State School	Government	Primary	Blackwater	127	785
Emerald Christian College	Independent	Combined	Emerald	107	996
Tieri State School	Government	Primary	Tieri	99	949
Anakie State School	Government	Primary	Anakie Siding	56	884
Dingo State School	Government	Primary	Dingo	45	962
Duaringa State School	Government	Primary	Duaringa	45	865
Rolleston State School	Government	Primary	Rolleston	45	969
Bauhinia State School	Government	Primary	Bauhinia	33	917
Gindie State School	Government	Primary	Gindie	29	1039
Bluff State School	Government	Primary	Bluff	23	895
Ontrack College Emerald	Independent	Special	Emerald	23	904
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School	Catholic	Primary	Springsure	23	1038
Lochington State School	Government	Primary	Lochington	16	1055
Arcadia Valley State School	Government	Primary	Arcadia Valley	9
Comet State School	Government	Primary	Comet	8	1038
Orion State School	Government	Primary	Orion

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 Central Highlands (Qld). Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

961

Ranked #19 of 69 QLD LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

996

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

1003

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

914

Suburbs in Central Highlands (Qld)

Central Highlands (Qld) contains 72 suburbs and 10 postcodes. Sorted by population.

Suburb	Postcode	Population	Median income	Median age
Emerald	4720	14,904	$2,202/wk	32
Blackwater	4717	4,702	$2,358/wk	31
Sapphire Central	4702	1,214	$644/wk	59
Capella	4723	974	$1,838/wk	32
Springsure	4722	950	$1,716/wk	42
Tieri	4709	732	$3,125/wk	29
Comet	4702	360	$2,575/wk	41
Bluff	4702	324	$2,237/wk	47
Duaringa	4712	262	$1,300/wk	45
Gindie	4702	232	$2,281/wk	40
Dingo	4702	221	$1,416/wk	40
Albinia	4722	165	$2,250/wk	37
Anakie Siding	4702	155	$825/wk	55
Arcadia Valley	4454	141	$1,562/wk	35
Willows	4702	139	$792/wk	59
Rolleston	4702	132	$1,416/wk	33
Arcturus	4702	130	$2,107/wk	32
Lochington	4720	128	$2,416/wk	32
Mungabunda	4718	91	$1,708/wk	35
Orion	4722	87	$1,224/wk	32
Crinum	4723	86	$2,299/wk	39
Hibernia	4723	82	$1,458/wk	43
Cairdbeign	4722	70	$2,437/wk	40
Khosh Bulduk	4723	60	$2,416/wk	45
Cona Creek	4722	57	$1,999/wk	34
Chirnside	4723	56	$2,349/wk	52
Minerva	4722	55	$2,083/wk	33
Retro	4723	54	$1,937/wk	36
Stewarton	4702	52	$2,125/wk	42
Humboldt	4702	49	$2,750/wk	30
Jellinbah	4702	49	$2,624/wk	30
Rewan	4702	49	$2,249/wk	34
Wyuna	4723	46	$2,750/wk	41
Oombabeer	4718	45	$2,083/wk	34
Buckland	4722	43	$1,624/wk	47
Rhydding	4718	43	$1,875/wk	45
Theresa Creek	4721	42	$2,624/wk	41
Coorumbene	4702	40	$1,749/wk	21
Wealwandangie	4722	39	$2,750/wk	38
Belcong	4723	38	$1,999/wk	36
Lowestoff	4723	36	$2,250/wk	34
Consuelo	4702	35	$2,250/wk	52
Boolburra	4702	34	$1,125/wk	59
Carbine Creek	4723	33	$1,249/wk	34
Fork Lagoons	4723	33	$1,125/wk	28
Barnard	4702	32	$949/wk	37
Gainsford	4702	32	$2,166/wk	49
Gordonstone	4702	32	$2,124/wk	53
Mount Macarthur	4723	31	$1,374/wk	31
Nandowrie	4722	31	$3,250/wk	56
Togara	4702	30	$2,249/wk	28
Balcomba	4702	29	$2,124/wk	31
Bauhinia	4718	28	$1,124/wk	53
Goowarra	4702	27	$1,375/wk	53
Argyll	4721	25	$5,250/wk	50
Coomoo	4702	24	$1,875/wk	48
Mantuan Downs	4722	23	$1,125/wk	53
Mimosa	4702	23	$2,750/wk	33
Lowesby	4702	21	$4,124/wk	42
Bingegang	4702	17	$1,437/wk	50
Cheeseborough	4702	16	$2,250/wk	41
Wallaroo	4702	13	$1,374/wk	63
Carnarvon Park	4702	12	$900/wk	30
Wooroona	4702	12	$1,875/wk	31
Alsace	4702	11	$3,749/wk	28
Bundoora	4723	7	$1,149/wk	8
Cotherstone	4723	5		55
Dromedary	4718	5	$1,625/wk	51
Goomally	4702	5	$4,000/wk	45
Blackdown	4702			25
Peak Vale	4721
Yamala	4720

Postcodes covered

4454, 4702, 4709, 4712, 4717, 4718, 4720, 4721, 4722, 4723

Compare Central Highlands (Qld) with neighbouring LGAs

Side-by-side demographic and socio-economic snapshot of Central Highlands (Qld) and its closest neighbouring LGAs.

LGA	Population	Median age	Median HH income	SEIFA IRSAD	% renting	% overseas-born
Central Highlands (Qld) (QLD)	27,760	34.6	$2,116/wk	961	44.7%	11.7%
Banana	14,508	38.9	$1,784/wk	954	33.3%	7.8%
Isaac	22,035	34.0	$2,557/wk	972	60.4%	9.7%
Maranoa	12,794	38.8	$1,629/wk	966	36.1%	6.8%
Rockhampton	81,906	37.2	$1,549/wk	924	33.2%	10.0%
Woorabinda	1,019	23.0	$684/wk	659	100.0%	0.9%

Services and amenities

NDIS Providers NDIS provider directory for Central Highlands (Qld) Climate & weather Climate data for Emerald

Frequently asked questions about Central Highlands (Qld)

What is the population of Central Highlands (Qld)?

The 2021 Census recorded 27,760 people living in Central Highlands (Qld), across 72 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Central Highlands (Qld)?

Central Highlands (Qld) contains 72 suburbs. The most populous are Emerald, Blackwater, Sapphire Central, Capella, Springsure.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Central Highlands (Qld)?

Central Highlands (Qld) covers 10 postcodes: 4454, 4702, 4709, 4712, 4717, 4718, 4720, 4721, 4722, 4723.

What is the median household income in Central Highlands (Qld)?

The population-weighted median household income across Central Highlands (Qld) is $2,116 per week (2021 Census), ranking #5 of 69 QLD LGAs.

How many schools are in Central Highlands (Qld)?

Central Highlands (Qld) has 29 schools, including 23 government, 4 Catholic, and 2 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Central Highlands (Qld)?

Central Highlands (Qld) has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 961, where the national average is 1000. Higher scores indicate more relative advantage.

Page last reviewed June 2026. 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.