Lakes Creek

Lakes Creek is much younger than the national average, with 20.4% of people under 15. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is 11.2%, which is well above the Queensland figure of 4.6%.

Most residents were born in Australia, and the area has a much lower proportion of overseas-born people (12.7%) compared to the national average of 27.7%.

English is the main language for 82.6% of the community, though there has been a small increase in people using other languages at home since 2011. About 3.7% of people speak little or no English, which is a little above the state figure.

The community is split almost evenly between Christians (46.6%) and those with no religion (41.4%), with the latter group growing by 21 percentage points since 2011.

Educational qualifications are far below national levels, with only 9% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher and just 42.6% completing Year 12. This is much lower than the 58.8% national figure.

Incomes are typically low here; the usual family earns $1,691 a week, which is well below the national figure of $2,120. Only 11.8% of households earn $3,000 or more per week.

Health challenges are more common than in most areas, with 31.1% of people living with a long-term health condition. This includes a high rate of mental health conditions at 11.5%.

While 12.5% of people provide unpaid care, volunteering is much lower than in other areas at 11.3%. About 3.2% of residents have served in the Defence Force.

The First Nations community is significant, with 547 people. This group is younger than the national average, with a typical age of 21, though they face a higher unemployment rate of 14.1%.

One-parent families are very common at 20.4%, which is well above the national figure of 14.1%. About 27% of residents live alone.

The area is dominated by separate houses (88.5%), and rents are much lower than elsewhere, with a typical weekly rent of $260. Mortgage payments are also well below the national average.

Residents are heavily reliant on cars, as there are no public transport stops or routes in the area. Consequently, only 0.8% of people commute via public transport.

Recent arrivals from overseas make up 29.3% of the population, a figure that is far above the national average of 14.5%.

Full-time employment is higher than average at 62.1%, though the unemployment rate has risen since 2011 to reach 6.3%. Many residents work as labourers, technicians, or in community services.

Lakes Creek is among the most disadvantaged areas in the region, ranking very low for overall advantage and access to money and resources.

The area receives 712mm of annual rainfall, which is far above the Queensland average. Summer temperatures are among the highest for the region.

The suburb is mostly car-dependent, though most homes are within a 15-minute walk of a park, school or grocery store. There is almost no walkable access to health services.