Urban Centre · Area profile
Mount Garnet
3 km²
A stark difference in age and background marks Mount Garnet, where the typical resident is 50—far older than the national figure of 38. The population has shrunk by 39% since 2011, and the community now has a very high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is a small, sparsely populated area where low incomes and high unemployment are common. These factors combine to create a community that is much older and more disadvantaged than the rest of Queensland.
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The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is 30.8%, which is far above the national figure of 3.2%. Seniors aged 65 and over make up 21.3% of the community, a figure well above the state and national averages.
Very few people were born overseas, at just 4.3%, which is far below the national figure of 27.7%. The most common ancestries are Australian and English.
English is the primary language here, with only 1.2% of people using another language at home. This is among the lowest rates for similar areas and far below the national average.
While 41.5% of residents identify as Christians, those with no religion make up 31.6%. This is well below the national figure of 38.9%, though the number of non-religious people has risen since 2011.
Education levels are much lower than most areas, with only 4.9% of adults holding a bachelor degree. Just 22.6% of residents have completed Year 12, which is far below the national average of 58.8%.
Incomes are very low, with a typical weekly household earning $854, far below the national figure of $1,746. This is consistent with a workforce where only 29.1% of adults are working or looking for work.
People needing help with daily activities make up 8.7% of the population, which is a little above the national average. However, rates of long-term health and mental health conditions are much lower than most areas.
Community participation is low, with only 10.8% of people volunteering and a far lower rate of unpaid childcare compared to the rest of the state.
One-parent families are very common at 37.0%, which is far above the national average of 14.1%. About 27.6% of people live alone.
Rents are very low, with a typical weekly rent of $175, far below the national figure of $375. Most residents live in separate houses, but these are often small, with 51.7% of homes having three or more bedrooms compared to 73.8% nationally.
Car dependence is high, but 15.0% of homes have no motor vehicle, which is well above the national average. Interestingly, 26.2% of workers now work from home, a figure far above the national average.
The population is very stable, with only 24.8% of people moving in the last five years, which is far below the national figure of 40.7%.
The unemployment rate is 11.9%, well above the national average of 5.1%. Many of the local jobs are in education, agriculture, and construction.
The area is mostly car-dependent with a walkability score of 2.6. While many residents can walk to a school, no one is within a 15-minute walk of a grocery store or public transport.