Capalaba
Queensland · Capalaba, Brisbane - East
Live · ABS ERP June 2025
Capalaba has 3 schools (2 government, 1 non-government; ACARA School Profile 2025) and 13 NQS-rated childcare services (ACECQA register). Population is 19,277 (ABS ERP June 2025); the AM-peak train journey to the CBD takes 53 min (TransLink, static GTFS, timetable from 31 Oct 2026).
Capalaba at a glance
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Boundaries: ABS Suburbs & Localities 2021. School pins are ACARA's published locations. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors, © CARTO. Open the full QLD map →
How the Family-Fit score is built66/100
Family-Fit score
Method published in fullStrong for families - strongest on childcare & early years, weakest on getting around.
- Schools in the area · 20% of the score
- 62/100
- Childcare & early years · 15% of the score
- 100/100
- Everyday amenities · 15% of the score
- 100/100
- Getting around · 15% of the score
- 40/100
- Housing affordability · 15% of the score
- 42/100
- Families already here · 10% of the score
- 64/100
- Socio-economic profile · 10% of the score
- 44/100
QLD median 61/100
3 schools in this SA2 · average government-school ICSEA 985
QLD median 60/100
13 NQS-rated services nearby
QLD median 73/100
28 parks · 4 GPs · 9 supermarkets · 31 playgrounds
QLD median 56/100
53 min to the CBD by train from Birkdale station
QLD median 51/100
Paying over 30% of income on housing: 12.1% of mortgage-holding households, 36.5% of renting households
QLD median 64/100
18.3% of residents are children aged 0–14 · 41.9% of families are couples with children
QLD median 44/100
SEIFA IRSAD decile 5 of 10 nationally
The grey marker on each bar is the median across the 484 Queensland areas we publish a score for (state median overall: 58/100). It is context, not a pass mark.
How this score is calculated
Each published figure for the Capalaba SA2 is mapped onto 0–100 by fixed thresholds, then weighted. Inputs with no data here are dropped and the rest rescaled - never scored as zero. Every threshold and weight →
School results, crime and flood or bushfire overlays are not graded into this score. Limits of the score →
What families notice
What families notice
- This address is zoned to Capalaba State College (government, no fees).
- 28 parks mapped inside this SA2 (OpenStreetMap).
- We don't yet have official crime data for QLD (only NSW and VIC) - that's a data gap on our side, not a claim this area is safe.
- About 37% of renters here spend over 30% of income on rent - above the standard affordability guideline (ABS Census 2021).
Living in Capalaba: family snapshot
Living in Capalaba
A mid-sized suburb. Strong New Zealand and United Kingdom communities here (2021 Census). Many childcare options nearby - 13 NQS-rated services. About a 53-minute train to the CBD. Mostly detached family homes.
Capalaba compared with Queensland10 measures
| Measure | Capalaba | QLD average | Against QLD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children aged 0 to 4 | 5.8% | 5.7% | About the same |
| Children aged 5 to 14 | 12.5% | 13.0% | About the same |
| Couple families with children | 41.9% | 41.0% | About the same |
| One-parent families | 18.2% | 17.0% | Higher |
| Homes owned outright | 30.5% | 29.3% | Higher |
| Homes owned with a mortgage | 42.5% | 35.6% | Higher |
| Homes rented | 26.2% | 33.2% | Lower |
| Separate houses | 77.5% | 76.6% | About the same |
| Flats and apartments | 2.5% | 11.1% | Lower |
| Born overseas | 21.9% | 22.7% | About the same |
Source: ABS Census 2021. The QLD figure is the population-weighted average of the 543 QLD areas with a published value. "Higher" and "Lower" describe the number only.
About this area and its boundary
Capalaba is a locality in the Capalaba area of Queensland. This profile draws on ABS population and Census figures, the ACARA school register and ACECQA childcare ratings for the Capalaba SA2.
19,277 residents - 18.3% are children under 15, median age 39, the largest overseas-born community is New Zealand (5.6%).
This profile uses the ABS Capalaba statistical area (SA2) - the level Australian government data is published at. SA2 boundaries don’t always match suburb boundaries. It covers the gazetted suburb of Capalaba, drawn separately on the map above.
Property market
A 3-bedroom house rents for a median $700 a week. Queensland publishes no free suburb sale-price series.
Source: RTA Queensland median rents · Jun 2026
Homes and households
Source: ABS Census 2021. Where the shares do not add to 100%, the rest is "other" or "not stated".
Housing cost pressuremortgage and rent against income
Housing cost pressure
In Capalaba, 36.5% of renting households spend more than 30% of their income on rent, and 12.1% of households with a mortgage spend more than 30% on repayments - the ABS's stretched-household threshold (Census 2021).
ABS published figures, not our calculation.
- Mortgage over 30% of income
- 12.1%
- Rent over 30% of income
- 36.5%
QLD avg 11.9%
Share of households WITH a mortgage whose repayments take more than 30% of income. That's 347 of 2,595 households with a stated repayment.
QLD avg 32.3%
Share of RENTING households whose rent takes more than 30% of income. That's 646 of 1,619 households with a stated rent.
The two figures cover different households (mortgage-holding vs renting), so never add them. How the ABS counts these → Grey marker: QLD average (520 for mortgage and 528 for rent). Census 2021 - housing costs have moved since. Not financial advice.
What's being built herenew homes approved, year by year
What's being built here
124 new homes were approved in Capalaba in the year to June 2025. Councils approved 346 new dwellings here across the 6 years to June 2025 - an approval is permission to build, not a home that exists yet.
Approved in the year to June 2025
Middle QLD area: 31
Separate houses
Private sector, over these 6 years
Townhouses & apartments
Private sector, over these 6 years
Counts are for the whole Capalaba statistical area. What these counts include → Dashed line: the median of 487Queensland areas.
About this data
Rent only: median weekly rent of new tenancies lodged with the Queensland RTA, by postcode. Queensland publishes no free suburb sale-price series, so we show no house price here rather than an estimate. © The State of Queensland Residential Tenancies Authority, CC BY 3.0 AU.
Schools and childcare
3 schools are located in the area, and the centre of the area is zoned to Capalaba State College. 13 childcare services are on the national register, 12 rated Meeting the National Quality Standard or above.
Capalaba State College
The government school your child can attend for free by living in Capalaba.
This is the zoned government school for the centre of Capalaba (QLD catchment data) - addresses elsewhere in the suburb may be zoned to a different school.
See the catchment on the mapThe government Year 7 zone for the centre of Capalaba (QLD catchment data) - addresses elsewhere in the suburb may be zoned to a different school.
Fee-paying schools can’t be enrolled in by zone - they’re shown for context, not as the area’s school quality.
We show school intake context and catchments, not exam results. We don’t publish a school ranking.
All school zones in the Redland council area →
To look beyond Capalaba, every Queensland school is on the Australian schools and catchment zones map.
Find the school zone for an address in Capalaba
Type a street address in Victoria, NSW or Queensland. We show the government primary and secondary school zones it is in, from the official zone maps.
Your address goes from your browser straight to OpenStreetMap's address search to find it on the map. We never see it or store it. Address search © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Schools in Capalaba
- Students
- 1,022
- ICSEA
- 982
- Students
- 359
- ICSEA
- 1057
- Students
- 328
- ICSEA
- 988
ICSEA reflects student intake context, not teaching quality (1000 = national average). Source: ACARA School Profile 2025. All QLD schools →
Childcare: 13 services
National Quality Standard ratings from the ACECQA register, refreshed Oct 2026. Services are matched by suburb name.
Childcare services, ratings and fees13 services
- Meeting NQSCapalaba Kids Early Learning CentreCentre-Based Care · 150 places · CapalabaRated Nov 2024
- Meeting NQSPCYC Redlands Fun SquadCentre-Based Care · 135 places · CapalabaRated Aug 2025
- Meeting NQSPCYC Coolnwynpin Fun SquadCentre-Based Care · 90 places · CapalabaRated Dec 2024
- Meeting NQSPerfect Start CapalabaCentre-Based Care · 86 places · CapalabaRated Dec 2025
- Meeting NQSSt Luke's Catholic Parish Child Care CentreCentre-Based Care · 78 places · CapalabaRated Sep 2026
- Meeting NQSGoodstart Early Learning Capalaba - Almara Street 1Centre-Based Care · 75 places · CapalabaRated Dec 2024
- Meeting NQSMilestones Early Learning CapalabaCentre-Based Care · 75 places · CapalabaRated Apr 2024
- Meeting NQSPCYC Capalaba Fun SquadCentre-Based Care · 75 places · CapalabaRated Oct 2024
- Meeting NQSSt Lukes Outside School Hours CareCentre-Based Care · 75 places · CapalabaRated Nov 2025
- Meeting NQSGoodstart Early Learning Capalaba - Greenup StreetCentre-Based Care · 65 places · CapalabaRated Oct 2026
- Meeting NQSLittle WildlingsCentre-Based Care · 36 places · CapalabaRated Mar 2026
- Meeting NQSAt Home Family Day Care Scheme Pty LtdFamily Day Care · CapalabaRated Dec 2022 · over 3 years old, check for a more recent assessment
+ 1 more services in this area.
- Centre-based day care
- $13.60/hr
- Outside school hours care
- $8.70/hr
Mean hourly fee across CCS-approved services, December quarter 2025 - Dept of Education, © Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 4.0. Published at SA3 level (a wider area than this suburb's SA2), so it's an average across Capalaba and surrounds, not this specific service list.
Verify locations before visiting. A rating over 3 years old is flagged. What the NQS ratings mean → Childcare places per child, by suburb →
Who lives here
Fewer rented homes than Queensland overall: 26.2% of homes, against 33.2% statewide.
Ages of people here
Share of residents in each age band, in years. Source: ABS Census 2021.
How the area is changingCensus 2011 to 2021
Each line is drawn on its own scale, so compare the numbers, not the heights. Source: ABS Census 2011, 2016 and 2021.
Census trends against the middle QLD areafull charts
Which way this area is moving
The 2011, 2016 and 2021 Censuses for Capalaba, counted on today's boundaries.
Since 2011, Capalaba has grown older, with more residents speaking another language at home.
- People counted
- +1,336 people since 2011
- Median age
- +3 years since 2011
- Children aged 0–14
- −1.6 pts since 2011
- Born overseas
- +1.7 pts since 2011
- Speak another language at home
- +3.5 pts since 2011
Usual residents counted on Census night.
Half the residents are older than this, half younger.
Share of all residents. The clearest signal of families arriving or moving on.
Share of all residents born outside Australia.
Share of residents who stated a language, speaking one other than English at home.
The dashed line is the median across the Queensland areas we profile. How the three Censuses line up →
Where this year's population change came from+0.80% in a year
Where did the gain come from?
+159Reading the streams: overseas arrivals were the dominant force - more came from abroad than the suburb grew on its own.
Ages against the state average, band by band
Ages of people here
12.5% of people here are school-age children (5–14) - about the Queensland average of 13%, and 5.8% are under 5. The median age is 39.
- 0–4 years · before school
- 5.8%
- 5–14 years · school age
- 12.5%
- 15–19 years · teens
- 5.7%
- 20–34 years
- 18.7%
- 35–54 years
- 26.2%
- 55–64 years
- 13.2%
- 65 years and over
- 17.8%
QLD avg 5.7%
QLD avg 13%
QLD avg 6.1%
QLD avg 19.9%
QLD avg 26.4%
QLD avg 11.9%
QLD avg 17%
Share of all residents of Capalaba (ABS Statistical Area 2) at the 2021 Census; the grey marker is the Queensland average. How the bands and averages work →
Households and families
Households and families
60% of families here have children living at home - about the Queensland average of 58%. The largest overseas-born communities are New Zealand (5.6%), United Kingdom (5%) and South Africa (1.3%). 26% of homes are rented.
Family make-up
Share of all families in the area. A small "other family" group the ABS also counts is not shown.
- Couple with children
- 41.9%
- One-parent family
- 18.2%
- Couple, no children
- 38.7%
QLD avg 41%
QLD avg 17%
QLD avg 40.4%
What people live in
Share of occupied private dwellings. Other and unstated structures are not shown.
- Separate house
- 77.5%
- Semi-detached / townhouse
- 19%
- Flat or apartment
- 2.5%
QLD avg 76.6%
QLD avg 11.5%
QLD avg 11.1%
Owned or rented
Share of occupied private dwellings. Other and unstated tenures are not shown.
- Owned outright
- 30.5%
- Owned with a mortgage
- 42.5%
- Rented
- 26.2%
QLD avg 29.3%
QLD avg 35.6%
QLD avg 33.2%
Figures describe Capalaba (ABS Statistical Area 2) at the 2021 Census; the grey marker is the Queensland average. How these are counted →
Birthplaces, languages and communities
Who lives in Capalaba
Top 5 overseas birthplaces shown · 85.8% born in Australia or a country not in the top five.
- New Zealand · established by 2016
- 5.6%
- United Kingdom · established by 2016
- 5%
- South Africa · established by 2016
- 1.3%
- Philippines · established by 2016
- 1.2%
- India · established by 2016
- 1.1%
QLD avg 4%
QLD avg 4.4%
QLD avg 0.8%
QLD avg 0.7%
QLD avg 1.3%
- Co-located communities
- Capalaba is home to established New Zealand and United Kingdom communities - each is 2% or more of residents born overseas here, not a ranking of one against another.
- Nearby
- Alexandra Hills, Birkdale and Ormiston also have an established New Zealand community.
- Settlement pattern
- Of overseas-born residents who stated when they arrived, 9% arrived in the last 5 years (2016–2021) (QLD avg 15.8%) and 52.5% arrived before 2001 (QLD avg 45.9%).
- English at home
- Of residents who speak a language other than English at home and stated their English proficiency, 10.2% report speaking English “not well” or “not at all” (QLD avg 11.3%) - a self-reported ABS figure across all languages combined, not a judgement of any one community.
Figures describe Capalaba (ABS Statistical Area 2) at the 2021 Census. The ABS publishes only the five largest communities per area, so a missing name did not rank in the top five. How these are counted →
Socio-economic index (SEIFA)decile 5 of 10
- Decile (1 lowest, 10 highest)
- Decile 5 of 10
- Where this sits in QLD
- bottom 50% of Queensland areas
A relative comparison of the whole area against all of Australia - not a safety, liveability, or school-quality measure. What IRSAD measures → Source: ABS SEIFA 2021, IRSAD index (SA2).
Getting around and lifestyle
The morning-peak train from Birkdale station reaches the city in 53 minutes, and the nearest emergency department is Redland Hospital, 4.8 km away in a straight line.
Mapped inside the Capalaba boundary. A zero can mean "not mapped" rather than "not there". Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Train to the city and nearest emergency department
Train to the city
Timetable published53 min from Birkdale station
Median scheduled weekday morning-peak travel time to the central-city terminus, from the closest station to the middle of this area (5.7 km away in a straight line). Train leg only.
Nearest emergency department
MappedRedland Hospital · 4.8 km
Straight-line distance from the middle of this area - not a drive time. In an emergency call 000; do not plan around this figure.
Community and recreation
Out with a baby
Public-toilet facilities recorded on the National Public Toilet Map - not every place in the area that will let you change a baby.
About this data
Counts of features tagged in OpenStreetMap inside the Capalaba boundary. “Middle QLD area”: the median of 538 Queensland areas. How these counts and times are made →
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors · baby-facility counts from the National Public Toilet Map (Continence Foundation of Australia, funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, CC BY 3.0 AU) · TransLink, static GTFS, timetable from 31 Oct 2026
Crime & safety in Capalaba
Official recorded-incident data is only published on this site for NSW and VIC so far - that's a coverage gap on our side, not a claim that Capalaba is safe. SuburbRadar does not rate suburbs as safe or unsafe. More on crime & safety →
Risks
1 of the 1 planning and hazard records we hold show something in this area: traffic noise. 6 more are not published for QLD - treat them as not checked.
Traffic noise
Freeway or highway presentMoreton Bay Road · Finucane Road · Mount Cotton Road · +5 more
Each line is the extent of an official record across the whole Capalaba area - not a risk rating, and a specific address may or may not be affected. Not financial or insurance advice.
All 9 checks and what each one means
Flooding
Not publishedNo free statewide flood overlay is published for QLD yet, so we show none. Check the local council's planning maps.
Bushfire
Not publishedWe hold official bushfire mapping for Victoria and New South Wales only - nothing is published here for QLD yet. Check the state fire service's mapping.
Heritage controls
Not publishedWe hold official heritage overlay mapping for Victoria and New South Wales only - nothing is published here for QLD yet. Check the local council's planning scheme and the state heritage register.
Traffic noise
Freeway or highway presentMoreton Bay Road · Finucane Road · Mount Cotton Road · +5 more
8 named roads through this area carry OpenStreetMap's highest classification - a freeway, motorway or major highway, whatever the road is called locally, alongside 9 named main roads. Roads are counted by name, not by mapped segment. Where a home sits relative to them matters far more than the count - a street two blocks back can be quiet.
Aircraft noise
Not publishedWe hold official aircraft-noise mapping for Victoria and New South Wales only - nothing is published here for QLD yet. Check the airport's noise contours and the local planning scheme.
Land contamination checks
Not mappedWe hold official contaminated-land overlay mapping for Victoria only - nothing is published here for QLD yet. Check the state environment authority's contaminated land register and the local planning scheme.
Acid sulfate soils
Not publishedWe hold acid sulfate soil mapping for Victoria and New South Wales only - nothing is published here for QLD yet. Coastal and estuarine land is where these soils occur; check the state's soil mapping and the local planning scheme.
Recorded crime
Not publishedQLD does not release the suburb-level incident counts we republish for New South Wales and Victoria, so we show none here.
Social housing
Census figure4.5% rented from a state or territory housing authority · 0.6% from a community housing provider
Share of occupied private dwellings here with a stated tenure (Census 2021). The middle QLD area is 1.6% public and 0.4% community, across 531 areas. Listed because families ask; it is a fact about who owns the homes, not a judgement about the people in them.
About this data
Every line is an official published record for the Capalaba area - we don't rate, score or rank any of them. Where a line is missing, treat it as not checked rather than clear. What each line covers and does not →
Source: ABS Census 2021 (G37 tenure and landlord type) · © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) - road classification
Nearby suburbs
- Alexandra Hills 3.1 km
- Birkdale 5.5 km
- Ormiston 6.4 km
- Thornlands 6.7 km
- Wellington Point 6.9 km
- Sheldon (Mount Cotton area) 6.9 km
The six closest profiled areas in Queensland, by distance between area centres.
Other areas in Capalabasorted by growth in one year
More in Queensland
Alexandra Hills
QLDAlexandra Hills is a locality in the Capalaba area of Queensland. This profile draws on ABS population and Census figures, the ACARA school register and ACECQA childcare ratings for the Alexandra Hills SA2.
Belmont - Gumdale
QLDBelmont - Gumdale is a locality in the Capalaba area of Queensland. This profile draws on ABS population and Census figures, the ACARA school register and ACECQA childcare ratings for the Belmont - Gumdale SA2.
Birkdale
QLDBirkdale is a locality in the Capalaba area of Queensland. This profile draws on ABS population and Census figures, the ACARA school register and ACECQA childcare ratings for the Birkdale SA2.
Where this is in QLD
