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Suburb profile ·Central Highlands (Qld) LGA · QLD ·4702

Sapphire Central QLD 4702

Sapphire Central is in Central Highlands (Qld) LGA, QLD, postcode 4702, with population 1,214.

Limited data

Thin-context

The page is still useful for local context, but the evidence stack is too thin for a clean one-page call. Use nearby stronger suburbs or compare mode before treating it as a serious shortlist decision.

What to check

Evidence depth is verify-heavy, so the profile should be treated as provisional. The page is thin enough that nearby alternatives should be checked before shortlisting.

Median house
No local house series
Median rent
$160/wk
Market rent signal
D2 vs AU
Gross yield
Need rent + price
Population
1,214
1K local footprint
D8 vs AU
Schools
No matched school data
Drive to city
9h 31m
659 km to Brisbane CBD · free-flow
Solar
6,685
399 added 12mo · 44MW

Price history

No price history available

Price series isn't recorded for this suburb. Census housing data is shown instead.

Median mortgage · mth$867
Median rent · wk$160
Investor profile

Who invests in Sapphire Central

Owner-occupied 88%Rented 12%
Investor activityATO
Negatively geared4.3%
744 of 1,621 landlords
Avg rental loss$5,637/yr
Landlords (rental income)1,621
Reported capital gains1,143
The read

Mixed owner-renter market

69% of homes here are owner-occupied and 9% rented, with 4% of landlords negatively geared.

Why it fits

A balanced 69% owner-occupier / 9% renter mix.

ABS Census 2021 tenure (G37), ATO postcode rental statistics, and QuickProperty's investor-exposure index. Owner-occupied = owned outright + with a mortgage.

Affordability

25%
median weekly rent as a share of gross household income (the 30% rule)
Manageable

Owners with a mortgage repay a median of $867/mo, while renters pay about $693/mo — owning runs $174/mo higher on these medians.

Household income · yr
$33K
Median rent · wk
$160
Owner mortgage · mo
$867

Household income

$33K household · yr-57.9% vs QLD suburb median
Personal
$23K
Family
$47K
Household
$33K
Household income distribution (ABS Census 2021 · weekly)
Under $300
57
$300-649
199
$650-999
120
$1,000-1,499
61
$1,500-1,999
19
$2,000-2,999
25
$3,000-3,999
8
$4,000+
13

At the median asking rent, about 44% of households here would spend more than 30% of income on rent (rent stress line: $533/wk income).

Housing stock and tenure

Tenure (566 households)0.5% social housing
Owned outright
60%
Owned with mortgage
10%
Rented
9%
Dwelling structure34.5% of dwellings unoccupied on census night
Separate house
89%
Townhouse / semi
0%
Flat / apartment
0%

Getting to work: 70% drive, 0% public transport, 9% walk or cycle, 14% worked from home (2021 Census, taken during COVID-era work-from-home arrangements).

Livability

12/ 100 livability index

Top 88% most liveable of 4,565Australian suburbs.

Peer distributionstronger than 12% of Australian suburbs
WeakerTypicalStronger
Everyday access58
Public transport0
Schools & hospitals0

Bar = this suburb's percentile · tick = typical (median) peer

Suburb-level access-density index (not an address-level walk-time score), normalised within Australian suburbs. Method based on the Urban Liveability Index (Higgs et al. 2019) and Walk Score — three equal-weighted domains combined with an imbalance penalty.

Crime Year ending May 2026
6,557
6,557 per 100k
D8 vs AU

Crime

Rate · per 100k6,557
Total incidents6,557· Year ending May 2026
  • Assault1,32831%
  • Break And Enter81319%
  • Drug Offences1,73141%
  • Fraud3458%

Development screen

Could a secondary dwelling be worth investigating?

secondary dwelling / granny flat screening context Medium broad constraint context

Policy position

Official source access limited

The official state policy page could not be reliably re-verified automatically in the latest review. Treat this screen as preliminary and confirm the current planning and building requirements with the state source and local council.

Rental use: State rental-law changes allow secondary dwellings to be rented more broadly, but implementation depends on an approved lawful dwelling and local planning/building requirements.

Open official policy source

Separate houses

58.2%

Suburb share of occupied private dwellings recorded as separate houses.

21.0 pp below the state median

State median 79.3% · 838 valid suburbs

Residential-zone context

Not staged

A comparable planning-zone layer is not staged for this state.

Rental households

9.4%

Demand context only; it does not establish permission to rent a secondary dwelling.

20.3 pp below the state median

State median 29.7% · 838 valid suburbs

Mapped hazards

bushfire high

The staged suburb layer indicates a broad-area constraint that needs address-level checking. No broad-area layer staged for this suburb.

Approval pathway

Four checks, each with a different evidence threshold.

This is an investigation sequence, not a guarantee that every step applies or that approval will be granted.

  1. 01 Verify current source

    State policy position

    The current secondary dwelling / granny flat position needs direct confirmation before relying on this screen.

  2. 02 Property dependent

    Planning pathway

    Confirm zoning, lot controls, overlays, setbacks, site coverage and whether planning approval is required.

  3. 03 Design dependent

    Building approval

    Confirm the building approval route after the design, site classifications, services and construction requirements are known.

  4. 04 Check separately

    Intended use

    Confirm long-term rental, short-stay or family-use rules separately from permission to construct the dwelling.

Property due diligence

Turn the suburb screen into a property checklist.

Every check starts unconfirmed. Progress stays in this browser and suburb evidence never clears an address-level requirement.

0evidence acquired
0evidence missing
0reviews due
0consultant questions

Active record: Sapphire Central unnamed property

0/14checked
0issues found

Site controls

Lot area and dimensions

Confirm title dimensions, usable site area and any minimum lot threshold.

Status for Lot area and dimensions
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Setbacks and site coverage

Test setbacks, private open space, landscaping and maximum site coverage against a concept plan.

Status for Setbacks and site coverage
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Slope and ground conditions

Check survey levels, soil classification, retaining needs and likely earthworks.

Status for Slope and ground conditions
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Title and planning

Zoning and overlays

Obtain current property-level zoning, overlays and applicable planning controls.

Status for Zoning and overlays
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Title, easements and covenants

Review the title for easements, covenants, restrictions and common property.

Status for Title, easements and covenants
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Services and access

Sewer and stormwater

Locate assets and connection points, then confirm capacity, clearances and discharge requirements.

Status for Sewer and stormwater
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Power, water and metering

Confirm service routes, upgrade needs and whether separate metering is permitted or practical.

Status for Power, water and metering
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Vehicle access and parking

Test driveway width, gradients, turning, parking and emergency access requirements.

Status for Vehicle access and parking
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Construction constraints

Bushfire exposure

Order an address-level bushfire assessment and determine any BAL construction response.

Status for Bushfire exposure
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Flood and overland flow

Obtain property flood information and check floor levels, flow paths and drainage constraints.

Status for Flood and overland flow
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Wind, corrosion and termite

Confirm site classifications that affect structural design, materials and durability.

Status for Wind, corrosion and termite
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Approval and use

Planning approval pathway

Confirm exemption, complying pathway or permit requirements with the responsible authority.

Status for Planning approval pathway
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Building approval and consultants

Identify required survey, design, engineering, energy, certification and inspection evidence.

Status for Building approval and consultants
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Rental and intended use

Confirm occupation, rental, short-stay and family-use rules plus insurance and tax implications.

Status for Rental and intended use
Evidence packMissing

Metadata only. QuickProperty does not store or upload the underlying document.

Sapphire Central, QLD 4702 · Local browser record

Investigation aid only. Confirm current planning, building, title, service and hazard requirements with qualified professionals and responsible authorities.

Building due diligence

Construction requirements can change by location.

The National Construction Code is the baseline. Local hazards and site classifications can change the required structure, materials, fixings, insulation and detailing.

Known here

SUBURB CONTEXT

Bushfire-prone land

High broad-area context

About 43.2% of the suburb intersects mapped bushfire-prone land.

May affect: External construction · Roof and wall systems · Openings, screens and decks

Check the property

ADDRESS + DESIGN

NCC climate zone

Check the property

Confirm the NCC climate zone used for the building design and energy provisions.

May affect: Insulation and glazing · Condensation control · Roof-space ventilation

Wind class and BAL

Site assessment required

A suburb layer cannot determine the site wind classification or Bushfire Attack Level.

May affect: Structure and tie-downs · Cladding and fixings · Openings and bushfire detailing

Corrosion and termite exposure

Check the property

Confirm marine or corrosive exposure and the applicable termite-management requirements.

May affect: Fasteners and connectors · Roofing and coatings · Termite management

This screen identifies investigation triggers, not building quality or property compliance. Confirm the address, design and current jurisdiction rules with the council, building surveyor or certifier, designer and engineer.

NCC 2022 Housing Provisions: how to use · NCC 2022 Volume Two and Housing Provisions

Bushfire exposure

High exposure ~43.2%
~43.2% of the suburb is Bush Fire Prone Land · ~1.0% Category 1 (highest hazard)

Estimated exposure to NSW RFS Bush Fire Prone Land (CC BY), point-sampled across the suburb. This shows how much of the suburb sits within the official hazard layer — it is not a Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) rating or a property-level assessment. Obtain a BAL assessment (AS 3959) for an individual property.

Population outlook

7,599 people · 20227,214 by 2032 (-5.1%)

ABS population projection (2022 base) for the Central Highlands - West SA2 statistical area — the finest official projection grain available; suburb-level projections do not exist.

Full data detail Census · ATO · ABS · state datasets
Sapphire Central QLD — Property Data and Demographics

Sapphire Central (postcode 4702) is a small locality in Queensland within the Central Highlands (Qld) local government area. With a population of 1,214, the suburb has a predominantly older resident base with a median age of 59. Households earn a median income of $33K per year, with an average household size of 1.8 people. QLD employment has moved +1.5% year-on-year in the official ABS Labour Force trend series, which provides the broader jobs backdrop for this suburb. QLD also had 35 Commonwealth-backed major projects under construction, 16 underway, and 30 in planning as at 2025-09-01, which is useful as a broader delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project count. The most common occupations are machinery operators & drivers, managers, labourers. Employment in the area leans toward mining and retail trade. The top ancestries reported are English, Australian, Irish.

The median weekly rent is $160 (Census 2021). The median monthly mortgage repayment is $867.

The crime rate in the Central Highlands (Qld) LGA is moderate at 6,557 incidents per 100,000 population.

Market & money
InvestmentQLD
Mortgage · mth$867
Rent · wk(Census)$160
Employment · Central Highlands (Qld) LGASALM
Unemployment (Dec-25)3.2%
YoY change-0.8pp
Dec-10Dec-25
Property investors · Postcode 4702ATO
Negatively geared4.3%
744 of filers
Avg rental loss$5,637/yr
Landlords (rental income)1,621
Reported capital gains1,143
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 21
Population1,214
Median age59
Household size1.8
HH income · wk$644
Personal income · wk$437
Persons / bedroom1
SEIFA indexABS
Advantage (IRSAD)1/10
Education (IEO)1/10
Economic (IER)1/10
Disadvantage (IRSD)1/10
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets1
Pharmacies1
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations3
Cafes & dining4
Hospitals · Central Highlands (Qld) LGAAIHW
Public3
Private0
Blackwater Hospitalpublic
Emerald Hospitalpublic
Springsure Hospitalpublic
Aged care · Central Highlands (Qld) LGAGEN
Facilities3
Residential places81
Blue Care Emerald Avalon Aged Care Facility60 places
Springsure Multi-Purpose Service17 places
Blackwater Multi-Purpose Service4 places
Childcare · Central Highlands (Qld) LGAACECQA
Services18
Approved places830
Exceeding NQS5
First 5 Years93 places
Emerald Outside School Hours Care83 places
Borilla Community Kindergarten (Emerald)75 places
C&K Emerald South Community Childcare Centre75 places
Emerald Community Kindergarten75 places
Goodstart Early Learning Emerald75 places
+12 more in Central Highlands (Qld) LGA
Shortlist workspace

Save suburbs here while you browse. Once the shortlist has two or more names, hand it straight into compare.

Current status
Add Sapphire Central if it deserves a shortlist slot.

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EMPTY SET

No saved suburbs yet. Start with one ranking or suburb page, then compare once you have two candidates.

Open rankings to save the first candidates.

Sources & freshness
Verify-heavy evidence

Much of Sapphire Central rests on evidence that should be verified before a decision.

QuickProperty mixes release files, Census baselines, and matched local services on this page. Read the status panel before treating every metric as equally fresh.

PRICE POSTURE
Prices come from release-based suburb series.

QVAS residential dwelling sales aggregated to SA2 and mapped to suburb pages

RENT POSTURE
Rent is falling back to Census, not a market feed.

This gives you directional coverage, but it is weaker than a current rent release.

SERVICE POSTURE
Service coverage is matched locally, not inferred nationally.

Schools, transport, and hospitals are useful as presence signals, but they still have different source cadences.

Data status
Property prices
QGSO Housing Profiles · QVAS residential dwelling sales aggregated to SA2 and mapped to suburb pages
medium stability · automated · every update · quarterly
Missing
Market rent
ABS Census 2021 · Using Census rent fallback
stable source · manual file · snapshot · census-cycle
Verify
Crime
State crime dataset · Year ending May 2026 · Area-level release dataset
Available
Schools
ACARA 2025 · No local school matches exposed
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Missing
Hospitals
AIHW · No linked local hospital coverage
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Transport
GTFS feeds · No matched local transport stops
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Population growth
ABS ERP · No linked annual population growth series
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Missing
Building approvals
ABS Building Approvals · No linked approvals series
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Missing
Available means a direct local dataset is linked. Verify means coverage exists but freshness or precision is weaker, such as ABS price fallback, Census rent fallback, or low-confidence hospital matching.
Sparse locality note

This page stays indexable because Sapphire Central is a real locality with enough context to be directionally useful. The tradeoff is that coverage is lighter than a stronger suburb profile, so the read should stay cautious.

WHY IT LOOKS LIGHTER
The page is readable, but the local evidence base is lighter than a mainstream suburb profile.

Read it as a starting locality brief, then cross-check the suburb story against better-covered nearby markets or the state hub.

WHAT IS MISSING
Coverage is lighter across school matches, hospital coverage, transport stops, and population trend data.

Coverage is thinner on school matches, hospital coverage, transport stops, population trend data, and building approvals; lean less on this one page and confirm those gaps elsewhere.

BEST NEXT STEP
Use this page to understand the locality shape, then compare outward.

Start here for context, then open compare, the state hub, or larger nearby suburbs before treating this as a complete market decision.

Page status
INDEXED WITH LIGHTER COVERAGE

This page remains visible, but it should be read as a locality brief rather than a full-confidence suburb profile.

HOW TO READ THIS PAGE

This page is useful for direction-setting, not closure. Use it to frame the locality, then confirm the story with compare, stronger nearby suburbs, and the state hub.

Stronger nearby reads

If Sapphire Central feels too thin on its own, use these nearby suburbs as stronger local reads before making a shortlist decision.

Springsure most similar
similar rent profile similar suburb scale

pop -300 · rent +$40/wk

Similar local read: useful for context, but still compare the actual market signals.

Capella most similar
similar rent profile similar suburb scale

pop -200 · rent +$60/wk

Similar local read: useful for context, but still compare the actual market signals.

Comet most similar
similar rent profile

pop -900 · rent -$10/wk

Similar local read: useful for context, but still compare the actual market signals.

Sapphire Central FAQ

Common questions
  1. What LGA is Sapphire Central in?

    Sapphire Central is in the Central Highlands (Qld) Local Government Area, QLD, postcode 4702. Council-level context for Central Highlands (Qld) LGA (suburb mix, population, rent, and price coverage) is available on the QuickProperty LGA page.

  2. What is the typical weekly rent in Sapphire Central?

    The median weekly rent in Sapphire Central is $160/wk, based on ABS Census 2021 rent fallback.

  3. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Sapphire Central?

    Property prices come from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region. Demographics are from ABS Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA. Crime statistics are from state police agencies. Transport data is sourced from GTFS feeds.

  4. How often is the Sapphire Central data updated?

    Property prices update quarterly. RBA macro indicators update with each deploy. Demographics are from Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA 2025.