Herberton, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Herberton sits high on the Atherton Tableland of far north Queensland, about 95 kilometres south-west of Cairns and part of the traditional land of the Dyirbal people. The prospector James Venture Mulligan came searching for gold in 1875 but found rich tin instead, and the town was founded in 1880 by John Newell. Its name is thought to derive from the nearby Herbert River and possibly also from Robert Herbert, Queensland's first premier. For a century Herberton was one of Australia's most important tin-mining centres, until the last mines closed in 1985. The old streetscape now draws visitors to the sprawling Historic Village, where dozens of restored buildings recreate a pioneer mining town, complemented by mining and heritage museums set among the cool tableland hills.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Herberton is more socio-economically advantaged than about 8% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 879, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Is Herberton a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Lower on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for Herberton from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Socio-economic advantage
8/100Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (8/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
71/100More affordable than the national median
Median weekly rent was $220 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 71% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- Amenities & accessNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap amenity mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- Green spaceNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap green-space mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- TransportNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap public-transport mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
Herberton at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 895
- Median age
- 51
- Median weekly household income
- $946
- SEIFA score
- 879
- Local government area
- Tablelands
- Coordinates
- -17.3900, 145.3870
Map of Herberton
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Herberton
What it costs to live in Herberton and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $220
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $999
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 73%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 22%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Herberton demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Herberton demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Herberton using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is seniors (65+) at 28% and 16% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 164 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 128 | 14% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 107 | 12% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 245 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 252 | 28% |
Share of the 896 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 154 | 49% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 77 | 24% |
| Rented | 69 | 22% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 299 | 95% |
| Townhouses & semis | 3 | 1% |
| Flats & apartments | 4 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 315 occupied private dwellings in Herberton.
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,300
- Median weekly personal income
- $488
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 122 (16%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 94 (12%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 179 (20%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 227 (34%)
- Labour-force participation
- 38.3%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.1%
- Employed full-time
- 130
- Employed part-time
- 112
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
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Common questions about Herberton
Is Herberton a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage and housing affordability, Herberton rates 29/100 overall (Lower on the data we score). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Herberton?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Herberton was $220, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $999. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Herberton?
Herberton is a suburb of Queensland, Australia, in the Tablelands local government area.
What is the population of Herberton?
At the 2021 Census, Herberton had a population of about 895.
Is Herberton an advantaged area?
Herberton has an ABS SEIFA score of 879, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 8 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 8% of Australian suburbs.
Nearby suburbs in Queensland
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