Miles, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Miles is a town on the Western Downs of southern Queensland, about 340 kilometres west of Brisbane on the Warrego Highway. It began as Dogwood Crossing, on Dogwood Creek, a name given by the German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt in 1844, and was later renamed in honour of William Miles, a Queensland colonial secretary. The post office opened in 1878 as the railway pushed west. Miles is best known for its Historical Village and Museum, a recreated early-Queensland streetscape of more than thirty buildings, many of them genuine structures relocated from around the district. The town also celebrates its bush heritage with the biennial Back to the Bush Festival. Grain, grazing and gas now drive the surrounding economy.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Miles is more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 897, 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.
Miles at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,874
- Median age
- 38
- Median weekly household income
- $1,263
- SEIFA score
- 897
- Coordinates
- -26.7216, 150.1521
Miles demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Miles 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 mid-life (45–64) at 25%, 47% of homes are rented, and 11% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 379 | 20% |
| Youth (15–24) | 229 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 440 | 24% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 458 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 360 | 19% |
Share of the 1,866 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 195 | 28% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 129 | 19% |
| Rented | 325 | 47% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 545 | 79% |
| Townhouses & semis | 114 | 17% |
| Flats & apartments | 13 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 688 occupied private dwellings in Miles.
- Median weekly rent
- $200
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,020
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,625
- Median weekly personal income
- $716
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 186 (11%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 105 (6%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 183 (10%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 615 (43%)
- Labour-force participation
- 55.2%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.1%
- Employed full-time
- 511
- Employed part-time
- 232
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.
Common questions about Miles
Where is Miles?
Miles is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Miles?
At the 2021 Census, Miles had a population of about 1,874.
Is Miles an advantaged area?
Miles has an ABS SEIFA score of 897, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 11 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of Australian suburbs.
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