Surat, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Surat is a small town in the Maranoa region of southern Queensland, set on the Balonne River about 75 kilometres south of Roma and roughly 450 kilometres west of Brisbane. The Mandandanji people lived across the surrounding country. Sir Thomas Mitchell passed through in 1846, pastoral squatters followed within a couple of years, and the township was established around 1850 and surveyed in 1851. Why an early run was called Surat is unknown, though it may echo the Indian city of the same name. The town is best known today for its coaching heritage, celebrated at the Cobb and Co Changing Station museum, and for fishing on the Balonne, whose deep waterholes are prized for Murray cod. Heritage buildings include the Astor Theatre and the old Warroo Shire Hall.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Surat is more socio-economically advantaged than about 6% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 864, 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.
Surat at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 402
- Median age
- 47
- Median weekly household income
- $1,062
- SEIFA score
- 864
- Coordinates
- -27.1526, 149.0638
Surat demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Surat 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 26%, 40% of homes are rented, and 5% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 85 | 21% |
| Youth (15–24) | 19 | 5% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 96 | 24% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 104 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 96 | 24% |
Share of the 400 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 56 | 31% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 39 | 22% |
| Rented | 71 | 40% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 156 | 90% |
| Townhouses & semis | 3 | 2% |
| Flats & apartments | 10 | 6% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 173 occupied private dwellings in Surat.
- Median weekly rent
- $150
- Median monthly mortgage
- $780
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,542
- Median weekly personal income
- $690
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 19 (5%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 5 (1%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 83 (21%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 91 (29%)
- Labour-force participation
- 50.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 1.9%
- Employed full-time
- 102
- Employed part-time
- 43
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 Surat
Where is Surat?
Surat is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Surat?
At the 2021 Census, Surat had a population of about 402.
Is Surat an advantaged area?
Surat has an ABS SEIFA score of 864, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 6 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 6% of Australian suburbs.
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