Tambo, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Tambo is a small town on the Barcoo River in Central West Queensland, about 862 kilometres north-west of Brisbane and roughly 100 kilometres south-east of Blackall. Several Aboriginal groups, including the Pitjara, are recorded as having lived across the surrounding country. The town's name is said to come from an Aboriginal word, variously translated as hidden place, resting place or shady waters. Established in 1863 as Carrangarra and renamed Tambo in 1868, it is said to be one of the oldest towns in western Queensland, and its heritage trail links seventeen historic buildings. Today Tambo is best known for the Tambo Teddies, handcrafted woollen teddy bears made locally since 1992, which celebrate the district's long sheep and wool history.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Tambo is more socio-economically advantaged than about 5% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 858, 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 Tambo 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 Tambo 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
5/100Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (5/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
89/100More affordable than most suburbs
Median weekly rent was $144 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 89% 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.
Tambo at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 318
- Median age
- 48
- Median weekly household income
- $1,272
- SEIFA score
- 858
- Local government area
- Blackall Tambo
- Coordinates
- -24.9114, 146.3308
Map of Tambo
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Tambo
What it costs to live in Tambo and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $144
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $729
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 58%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 33%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Tambo demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Tambo demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Tambo 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 29% and 7% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 55 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 28 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 65 | 20% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 92 | 29% |
| Seniors (65+) | 80 | 25% |
Share of the 320 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 52 | 39% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 25 | 19% |
| Rented | 44 | 33% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 137 | 100% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 137 occupied private dwellings in Tambo.
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,357
- Median weekly personal income
- $702
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 20 (7%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 6 (2%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 32 (10%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 87 (33%)
- Labour-force participation
- 62.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.8%
- Employed full-time
- 106
- Employed part-time
- 42
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.
Share your local knowledge of Tambo
Lived here or spent time in Tambo? Add a review or a quick tip. Reviews and tips are moderated before they appear.
Common questions about Tambo
Is Tambo 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, Tambo rates 33/100 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 Tambo?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Tambo was $144, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $729. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Tambo?
Tambo is a suburb of Queensland, Australia, in the Blackall Tambo local government area.
What is the population of Tambo?
At the 2021 Census, Tambo had a population of about 318.
Is Tambo an advantaged area?
Tambo has an ABS SEIFA score of 858, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 5 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 5% of Australian suburbs.
Nearby suburbs in Queensland
More suburb guides in Queensland
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.