North Lakes
QLDNorth Lakes is a growing suburb in QLD with 23,030 residents.
- SAL code
- 32178
- SA2
- 314021579
- Population
- 23,030
- LGA
- Moreton Bay
North Lakes, QLD had 23,030 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 4.3% growth over the last five years. The predominant age group is 5-14 years, and the median age sits at 35. Households are most often couples with children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $1,950 a month. Around 59.1% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being owned with a mortgage at 41.5%. Most dwellings are separate houses, making up 84.9% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 93 parks and reserves mapped within its boundary. Source: ABS Census 2021 and Estimated Resident Population, with amenity counts from state Open Data and OpenStreetMap.
Suburb analysis
North Lakes, QLD at a glance
North Lakes is a master-planned outer-northern suburb ~26 km north of Brisbane CBD in the City of Moreton Bay. Most homes are 2000s-built on standard lots clustered around the Westfield retail core and the lakes; the population skews to professional families. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle and council pipeline.
For homebuyers
North Lakes is built around its retail and recreation spine, so daily life is unusually self-contained for an outer suburb. Westfield North Lakes anchors shopping with 200+ stores, IKEA, Costco and Bunnings on the same precinct; the man-made lakes and 60+ parks across the suburb carry the recreation load. Mango Hill train station (~5-10 min drive) puts you on the Redcliffe Peninsula line into Brisbane CBD in ~45 min, and the Bruce Highway is at the doorstep. North Lakes State College (P-12, ~2,950 students) is the public anchor; The Lakes College (independent, P-12) sits in the top three for NAPLAN in the Moreton region (2024). North Harbour and Mango Hill are the closest growth-corridor neighbours. In short: a self-contained family suburb with the retail + schools stack already built — long commute traded for the convenience.
For investors
North Lakes is a growth-led market with mid-pack yields. Median house sale ~$970,500 against $680/week rent gives a ~3.64% gross yield; units median rent $645/week → ~4.50% gross yield (htag.com.au, propertyvalue.com.au; data to early 2026). 12-month house growth +10.28%. 347 house + 63 unit sales in the past 12 months — a deep market. Days-on-market 14 (houses + units), per htag.com.au.
Strengths
- Strong recent capital growth (~+10.3% YoY houses; htag.com.au, data to early 2026).
- Deep transaction market (~410 sales/yr across houses + units) — easy to enter and exit.
- Fast leasing velocity — 14 days on market for both houses and units.
- Self-contained retail + schools anchor (Westfield, North Lakes State College, The Lakes College) supports tenant demand.
Trade-offs
- House yield is moderate (~3.6-3.8%) — capital growth plays carry the case, not cashflow.
- Stretched affordability — typical price ~$1.19M (propertyvalue.com.au) sits well above outer-north medians.
- Brisbane CBD commute (~45 min by train via Mango Hill) is a quality-of-life cost vs inner suburbs.
- Continued master-planned land releases across the Moreton Bay growth corridor add medium-term supply pressure.
What's coming
City of Moreton Bay's first $1B budget (2025/26) earmarks ~$400M for infrastructure and capital works. Division 4 delivery includes wombat crossings on Diamond Jubilee Way at Discovery Drive, Endeavour Boulevard and Memorial Drive, five raised pedestrian crossings across North Lakes and Mango Hill, and active-school-travel works near North Lakes State College. The unified planning scheme rollout continues across 2026.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a self-contained family suburb with retail + schools already built, traded against the Brisbane commute. For investors: a growth-led play with deep liquidity and fast leasing — not a high-yield one.
Population
?23,030
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+4.3%
3yr: +3.8% · 10yr: +16.3%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$2,092/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
35
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?7/10
SA2 · middle-range
Unemployment
?4.1%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
4
3 primary, 3 secondary
Hospitals
No data for this suburb
Childcare services
?13
10 long day, 5 OSHC
Parks & green space
?93
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?58
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
?312
Moreton Bay · Feb 2026
Median Weekly Rent
Based on rental bond lodgements recorded by the state government.
Median House Sale Price
state Valuer-General sale price data not yet loaded for QLD
Safety & Crime
2025 Q4Reported incidents from QLD police. Offence rates may not reflect all crime.
Population over time — North Lakes (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; North Lakes suburb alone is ~23,030 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 633 to 24,527 over 24 years, averaging 16.5% per year.
Schools
4 in suburbSector
2 public · 2 private
Type
1 primary · 1 secondary · 2 K-12
Total enrolment
4,311(2 of 4 reporting)
Avg per school
2,156
Government school catchment
Catchment data is not yet available for QLD.
Source when available: QLD Department of Education — QSpatial State School Catchment Areas.
Profile
Census snapshot
Housing
Public housing 0.6%Almost entirely detached houses (84.9%), mixed tenure (59.1% own or mortgage), built for families (53% are 4 bed).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
QLD 33%
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire risk
Source: QLD QRA Bushfire Prone Area
As of Apr 2026
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped bushfire polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions.
Flood risk
Source: QLD Local Government Flood Planning Areas
As of May 2026
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped flood polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions.
Planning zones
8 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOT APPLICABLE | NOT APPLICABLEOther | 62.5% | 7.34 km² |
| INDUSTRY | INDUSTRYIndustrial | 4.5% | 0.52 km² |
| ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION | ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATIONEnvironmental | 3.8% | 0.44 km² |
| GENERAL RESIDENTIAL | GENERAL RESIDENTIALResidential | 1.2% | 0.14 km² |
| RURAL | RURALRural | 1.2% | 0.14 km² |
| LIMITED DEVELOPMENT | LIMITED DEVELOPMENTSpecial use | 1.1% | 0.13 km² |
| RECREATION AND OPEN SPACE | RECREATION AND OPEN SPACERecreation | 0.9% | 0.11 km² |
| CENTRE | CENTREBusiness | 0.4% | 0.04 km² |
Source: QLD DSDILGP Local Government Planning Scheme Zones (ZONE_QLD/2026-05-12/be11464ce5af1cd4) · As of May 2026. Zone boundaries are amended periodically; verify the exact property with the relevant council before relying on permitted use.