Brookwater vs Ellen GroveTwo suburbs compared for a home loan
Brookwater (QLD 4300) is approximately 23 km south-east of the Ipswich CBD and 33 km south-west of the Brisbane CBD. Ellen Grove (QLD 4078) is approximately 24 km south-west of the Brisbane CBD, beside the Centenary Highway. At the 2021 Census, Brookwater had 2,902 residents with a median age of 38, and Ellen Grove had 3,586 residents with a median age of 30.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 0% of occupied dwellings in Brookwater and 2% in Ellen Grove, while 15% of Brookwater households rented compared with 69% in Ellen Grove. These differences matter for finance, because lenders assess apartments, strata buildings and houses on land differently.
Both suburbs are in the same state, so transfer duty is calculated on the same scale and the difference in upfront cost comes from the purchase price. The panel below applies that scale, and an estimate of lenders mortgage insurance, to the prices you enter.
QLD 4300 · Greater Springfield
Brookwater
Brookwater is a golf course estate suburb where 65.8 per cent of households held a mortgage at the 2021 Census, against 35.0 per cent nationally.
City of Ipswich. Approximately 23 km south-east of the Ipswich CBD and 33 km south-west of the Brisbane CBD.
Read the full Brookwater guideQLD 4078 · South West Brisbane
Ellen Grove
Ellen Grove is an outer south-west Brisbane suburb where 68.6 per cent of households rented at the 2021 Census and only 11.1 per cent owned outright.
Brisbane City Council. Approximately 24 km south-west of the Brisbane CBD, beside the Centenary Highway.
Read the full Ellen Grove guide
What buying in Brookwater and Ellen Grove would mean for the loan
The difference between two suburbs is usually a difference in price, and price drives the deposit, the transfer duty, any lenders mortgage insurance and the repayment. Enter the prices you are seeing and the panel works out each of those for Brookwater and Ellen Grove.
Your prices and deposit
Enter the price you are seeing in each suburb. BorrowWise does not quote prices, so the comparison uses yours.
Enter a price for Brookwater to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Ellen Grove to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Warning: The interest rate used here is an example only. It is not a comparison rate and is not a rate offered by any lender, and it does not include fees and charges. Different rates, terms, fees or loan amounts will give a different result.
Estimates only. Repayments assume a principal and interest loan at a constant rate, which is an assumption and not a current market rate. Transfer duty is indicative for established homes, first home buyer relief depends on eligibility, and upfront cash includes an allowance of $3,000 for conveyancing and inspections. Lenders mortgage insurance is an estimate and is added to the loan. A lender makes its own assessment.
Brookwater and Ellen Grove: Census profile compared
Figures are from the 2021 Census, so rents, repayments and incomes have moved since. They are most useful for comparing one suburb with another and with Australia as a whole.
| Measure | Brookwater | Ellen Grove |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 2,902 | 3,586 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 38 | 30 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 3.2 | 2.9 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $3,637 | $1,353 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $565 | $350 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,615 | $1,491 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 15% | 69% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 66% | 19% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 20% | 11% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 96% | 61% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 4% | 37% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 0% | 2% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 0% | 4% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 84% | 19% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 8% | 7% |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0). Tenure shares exclude households that did not state their tenure. Dwelling shares are of occupied private dwellings.
Home loan considerations in Brookwater and Ellen Grove
Lenders treat houses on land, townhouses and apartments differently, and some apply extra conditions to small apartments, high-density buildings or particular postcodes. These are the points each guide raises.
Brookwater
- Upgraders
- Investors
- Estate design covenants run with the land and bind later buyers, not only the original purchaser.
- Construction loans draw down in stages against an as-if-complete valuation, and post-approval variations can leave a funding gap.
- Lower loan-to-value caps commonly apply above certain loan or property value thresholds at this end of the market.
- Individually designed houses on sloping sites give valuers few directly comparable sales, so a deposit buffer helps.
- A mortgage share of 65.8 per cent makes the suburb sensitive to changes in the cost of borrowing.
Ellen Grove
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Median household income of $1,353 against the national $1,746 makes assessed serviceability the binding constraint.
- A lender counts only the applicants' income, while each dependant raises the household expenditure measure applied.
- Body corporate levies on the 423 attached dwellings reduce assessed borrowing capacity as a committed expense.
- Single-development exposure limits and a high proportion of rented lots can lower the loan-to-value ratio offered.
- Bullockhead Creek exposure should be checked address by address through a FloodWise Property Report.
Housing stock in Brookwater and Ellen Grove compared
Brookwater
- Detached estate houses
- Separate houses numbered 852 at the 2021 Census, 95.6 per cent of occupied homes, on lots following the golf course.
- Four and five bedroom homes
- The Census recorded 543 dwellings with four bedrooms and 204 with five or more, and none with fewer than three.
- Limited attached housing
- Townhouse and semi-detached dwellings numbered 39, or 4.4 per cent, and no apartments were recorded.
Ellen Grove
- Three-bedroom dwellings
- The Census recorded 878 of 1,155 occupied dwellings with three bedrooms, an unusually uniform stock.
- Townhouses
- Townhouse and semi-detached dwellings numbered 423, or 36.6 per cent, close to three times the national 12.6 per cent.
- Detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 707, or 61.2 per cent, below the national share of 72.3 per cent.
Official sale price and rent figures for Brookwater and Ellen Grove
Only figures published free of charge by a government agency are shown. Where none is published the space is left empty rather than filled with an estimate. Each guide charts the full series.
Brookwater
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Brookwater, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Ellen Grove
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Ellen Grove, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Transport, schools and amenities in Brookwater and Ellen Grove
Brookwater
Transport
- Springfield Central station (train)
- Greater Springfield bus services (bus)
- Centenary Highway (road)
- Logan Motorway (road)
Amenities
- Brookwater Golf and Country Club
- Brookwater Village Shopping Centre
- Mater Health Centre Brookwater
- Opossum Creek Parklands
Ellen Grove
Transport
- Richlands station (train)
- Springfield station (train)
- Waterford Road bus services (bus)
- Centenary Highway (road)
Amenities
- Waterford Road shops
- Ellen Grove Post Office
- Bullockhead Creek corridor
- Forest Lake Uniting Church
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the Queensland education department.
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Request a free assessment: Brookwater or Ellen Grove
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Brookwater and Ellen Grove, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.