Data Sources

Where the data comes from.

Quokka doesn't create any of this data. Every number you see — median prices, crime rates, school scores, demographics — is published for free by Australian government agencies and research bodies.

What we do is collect it, normalise it into a consistent structure, keep it updated, and put it in one place. The data that used to live across a dozen spreadsheets, government portals, and annual reports now lives in one tool you can actually use to make a decision.

We think the people and organisations behind this data deserve proper credit. Here's exactly where it comes from.

Property prices

Quarterly median sale prices by suburb, sourced from each state's Valuer General office — the official statutory body for property valuations in Australia.

SA Valuer General
South Australia — Quarterly median prices by suburb
API
data.sa.gov.au
NSW Valuer General
New South Wales — Quarterly median prices by suburb
File
valuation.property.nsw.gov.au
A note on NSW data

The NSW Valuer General bulk data files are notoriously hard to parse — sprawling ZIP archives with inconsistent formats going back years. nswpropertysalesdata.com — built by someone with the exact same house-buying frustration — did the hard work of making this accessible to mere mortals. A genuine shout-out is the least we can do.

VIC Valuer General
Victoria — Quarterly median prices by suburb
File
data.gov.au

Demographics & socio-economic

Census data and socio-economic indices from the Australian Bureau of Statistics — the most authoritative snapshot of who lives where in Australia.

ABS Census 2021
Median age, household income, mortgage, rent, household size, tenure, age distribution
API
abs.gov.au/census
ABS SEIFA 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas — IRSAD, IRSD, IEO, IER scores and deciles by suburb
API
abs.gov.au — SEIFA 2021

Crime statistics

Annual recorded offences by suburb and category, sourced directly from each state's official crime statistics authority.

SA Police
via SA Open Data Portal
data.sa.gov.au
NSW BOCSAR
Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research
bocsar.nsw.gov.au
VIC Crime Statistics Agency
Recorded offences by suburb
crimestatistics.vic.gov.au
Queensland Police Service
Suburb crime statistics by category
police.qld.gov.au

Bushfire hazard

Bushfire prone land and protection area classifications from state planning and emergency services agencies.

SA DPTI
Dept for Planning and Infrastructure — Bushfire Protection Areas
NSW RFS
Rural Fire Service — Bushfire Prone Land via NSW Planning Portal
VIC OpenData
Victorian Government open geospatial data — Bushfire Prone Areas

Schools

School locations, ICSEA scores, sector, and type from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.

ACARA — School Profile 2025
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority — names, locations, ICSEA, sector
File
acara.edu.au — Data Access

Mobile coverage

Tower locations for all major Australian carriers, from the ACCC's annual Mobile Infrastructure Report.

ACCC — Mobile Infrastructure Report 2025
Telstra, Optus, and TPG tower locations with 3G/4G/5G support — via data.gov.au
API
data.gov.au — ACCC Mobile Infrastructure

A note on accuracy

We update data when the source publishes new releases — typically annually for Census, SEIFA, schools, and crime; quarterly for prices. If you spot something that looks wrong or outdated, let us know.

All source data is published under open government licences. Quokka doesn't repackage or resell raw data files — we use them to generate the aggregated suburb-level summaries you see in the app.