Rochedale facts
Large houses
At the 2021 Census, 91.6% of occupied homes in the suburb were separate houses, and 84.1% had four or more bedrooms.
Bigger households
Households averaged 3.3 people, and 52.8% of homes were owned with a mortgage. Only 0.3% were flats.
Still growing
Council calls Rochedale a growing community. Its Gardner Road project will link Priestdale Road to Underwood Road, with a new bridge over the Bulimba Creek East Tributary.
Moderately hard water
Urban Utilities rates South East Queensland water hard to moderately hard; its 2024-25 mean for the supply serving Brisbane was 120 mg/L.
Hot water for a full house
Three or more people in a four-bedroom house put steady demand on hot water. When yours needs replacing, size it for the household and the bathrooms, not the old unit's label. Queensland requires a temperature control device on every new or replacement system, and the job is notifiable work the plumber reports to the QBCC.
Urban Utilities says hard water can scale up hot water systems, so ask how the new one copes. Our hot water replacement page compares the options.
Rainwater tanks plumbed into the house
To run the toilets or the laundry cold tap from a tank, Brisbane City Council needs a plumbing approval for the internal connection, and a licensed plumber must do it. They'll set it up to switch to town water when the tank runs dry, and fit backflow protection if tank and town water could mix.
Rainwater pipes get 'rainwater' labels every 500 mm. The tank itself needs building approval if it's within 450 mm of a boundary, over 2.4 m high, more than 1 m underground, or attached to one building and closer than 900 mm to another. See rainwater tanks.
Pressure, meters and leaks
Urban Utilities says most homes built after 2005 have a pressure reduction valve, usually at the side of the house, with a blue handle easily bumped by pets, kids or a hose. If pressure drops suddenly, check that handle before calling anyone.
The pipes from the front meter to the house are yours. Urban Utilities' meter test, with every tap off and no water used for an hour, shows whether water is escaping somewhere on the property. See leak detection and water pressure.
What we would do
With a big household, plan the hot water replacement before the old system fails, and ask for a size based on people and bathrooms. If you're adding a tank, get the internal connection approved and labelled from the start. And if the taps go weak one morning, look at the blue handle on the pressure valve before you book a plumber.