Tap water lookup: what is in your water, by city or postcode
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Which filter to buy depends on which city you live in more than on any brand. Choose your city, or type your postcode, and this page shows the disinfectant in your supply (chlorine or chloramine), how hard the water is, whether it is fluoridated, who supplies it, and the filter type that suits it.
Melbourne
- Disinfectant
- Chlorine in most zones; chloramine in western and growth-area systems
- Hardness
- Soft. About 31 mg/L average, 8 to 108 across zones.
- Fluoridated
- Yes
What it means: Softest in the country. Filter for taste only, unless your zone is chloraminated.
Which filter type suits it
- Kitchen tap. Most inner-Melbourne households want nothing more than chlorine taste out: a jug or an on-tap carbon filter is enough. Water filter jugs.
- Western and growth suburbs on chloramine. Catalytic carbon under the sink and a vitamin C shower filter. Standard carbon and KDF media remove only a fraction of chloramine. Chloramine water filters.
- Shower. KDF for the chlorinated majority of Melbourne; vitamin C where the network is chloraminated. Best shower filters.
- Fluoride. Reverse osmosis is the home method that removes it. Carbon filters do not. Reverse osmosis systems.
Check the disinfectant for your zone in your retailer's water quality report; the inner catchment-fed areas use chlorine, the west and the growth corridors use chloramine.
Sydney
- Disinfectant
- Mostly chlorine; chloramine in some delivery systems
- Hardness
- Soft. About 43 mg/L average, hardest zone under 60.
- Fluoridated
- Yes
What it means: Soft and easy. Any carbon filter handles it.
Which filter type suits it
- Kitchen tap. The cheapest carbon option works: an on-tap filter or a jug. Home owners who want it done properly: an under-sink unit. Tap water filters.
- Shower. A KDF shower filter handles Sydney's chlorine well, unless your zone is chloraminated. Best shower filters.
- If your delivery system uses chloramine. Sydney Water's reports say which. If yours does, the chloramine guide applies. Chloramine water filters.
- Fluoride. Reverse osmosis removes most of it; carbon filters leave it in. Reverse osmosis systems.
Check your delivery system in Sydney Water's current water quality report; most of the metropolitan area is straightforward chlorine.
Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan and Moreton Bay
- Disinfectant
- Chloramine in the Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan and Moreton Bay networks
- Hardness
- Moderate. Varies by zone and season.
- Fluoridated
- Yes
What it means: Chloramine changes everything: catalytic carbon and vitamin C, not standard media. The Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast networks are different; see their own entries.
Which filter type suits it
- Kitchen tap. An under-sink unit with catalytic carbon or a chloramine-rated carbon block. Ask the seller specifically about chloramine; standard carbon cartridges are the default and are the wrong ones here. Chloramine water filters.
- Shower. A vitamin C shower filter. KDF and standard carbon remove only a fraction of chloramine in the seconds water spends passing through. Shower filters for chloramine.
- Fluoride. Only reverse osmosis removes it at home. Choose a system with two carbon stages ahead of the membrane on chloraminated water. Reverse osmosis systems.
- Whole house. If you want chloramine out of every tap, the system has to name chloramine, not just chlorine; the chloramine guide lists the ones that do. Whole-house water filters.
Hardness varies with the blend of dam and desalinated water. Urban Utilities publishes hardness by supply zone in its water quality reports, and Unitywater's postcode checker covers Moreton Bay (its South zone, where monochloramine averages 0.72 mg/L); check yours before buying anything for scale.
Gold Coast
- Disinfectant
- Chlorine (sodium hypochlorite), residual target 0.2 to 1.8 mg/L; not chloramine
- Hardness
- Soft. 37 to 58 mg/L, average 47 (City of Gold Coast 2024–25 report, 130 samples).
- Fluoridated
- Yes, average 0.75 mg/L
What it means: Soft and chlorinated, unlike Brisbane. Any carbon or KDF filter handles the chlorine; reverse osmosis only if you want the fluoride out; nothing is needed for scale.
Which filter type suits it
- Kitchen tap. Any carbon filter handles the chlorine taste. Renters: an on-tap filter or a jug. Home owners: an under-sink unit, which also adds lead reduction for older fittings. Under-sink water filters.
- Shower. A KDF shower filter. Chlorinated water is what KDF was made for, so the vitamin C filter we recommend for Brisbane is unnecessary here. Best shower filters.
- Fluoride. Reverse osmosis is the home method that removes it. Carbon filters do not. Reverse osmosis systems.
- Scale. Nothing. At about 47 mg/L the water is soft and a softener would be wasted money. When a softener is worth it.
The Beenleigh chloramination facility belongs to Logan City and is outside the Gold Coast system; if you are on the Logan side of the boundary, the Brisbane entry applies. The City publishes an address-level water quality map for your own zone.
Sunshine Coast and Noosa
- Disinfectant
- Chlorine, going by Unitywater's published results: free chlorine averages about 1 mg/L and monochloramine is below detection in the North zone. Unitywater does not state the disinfectant by zone in words
- Hardness
- Soft to moderate. 20 to 102 mg/L, average 61 (Unitywater North zone results, 700 samples).
- Fluoridated
- Yes, average 0.74 mg/L
What it means: Soft to moderate and, on the published results, chlorinated rather than chloraminated. Standard carbon and KDF filters work; confirm with Unitywater's postcode checker before buying anything specialised.
Which filter type suits it
- Kitchen tap. A carbon filter for chlorine taste: a jug or on-tap unit in a rental, an under-sink unit in a home you own. Under-sink water filters.
- Shower. A KDF shower filter on chlorinated water. If your own postcode result shows monochloramine present, use the chloramine shower guide instead. Best shower filters.
- Fluoride. Reverse osmosis is the home method that removes it. Carbon filters do not. Reverse osmosis systems.
- Scale. Average hardness of about 61 mg/L is on the soft side of moderate; kettles scale slowly and a softener is rarely worth it. When a softener is worth it.
Unitywater's postcode checker returns free chlorine, total chlorine, monochloramine and hardness for your zone; the North zone covers the Sunshine Coast and Noosa, the South zone (Moreton Bay) is chloraminated and is covered under Brisbane. Gympie (4570 and north) is a different utility.
Adelaide
- Disinfectant
- Chloramine across the metropolitan area
- Hardness
- Hard to very hard. About 130 to 200 mg/L, higher in summer.
- Fluoridated
- Yes
What it means: Hard and chloraminated. Reverse osmosis at the kitchen, vitamin C in the shower.
Which filter type suits it
- Kitchen tap. Reverse osmosis. It is the only common home treatment that removes hardness, dissolved solids and fluoride at once; choose a remineralising model if flat-tasting water bothers you. Reverse osmosis systems.
- Shower. A vitamin C shower filter for the chloramine. Nothing on a shower arm softens the water. Shower filters for chloramine.
- Scale. A whole-house ion-exchange softener installed by a plumber is the only real fix for scale everywhere; a shower filter will not soften water. Hard water shower filters: what they fix and what they do not.
- Whole house. A softener installed by a plumber, with a sediment and carbon pre-filter in front of it. Whole-house water filters.
Hardness varies with how much River Murray water is in the blend, which rises in summer; check SA Water's current figures for your area.
Perth
- Disinfectant
- Free chlorine
- Hardness
- Moderate to very hard, hardest of the capitals. About 100 to over 200 mg/L depending on the zone.
- Fluoridated
- Yes
What it means: Very hard but easy to filter for taste. Scale needs a softener.
Which filter type suits it
- Kitchen tap. Reverse osmosis for scale and fluoride at the tap, ideally with a remineraliser for taste. Reverse osmosis systems.
- Shower. Perth uses free chlorine, so a KDF shower filter works. Nothing on a shower arm softens water. Best shower filters.
- Scale. A whole-house ion-exchange softener from a plumber is the only real fix. Read the hard water guide before expecting anything more from a filter. Hard water shower filters: what they fix and what they do not.
- Whole house. A whole-house filter handles sediment and chlorine for every tap but not hardness; pair it with a softener if scale is the problem. Whole-house water filters.
Hardness varies by zone; check yours in Water Corporation's reporting.
The capitals and south-east Queensland compared
| City | Hardness (mg/L as CaCO₃) | Disinfectant | Fluoridated | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne | Soft. About 31 mg/L average, 8 to 108 across zones | Chlorine in most zones; chloramine in western and growth-area systems | Yes | Softest in the country. Filter for taste only, unless your zone is chloraminated. |
| Sydney | Soft. About 43 mg/L average, hardest zone under 60 | Mostly chlorine; chloramine in some delivery systems | Yes | Soft and easy. Any carbon filter handles it. |
| Brisbane | Moderate. Varies by zone and season | Chloramine in the Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan and Moreton Bay networks | Yes | Chloramine changes everything: catalytic carbon and vitamin C, not standard media. The Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast networks are different; see their own entries. |
| Gold Coast | Soft. 37 to 58 mg/L, average 47 (City of Gold Coast 2024–25 report, 130 samples) | Chlorine (sodium hypochlorite), residual target 0.2 to 1.8 mg/L; not chloramine | Yes, average 0.75 mg/L | Soft and chlorinated, unlike Brisbane. Any carbon or KDF filter handles the chlorine; reverse osmosis only if you want the fluoride out; nothing is needed for scale. |
| Sunshine Coast | Soft to moderate. 20 to 102 mg/L, average 61 (Unitywater North zone results, 700 samples) | Chlorine, going by Unitywater's published results: free chlorine averages about 1 mg/L and monochloramine is below detection in the North zone. Unitywater does not state the disinfectant by zone in words | Yes, average 0.74 mg/L | Soft to moderate and, on the published results, chlorinated rather than chloraminated. Standard carbon and KDF filters work; confirm with Unitywater's postcode checker before buying anything specialised. |
| Adelaide | Hard to very hard. About 130 to 200 mg/L, higher in summer | Chloramine across the metropolitan area | Yes | Hard and chloraminated. Reverse osmosis at the kitchen, vitamin C in the shower. |
| Perth | Moderate to very hard, hardest of the capitals. About 100 to over 200 mg/L depending on the zone | Free chlorine | Yes | Very hard but easy to filter for taste. Scale needs a softener. |
Reading the result
Disinfectant decides your filter media. Chlorine is easy: any carbon or KDF filter reduces it. Chloramine is stable and needs catalytic carbon for drinking water and vitamin C for showers. Buying a standard filter in a chloramine city is the most common mistake in this whole category; the chloramine filter guide lists the systems sold in Australia that are rated for it.
Hardness is minerals, not contaminants; it scales kettles and makes soap lather poorly. No cartridge filter removes it. Reverse osmosis does at one tap; a softener does for the house, and a whole-house filter handles sediment and chlorine but not hardness. A shower filter will not soften water, whatever the packaging says.
Fluoride is in every supply listed here. It passes straight through carbon. Reverse osmosis removes most of it.
Every capital treats to the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines set by the NHMRC. People filter for taste, chlorine or chloramine smell, scale, or to remove fluoride by choice.
Not in one of these cities?
The lookup covers the five mainland capitals plus the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, because those are the supplies we have written up from the utilities' own reporting. Everywhere else, your water utility's annual water quality report lists the disinfectant and hardness by supply zone; search the utility's name plus "water quality report", or ring them. Do not guess from smell: chloramine has less odour than chlorine, which is exactly why utilities use it.