QLD · Sunshine Coast Council

Bells Creek, 4551

Est. population · Jun 2025

447

Growth (1 yr)

+9.0%

Growth (5 yr)

+71.3%

Median age

31

Median income

$1,942/wk

Employment rate

75.1%

Languages at home

7.6%non-English

Mostly English at home

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

48.6/100
Average

Top 34% of Queensland's suburbs

Verified 74% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • High desirability
  • Excellent transport
  • Education hub
What Bells Creek is known for: Green suburb, High desirability, Excellent transport, Education hub

Suburb profile

Bells Creek is a practical smaller community in Sunshine Coast Council, well placed for families who want metro access without the inner-city squeeze. Well placed between the city and outer suburbs, it offers practical access in every direction. Young professionals and new households shape much of the local mix, with family life visible on every street.

Everyday cafés are limited locally, with the wider metro area covering the bigger food and entertainment trips. Green space punches above what many metro suburbs offer, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb. A car helps for most daily errands, though buses still link the suburb further afield.

Housing sits above the suburban middle: not the top of the market, but clearly pricier than average. A growing community is gradually adding fresh energy without losing its local identity.

Desirability lands around average here: softer schools and education weighing on the result versus similar metro suburbs, even with safety, plus community and employment holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Bells Creek snapshot

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

447

+9.0% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

2.2%

Census unoccupied dwellings

Livability profile

Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Desirability

#63

among Metro Brisbane · Growth area

Safety

19th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

99th

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

8/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

66th

percentile among schools with ICSEA

Population growth

Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years

Housing mix

Dwelling types from the 2021 Census

Risks & flags

Quick scan — open a section below for full context

Living here

Desirability

Ranks & confidence
Desirability score
48.6/100 — Average
State standing
Top 34% of Queensland's suburbs
National rank
2354th in Australia
State rank
505th in QLD
Peer rank
#63 among Metro Brisbane · Growth area suburbs
Cohort rank
#270 among Metro Brisbane suburbs
Data confidence
74%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability indexSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Population

Estimated resident population

447(June 2025)

+9.0% annual · +71.3% over 5 years · 99th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+9.0%
5-year growth
+71.3%
Change in 1 year
+37
Change in 5 years
+186
Growth rank in QLD
99th percentile

ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.

Methodology

Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.

The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~750), extrapolated at +11.1% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
343
Median age
31
Median household income / week
$1,942
Dwelling vacancy
2.2%
Unoccupied private dwellings
3 of 139
Median monthly mortgage
$1,733
Employment rate
75.1%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
131 / 0 / 0

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • Estimated Resident PopulationAustralian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Community & culture

No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2026 to Aug 2026)
12
Against the person
2
Against property
6
Rate per 1,000 residents
26.8
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 172 residents
State safety percentile
18.5th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-2.7%

Most common offence types

  • Drug Offences353
  • Good Order Offences171
  • Other Property Damage183
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)577
  • Traffic And Related Offences225

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

  • QPS Online Crime MapQueensland Police Service · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Aug 2026; Jan 2026 to Aug 2026 · Updated · Calendar-year aggregates

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
2
Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
1,044.5
Median ICSEA percentile
66th
School list
  • Notre Dame CollegeCombined · Catholic · ICSEA 1066 · 74th percentile · LBOTE 31% · 216 students · Top SEA quarter 24% · 0.2 km awayView on My School →
  • Nirimba State Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1023 · 57th percentile · LBOTE 27% · 665 students · Top SEA quarter 16% · 0.8 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

5 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Aura Bvd at Annalise Circuit Park
  • Aura Bvd at Central Avenue
  • Aura Bvd at Graf Drive
  • Aura Bvd at Park Avenue
  • Bellvista Bvd at Emerald Drive

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Public transport stop coverage

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

43 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

3 playgrounds · 1 sports centres · 1 swimming pools

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life25 parks mapped in suburb, 3 playgrounds nearby
Walkability proxy
8/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
72.89
Community(2)
  • Nirimba State SchoolSchool
  • Notre Dame CollegeSchool
Sport & outdoors(20)
  • Neighbourhood Recreation ParkPark
  • Park (13)
  • Aura Dino Park At NirimbaPlayground
  • Playground (2)
  • Sports centre
  • Sports field
  • Swimming pool
Transport(3)

3 bus stops

Other(9)
  • Bbq
  • Bicycle Parking
  • Drinking water (2)
  • Caloundra South Fire StationFire station
  • Garden (3)
  • Parking (7)
  • Caloundra South Police StationPolice
  • Public toilets
  • Halcyon NirimbaSocial Facility

    25 Banya Avenue, Nirimba

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insightsSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenitiesOpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Parks & reserves

2 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Neighbourhood Recreation ParkPark
  • Violet Street ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
28
Parks (OSM)
25

OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)

Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Nearest hospital
Caloundra Hospital (6.6 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
15
Participants per 1,000 residents
33.6

Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.

For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.

Data sources & freshness

Weather

Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.

Summer (Dec–Feb)

Usual max / min
29° / 20°
Rainfall
498 mm · ~62 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
26° / 17°
Rainfall
406 mm · ~51 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
21° / 10°
Rainfall
196 mm · ~24 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
26° / 15°
Rainfall
256 mm · ~32 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normalsWorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Bushfire hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Hazard planning overlaysState government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Fisher
Member of Parliament
Andrew WALLACE (Liberal National Party of Queensland)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
139,064
Turnout (2025)
90.1%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+2.6 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 56.0%Labor 44.0%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 7.3 km away).

Coalition 45.7%Labor 54.3%

10.4 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +11.3 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • NirimbaLabor 56.2% · Coalition 43.8% TPP (2025)0.9 km away
  • BaringaLabor 49.5% · Coalition 50.5% TPP (2025)3.0 km away
  • Caloundra WestLabor 50.9% · Coalition 49.1% TPP (2025)3.9 km away
  • Pelican WatersLabor 39.0% · Coalition 61.0% TPP (2025)4.2 km away
  • Golden BeachLabor 44.4% · Coalition 55.6% TPP (2025)5.6 km away

Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
8/10
IRSD decile (2021)
9/10

ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).

What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?

IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.

IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.

A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)

Data sources & freshness

Compare with

Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.

More in Sunshine Coast Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.