suburb.guide

QLD · Whitsunday Council

Bowen, QLD, 4805

Current weather

18.6°CClear sky

88% humidity · 10.6 km/h wind · 24.8° / 16.7° today · 0 mm rain

Desirability index

83.8/100

#59 among Coastal & beach suburbs

How this score is calculated

Suburb snapshot

Bowen is a mid-sized suburb in the Whitsunday area, home to around 11,205 residents (2021 Census). Recent indicators show 639 offences in Jan 2026 to Dec 2026 with falling year-on-year trends (-48%), roughly 57.0 offences per 1,000 residents, median weekly rent around $500, 5 school and preschool sites in the area, a quieter amenity profile than busier neighbouring suburbs, 1 active roadworks or transport incidents on nearby routes, and some planning and development activity on record. Snapshot data also shows parks or public open space within the suburb and hospitals or GP clinics within the suburb.

Population

Population
11,205
Median age
42
Median household income / week
$1,343
Dwelling vacancy
13.3%
Unoccupied private dwellings
621 of 4,669
Median monthly mortgage
$1,500
Employment rate
53.4%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
331 / 531 / 14

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release

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

Housing

All types (Mar 2026)
$500

Median weekly rent from Queensland RTA rental bond data. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.

Data sources & freshness

Crime & safety

Total offences (Jan 2026 to Dec 2026)
639
Against the person
133
Against property
262
Rate per 1,000 residents
57
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 84 residents
State safety percentile
8.8th (lower crime is better)
Year-on-year change
-47.9%

Most common offence types

  • Drug Offences84
  • Good Order Offences76
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)107
  • Traffic And Related Offences131
  • Unlawful Entry61

Data sources & freshness

  • QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Dec 2026; Jan 2026 to Dec 2026 · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates

Schools & preschools

Schools & preschools
5
Median school ICSEA (5 schools)
927
  • Bowen State High SchoolSecondary
  • Bowen State SchoolPrimary
  • Merinda State SchoolPrimary
  • Queens Beach State SchoolPrimary
  • St Mary's Catholic SchoolPrimary

Data sources & freshness

Roadworks & transport

1 active roadworks / incidents

  • Greata Creek to Emu CreekBruce Highway, n/a16 Jun 2026 – 30 Oct 2026

Data sources & freshness

  • Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · Hourly refresh where supported

Planning & development

Development applications from QLD coordinated projects (lodged 2020–2026).

1 planning-related records

Other· 1 proposal
  • Abbot Point Coal Terminal Expansion
    Stage 3. Duplication of the existing terminal infrastructure, which will double the Port of Abbot Point's capacity from 25 million tonnes per annum to 50 mtpa.Completed EIS project

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

1 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

  • Parking

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Parks & reserves

16 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Bosel's Nature RefugeNature reserve
  • Camping ReservePark
  • Case ParkPark
  • Col Leather Sporting ComplexPark
  • Davidson ParkPark
  • Denison ParkPark
  • Edgecumbe Heights Recreation ReservePark
  • Ethel Barker ParkPark
  • Foreshore ParkPark
  • Hansen ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics
3
Emergency department
On site
  • Adaptive Strategiescentre
  • Blue Care Respite Centrehospital
  • Bowen Hospitalhospital

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
2/10
IRSD decile (2021)
2/10

SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.

Data sources & freshness

Heritage

4 state heritage places

  • Bowen Court HouseState heritage place
  • Bowen Harbour Board Building (former)State heritage place
  • Bowen State SchoolState heritage place
  • Flemington Road CemeteryState heritage place

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid

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

Data sources & freshness

  • Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
50
Parks (OSM)
46

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

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Desirability index

Desirability score
83.8/100
Cohort rank
#59 among Coastal & beach suburbs

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics

Recent changes

  • Bowen Court HouseheritageState heritage place
  • Bowen Harbour Board Building (former)heritageState heritage place
  • Bowen State SchoolheritageState heritage place
  • Flemington Road CemeteryheritageState heritage place
  • Adaptive Strategieshealthcentre
  • Blue Care Respite Centrehealthhospital
  • Bowen Hospitalhealthhospital
  • Bosel's Nature Refugegovernmentnature_reserve
  • Camping Reservegovernmentpark
  • Camping Reservegovernmentpark

Data sources & freshness

Similar suburbs

Suburbs with a comparable population profile, socio-economic decile, and location.