QLD · Bundaberg Council

Burnett Heads, 4670

Est. population · Jun 2025

3,301

Growth (1 yr)

+2.5%

Growth (5 yr)

+15.9%

Median age

55

Median income

$1,053/wk

Employment rate

41.4%

Languages at home

3.4%non-English

Most common: German, Russian, Malayalam

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

41.9/100
Average

Top 49% of Queensland's suburbs

Verified 73% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • National parks
  • Education hub
  • High desirability
What Burnett Heads is known for: Green suburb, National parks, Education hub, High desirability

Suburb profile

Burnett Heads offers a slower mid-sized suburb life in Bundaberg Council, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. The town centre holds its own, with enough local flavour to make staying close to home appealing.

Local shops are sparse, so a fuller set of amenities usually means travelling to a neighbouring town or regional hub. Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here, with buses covering longer trips across the wider area.

Property sits in a premium price band and is harder to enter for many buyers. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.

The overall desirability read is around average, pulled by softer community and employment, plus local dining and lifestyle amenities compared with similar regional towns, though safety remain brighter spots. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Burnett Heads snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

$580/wk

Population (ERP)

3,301

+2.5% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

10.4%

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

#106

among Country & regional · Mature

Safety

46th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

84th

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

1/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

36th

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
41.9/100 — Average
State standing
Top 49% of Queensland's suburbs
National rank
3424th in Australia
State rank
740th in QLD
Peer rank
#106 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#334 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
73%

Data sources & freshness

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

Housing

All types (Mar 2026)
$580

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

Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)

Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum

Data sources & freshness

Population

Estimated resident population

3,301(June 2025)

+2.5% annual · +15.9% over 5 years · 84th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+2.5%
5-year growth
+15.9%
Change in 1 year
+79
Change in 5 years
+454
Growth rank in QLD
84th 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 (~3,700), extrapolated at +2.3% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
2,908
Median age
55
Median household income / week
$1,053
Dwelling vacancy
10.4%
Unoccupied private dwellings
139 of 1,340
Median monthly mortgage
$1,300
Employment rate
41.4%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
1,127 / 3 / 10 (+ 58 other)

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)
138
Against the person
25
Against property
67
Rate per 1,000 residents
41.8
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 116 residents
State safety percentile
46.2th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-11.5%

Most common offence types

  • Drug Offences594
  • Good Order Offences314
  • Other Property Damage326
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)1023
  • Traffic And Related Offences494

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
1
Median school ICSEA
976
Median ICSEA percentile
36th
School list
  • Burnett Heads State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 976 · 36th percentile · LBOTE 6% · 96 students · Top SEA quarter 9% · 1.2 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Childcare

1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap

  • kindergartenkindergarten

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

Childcare centre count

Data sources & freshness

  • Childcare servicesOpenStreetMap · current · Updated

Amenities

17 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

1 playgrounds · 1 petrol stations

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life9 parks mapped in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
Walkability proxy
2/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
3.09
Shopping(1)
  • Convenience store
Community(1)
  • Burnett Heads State SchoolSchool
Sport & outdoors(2)
  • Oaks BeachPicnic area
  • Simpson ParkPlayground
Transport(1)

1 bus stops

Other(11)
  • Bbq
  • Bicycle Parking
  • Oaks Beach Caravan ParkCaravan Site
  • Parking
  • 'The Oaks' StorePetrol station
  • Picnic Table (2)
  • Australia PostPost Box
  • Public toilets
  • Shelter
  • Shower
  • Telephone

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

8 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • 4bu ParkPark
  • Dorothea Mackellar ParkPark
  • Gorman ParkPark
  • Jack Strathdee Memorial ParkPark
  • Jan McDonald Bicentenial ParkPark
  • Lighthouse ParkPark
  • Memorial ParkPark
  • South Head ParklandsPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
10
Parks (OSM)
9

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
Friendly Society Private Hospital (12.2 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)
90
Participants per 1,000 residents
27.3

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
30° / 21°
Rainfall
401 mm · ~50 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
27° / 17°
Rainfall
232 mm · ~29 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
22° / 10°
Rainfall
108 mm · ~14 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
27° / 16°
Rainfall
207 mm · ~26 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
Hinkler
Member of Parliament
David BATT (Liberal National Party of Queensland)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
127,702
Turnout (2025)
89.8%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+3.8 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 56.3%Labor 43.7%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 11.3 km away).

Coalition 55.4%Labor 44.6%

0.9 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: -2.7 pp toward Coalition

Nearest polling places

  • Burnett HeadsLabor 44.6% · Coalition 55.4% TPP (2025)1.1 km away
  • BargaraLabor 43.9% · Coalition 56.1% TPP (2025)7.1 km away
  • KalkieLabor 41.3% · Coalition 58.7% TPP (2025)7.7 km away
  • WindermereLabor 48.5% · Coalition 51.5% TPP (2025)9.8 km away
  • Bundaberg EastLabor 46.4% · Coalition 53.6% TPP (2025)9.9 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)
1/10
IRSD decile (2021)
2/10

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

More in Bundaberg Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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