suburb.guide

QLD · Gold Coast Council

Clear Island Waters, 4226

Est. population · Jun 2025

4,556

Growth (1 yr)

+1.1%

Growth (5 yr)

+3.9%

Median age

50

Median income

$1,617/wk

Employment rate

49.3%

University qualified

27.7%

Work from home

18.6%

Languages at home

24.8%non-English

Most common: Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

49.4/100
Average

Top 26% of Queensland's suburbs

Verified 90% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Golf
  • Outer suburban
What Clear Island Waters is known for: Golf, Outer suburban

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Clear Island Waters, QLD suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Clear Island Waters, QLD Suburb Guide”, updated 2 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/qld/clear-island-waters

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Suburb profile

Clear Island Waters is an outer metropolitan suburb of Brisbane, in Gold Coast Council, with mainly mixed commercial and residential development. The Clear Island is part of the surrounding geography.

Open-space access is better than in most comparable places, well above typical levels for outer metropolitan suburbs. University qualifications are among the highest in the peer group, with university qualifications 65% above the peer median, and working from home is another area where the suburb performs particularly well, with working from home 43% above the peer median, and socio-economic advantage sits well above the peer median. The main trade-offs are higher rents and weaker public transport, with median rents 50% above the peer median.

Overall, Clear Island Waters suits people prioritising university qualifications and open space over lower rents.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Outer metropolitan suburb · compared with outer metropolitan suburbs in Queensland (215)

Strengths

  • University qualifications are among the highest in the peer group
  • Working from home is a relative strength
  • Open-space access is better than in most comparable places
  • Socio-economic advantage sits well above the peer median

Weaknesses

  • Rents are among the highest in the peer group
  • Public transport coverage is sparse

What stands out

  • Overseas-born and multilingual community
  • Island

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How Clear Island Waters compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent

$1,000/wk

Population (ERP)

4,556

+1.1% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

6.6%

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

#22

among Metro Brisbane · Mature

Crime rate

19th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

46th

percentile in QLD

Rented dwellings

21%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

9/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

71st

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
49.4/100 — Average
State standing
Top 26% of Queensland's suburbs
National rank
2117th in Australia
State rank
395th in QLD
Peer rank
#22 among Metro Brisbane · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#223 among Metro Brisbane suburbs
Data confidence
90%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Housing

All types (Mar 2026)
$1,000

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 (10%) · Future Growth (6%)

Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band

Data sources & freshness

Population

Estimated resident population

4,556(June 2025)

+1.1% annual · +3.9% over 5 years · 46th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.1%
5-year growth
+3.9%
Change in 1 year
+48
Change in 5 years
+171
Growth rank in QLD
46th 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 (~4,700), extrapolated at +0.7% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
4,395
Median age
50
Median household income / week
$1,617
Dwelling vacancy
6.6%
Unoccupied private dwellings
115 of 1,739
Median monthly mortgage
$2,167
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$540
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
47.4% / 31.3% / 21.3%
Employment rate
49.3%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
18.6% / 0.7% / 66.8%
Walked or cycled to work
1.2%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
1,027 / 412 / 177

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

  • Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Qualifications

27.7% of adults have a university degree, compared with 21.9% across Queensland. 12.3% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified27.7% · 21.9% QLD
  • Diploma qualified10.8% · 9.4% QLD
  • Trade / vocational12.3% · 18.9% QLD
  • Year 12 or below49.2% · 49.8% QLD

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Management and commerce28.8%
  • Health15.2%
  • Society and culture12.9%
  • Engineering and related technologies12%
  • Education7.9%
  • Architecture and building6.8%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$55,757

52nd percentile in QLD · -5% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$61,048

51st percentile in QLD · -6% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
12.0%

65th percentile in QLD · -13% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$57,136

30th percentile in QLD · -10% vs Australia

Residents with business income
12.0%

68th percentile in QLD · +15% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 4226 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
24,756
Taxpayers reporting net rent
2,994
Median net rent
$756
Taxpayers reporting business income
3,010
Taxable income vs state median
+1%
Salary / wages vs state median
0%
Rental investment vs state median
+9%
Super vs state median
-18%
Business income vs state median
+20%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in QLD, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

24.8% speak a language other than English at home; 39.5% born overseas

Language at home
3,139 English only · 1,037 other
Non-English at home
24.8%
Born overseas
1,657 (39.5%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
41 (0.9%)
Australian citizens
3,668
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
26

Top languages other than English

Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).

  • Mandarin189 · 43.6%
  • Cantonese24 · 5.5%
  • Spanish23 · 5.3%
  • Japanese20 · 4.6%
  • Portuguese19 · 4.4%
  • Italian16 · 3.7%
  • Punjabi15 · 3.5%
  • Persian13 · 3%

Religion

53.3%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 53.3%, while 32.7% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion32.7%40.7%
Christianity53.3%45.7%
Buddhism2.2%1.4%
Other / not stated11.8%12.1%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic24.2%18.6%
Anglican14.5%11.3%
Uniting Church3.3%3.6%
Christian (not further defined)3.2%3.1%
Eastern Orthodox2.5%0.7%
Presbyterian and Reformed2.2%2.1%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

Crime & safety

Offence counts are estimated for this suburb from postcode 4226, which is shared with other suburbs.

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

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2026 to Sep 2026)
145
Against the person
21
Against property
86
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
42.5
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 209 residents
State crime-rate percentile
18.8th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-1.6%

Most common offence types

  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)55
  • Traffic And Related Offences12
  • Assault10
  • Drug Offences18
  • Unlawful Entry10

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

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

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
2
Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
1,060
Median ICSEA percentile
71th
Primary catchments overlapping suburb
4
Secondary catchments overlapping suburb
1
School list
  • St Vincent's Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1091 · 82th percentile · LBOTE 4% · 794 students · Top SEA quarter 32% · 0.9 km awayView on My School →
  • Merrimac State High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1029 · 59th percentile · LBOTE 28% · 930 students · Top SEA quarter 13% · 1.9 km awayView on My School →
School catchments
  • Broadbeach SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Merrimac SHSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Merrimac SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Miami SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Robina SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment

Government school intake zones that overlap this suburb boundary. Living in a catchment does not guarantee enrolment; check the education authority.

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

3 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Gooding Dr at Merrimac Golf Course
  • Markeri St at Ron Penhaligon Way
  • Nerang Broadbeach Rd at Fairway Drive

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

47 mapped amenities

1 cafes · 1 places of worship · 1 playgrounds · 1 dog parks · 1 swimming pools

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life — 20 parks mapped in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
Walkability proxy
7/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0.23
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0.23
Parks per 1,000 residents
4.55
Food & drink(1)
  • Goji Granola Bar and CafeCafe

    Unit 7 60 Santa Cruz Boulevard

Community(1)
  • St Vincent's Primary SchoolSchool

    22 Fairway Drive

Sport & outdoors(25)
  • Boat ramp
  • Dog park
  • Drinking water
  • Surfers Paradise Golf ClubGolf course

    1 Fairway Drive, Clear Island Waters

  • Bollard Circuit ReservePark
  • Bollard Circuit ReservesPark
  • Clear Water Bay Avenue ReservePark
  • Clipper Boulevard Bridge ReserPark
  • Istana View ReservesPark
  • Lake Santa Cruz ParkPark
  • Leilani ParkPark
  • Little Robina Capes ParkPark
  • Markeri ParkPark
  • Martingale PlacePark
  • Mont Serrat ReservePark
  • Moonraker Street ReservePark
  • Port Jackson Boulevard ParkPark
  • Port Jackson Boulevard ReservePark
  • Ringtail Street ParklandsPark
  • Robina Capes ParkPark
  • Staysail Crescent ReservesPark
  • Takasu GardensPark
  • Playground
  • Sports field
  • Swimming pool
Places to stay(1)
  • Lakeview BlissGuest house

    31 Montevideo Drive

Transport(3)

3 bus stops

Other(5)
  • Bench (4)
  • Cypress Gardens Retirement VillageNursing Home

    1 Gooding Drive, Clear Island Waters

  • Parking (8)
  • Picnic Table (2)
  • Sacred Heart ChurchPlace of worship

    50 Fairway Drive, Clear Island Waters

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Sporting clubs

1 named sporting club in this suburb

  • Surfers Paradise Golf Club

    Golf · +61 7 5575 1666;+61 7 5572 6088

Named sporting clubs from OpenStreetMap, assigned to this suburb's boundary. Sporting facilities such as ovals, courts and recreation centres are listed under Amenities.

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap sporting clubs — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Geofabrik australia-latest.osm.pbf

Parks & reserves

20 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Bollard Circuit ReservePark
  • Bollard Circuit ReservesPark
  • Clear Water Bay Avenue ReservePark
  • Clipper Boulevard Bridge ReserPark
  • Istana View ReservesPark
  • Lake Santa Cruz ParkPark
  • Leilani ParkPark
  • Little Robina Capes ParkPark
  • Markeri ParkPark
  • Martingale PlacePark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
5.3%
Woodland / forest cover
1.1%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
22
Parks (OSM)
20
Typical summer maximum
28°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Places of worship

1 places of worship within ~1.5 km

  • Sacred Heart Church

    50 Fairway Drive, Clear Island Waters

From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Nearest hospital
Emergency (3.8 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
82
Participants per 1,000 residents
18.0

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
28° / 18°
Rainfall
493 mm · ~62 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
25° / 14°
Rainfall
343 mm · ~43 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
20° / 7°
Rainfall
144 mm · ~18 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
25° / 12°
Rainfall
249 mm · ~31 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid
Flood / inundation overlay
No mapped inundation on suburb boundary

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping. Flood cover uses floodplain overlay polygons against the suburb boundary where published.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
McPherson
Member of Parliament
Leon REBELLO (Liberal National Party of Queensland)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
121,545
Turnout (2025)
87.4%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+4.9 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 54.4%Labor 45.6%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 4.9 km away).

Coalition 56.8%Labor 43.2%

2.4 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +7.8 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Robina NorthLabor 41.1% · Coalition 58.9% TPP (2025)1.0 km away
  • Merrimac East (McPherson)Labor 44.8% · Coalition 55.2% TPP (2025)1.9 km away
  • Merrimac (McPherson)Labor 45.4% · Coalition 54.6% TPP (2025)2.1 km away
  • RobinaLabor 42.2% · Coalition 57.8% TPP (2025)3.0 km away
  • Miami West (McPherson)Labor 44.7% · Coalition 55.3% TPP (2025)3.2 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)
9/10
IRSD decile (2021)
8/10

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 (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

Compare with

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

More in Gold Coast Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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