suburb.guide

QLD · Mackay Council

Dolphin Heads, 4740

Est. population · Jun 2025

442

Growth (1 yr)

+0.9%

Growth (5 yr)

+10.5%

Median age

48

Median income

$2,833/wk

Employment rate

66.8%

University qualified

30.1%

Work from home

15.5%

Languages at home

7.5%non-English

Most common: Afrikaans

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

32.6/100
Below average

1244th in QLD

Verified 78% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Beach
  • Port & industry
  • Green suburb
What Dolphin Heads is known for: Beach, Port & industry, Green suburb

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Dolphin Heads, QLD suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Dolphin Heads, QLD Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/qld/dolphin-heads

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Suburb profile

Dolphin Heads is an industrial and port town in Queensland, in Mackay Council. It has an industrial and port economy.

Open-space access is better than in most comparable places, well above typical levels for industrial and port towns. Socio-economic advantage is among the highest in the peer group, and university qualifications are among the highest in the peer group, and green cover is an exceptional strength, and working from home is more common than in comparable places, and population has been growing faster than in comparable places, with population growth 67% above the peer median.

Overall, Dolphin Heads suits people prioritising socio-economic advantage and university qualifications.

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

Industrial or port town · compared with industrial and port towns in Queensland (230)

Strengths

  • Socio-economic advantage is among the highest in the peer group
  • University qualifications are among the highest in the peer group
  • Open-space access is better than in most comparable places
  • Green cover is stronger than in comparable places
  • Working from home is more common than in comparable places
  • Population has been growing faster than in comparable places

Weaknesses

No relative weaknesses against comparable places.

What stands out

  • Dolphin Heads Beach
  • Blacks Beach
  • Industrial and port economy

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • StudentsInsufficient data
  • Budget buyersInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How Dolphin Heads compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent (Census)

$360/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

442

+0.9% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

14.1%

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

#377

among Country & regional · Mature

Crime rate

79th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

40th

percentile in QLD

Rented dwellings

40%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

10/10

national SEIFA decile

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
32.6/100 — Below average
National rank
6050th in Australia
State rank
1244th in QLD
Peer rank
#377 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#745 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
78%

Data sources & freshness

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

Population

Estimated resident population

442(June 2025)

+0.9% annual · +10.5% over 5 years · 40th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.9%
5-year growth
+10.5%
Change in 1 year
+4
Change in 5 years
+42
Growth rank in QLD
40th 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 (~500), extrapolated at +2.8% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
413
Median age
48
Median household income / week
$2,833
Dwelling vacancy
14.1%
Unoccupied private dwellings
25 of 177
Median monthly mortgage
$2,600
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$360
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
27.5% / 32.9% / 39.6%
Employment rate
66.8%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
15.5% / 1.3% / 67.6%
Walked or cycled to work
0%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
95 / 59 / 0

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

30.1% of adults have a university degree, compared with 21.9% across Queensland. 20.6% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified30.1% · 21.9% QLD
  • Diploma qualified10.3% · 9.4% QLD
  • Trade / vocational20.6% · 18.9% QLD
  • Year 12 or below39% · 49.8% QLD

Highest qualification field

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

  • Engineering and related technologies26.5%
  • Management and commerce20.5%
  • Health16%
  • Education13.2%
  • Society and culture8.7%
  • Food, hospitality and personal services4.1%
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)
$68,683

88th percentile in QLD · +17% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$72,982

87th percentile in QLD · +12% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
10.0%

33rd percentile in QLD · -27% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$80,701

71st percentile in QLD · +27% vs Australia

Residents with business income
6.0%

5th percentile in QLD · -42% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 4740 — 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
58,301
Taxpayers reporting net rent
5,584
Median net rent
-$272
Taxpayers reporting business income
3,475
Taxable income vs state median
+24%
Salary / wages vs state median
+20%
Rental investment vs state median
-9%
Super vs state median
+16%
Business income vs state median
-40%

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

7.5% speak a language other than English at home; 26.7% born overseas

Language at home
344 English only · 28 other
Non-English at home
7.5%
Born overseas
100 (26.7%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
12 (2.9%)
Australian citizens
337
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
1

Top languages other than English

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

  • Afrikaans6 · 100%

Religion

46%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 46%, while 38.5% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion38.5%40.7%
Christianity46%45.7%
Other / not stated15.5%13.6%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic20.1%18.6%
Anglican10.2%11.3%
Uniting Church5.1%3.6%
Christian (not further defined)4.6%3.1%
Presbyterian and Reformed3.1%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 4740, which is shared with other suburbs.

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

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2026 to Sep 2026)
36
Against the person
8
Against property
16
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
108.8
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 52 residents
State crime-rate percentile
78.9th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+4.6%

Most common offence types

  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)8
  • Assault3
  • Drug Offences6
  • Good Order Offences4
  • Other Property Damage3

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

School list
School catchments
  • Eimeo Road SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Mackay Northern Beaches SHSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_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

Amenities

8 mapped amenities

3 beaches

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life — 5 parks mapped in suburb
Walkability proxy
0/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
12.11
Sport & outdoors(8)
  • Beach
  • Blacks BeachBeach
  • Dolphin Heads ResortBeach
  • Park (5)

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

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
4.9%
Woodland / forest cover
0%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
5
Parks (OSM)
5
Typical summer maximum
30°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

Health access

Nearest hospital
GP Super Clinic (3.5 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)
11
Participants per 1,000 residents
24.9

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° / 23°
Rainfall
868 mm · ~90 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
27° / 20°
Rainfall
504 mm · ~63 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
23° / 13°
Rainfall
121 mm · ~15 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
28° / 18°
Rainfall
183 mm · ~23 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
Dawson
Member of Parliament
Andrew WILLCOX (Liberal National Party of Queensland)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
117,202
Turnout (2025)
88.2%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
-1.4 pp toward Coalition

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 61.8%Labor 38.2%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 8.6 km away).

Coalition 55.1%Labor 44.9%

6.8 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: -1.3 pp toward Coalition

Nearest polling places

  • BucasiaLabor 43.7% · Coalition 56.3% TPP (2025)2.9 km away
  • EimeoLabor 42.8% · Coalition 57.2% TPP (2025)4.0 km away
  • AndergroveLabor 47.6% · Coalition 52.4% TPP (2025)5.0 km away
  • Slade PointLabor 48.7% · Coalition 51.3% TPP (2025)5.0 km away
  • BeaconsfieldLabor 44.9% · Coalition 55.1% TPP (2025)6.0 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)
10/10
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

More in Mackay Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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