QLD · Cassowary Coast Council

East Innisfail, 4860

Est. population · Jun 2025

1,766

Growth (1 yr)

+0.7%

Growth (5 yr)

-0.1%

Median age

39

Median income

$1,092/wk

Employment rate

50.3%

University qualified

12.5%

Work from home

3.4%

Languages at home

14%non-English

Most common: Punjabi, Italian, Australian Indigenous languages

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

29.8/100
Below average

1377th in QLD

Verified 87% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Agricultural
  • Country town
What East Innisfail is known for: Agricultural, Country town

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East Innisfail, QLD suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

Cite this suburb snapshot

Suburb Guide, “East Innisfail, QLD Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/qld/east-innisfail

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Suburb profile

East Innisfail is a regional town in Queensland, in Cassowary Coast Council. It is primarily residential, without a particularly distinct commercial centre or landmark identity.

Dining and cafés are a relative strength. School access is exceptionally strong, placing it among the highest-ranked regional towns. Rents are unusually low against comparable places, with median rents 41% below the peer median. Green cover is an exceptional strength. Trade-offs centre on lower socio-economic advantage and weaker population growth, with population growth 101% below the peer median.

East Innisfail's appeal is better explained by housing, access and location than by a strong standalone precinct or destination.

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

Regional town · compared with regional towns in Queensland (97)

Strengths

  • Rents are unusually low against comparable places
  • School access is exceptionally strong
  • Dining and cafés are a relative strength
  • Green cover is a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • Socio-economic advantage is well below comparable places
  • Population growth is a relative weakness

What stands out

Nothing distinctive beyond the usual profile.

Who it suits

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

Housing, growth and risk

How East Innisfail compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent

$320/wk

Population (ERP)

1,766

+0.7% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

11.4%

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

#193

among Country & regional · Established

Crime rate

91st

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

33rd

percentile in QLD

Rented dwellings

42%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

1/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

6th

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
29.8/100 — Below average
National rank
6434th in Australia
State rank
1377th in QLD
Peer rank
#193 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#856 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
87%

Data sources & freshness

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

Housing

All types (Mar 2026)
$320

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

1,766(June 2025)

+0.7% annual · -0.1% over 5 years · 33th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.7%
5-year growth
-0.1%
Change in 1 year
+12
Change in 5 years
-1
Growth rank in QLD
33th 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 (~1,750), extrapolated at -0.0% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
1,757
Median age
39
Median household income / week
$1,092
Dwelling vacancy
11.4%
Unoccupied private dwellings
89 of 778
Median monthly mortgage
$1,083
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$255
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
34.2% / 24% / 41.8%
Employment rate
50.3%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
3.4% / 1.3% / 78.9%
Walked or cycled to work
2.8%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
591 / 48 / 41 (+ 3 other)

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

12.5% of adults have a university degree, compared with 21.9% across Queensland. 19.3% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified12.5% · 21.9% QLD
  • Diploma qualified7.1% · 9.4% QLD
  • Trade / vocational19.3% · 18.9% QLD
  • Year 12 or below61.1% · 49.8% QLD

Highest qualification field

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

  • Management and commerce16.3%
  • Engineering and related technologies15.5%
  • Society and culture15.5%
  • Health14.6%
  • Education11.3%
  • Architecture and building8.2%
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)
$48,574

28th percentile in QLD · -17% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$53,071

19th percentile in QLD · -18% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
9.0%

22nd percentile in QLD · -35% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$37,297

10th percentile in QLD · -41% vs Australia

Residents with business income
10.0%

43rd percentile in QLD · -4% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 4860 — 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
6,441
Taxpayers reporting net rent
595
Median net rent
$1,280
Taxpayers reporting business income
619
Taxable income vs state median
-12%
Salary / wages vs state median
-13%
Rental investment vs state median
-18%
Super vs state median
-46%
Business income vs state median
0%

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

Seasonal & agricultural work

15.2% of employed residents work in agriculture, forestry and fishing, 6.6× the Australian share (2.3%) — compared with 2.5% across Queensland.

Agriculture, forestry & fishing
15.2%

62nd percentile in QLD · +561% vs Australia

Resident workers (2021)
107
WHM specified work
Subclass 417 / 462

Postcode 4860

Occupation mix in this industry

2021 Census G56, residents employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing. Counts below 10 are not shown.

  • Labourers70
  • Managers13

Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census General Community Profile tables G54 (industry of employment) and G56 (industry by occupation), Statistical Area Level (suburb), place of usual residence. Figures are residents’ main job in the week before Census night — not jobs located in the suburb. Agriculture, forestry and fishing is the 1-digit ANZSIC division; grape growing and other 3- and 4-digit industries are not in this datapack. The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Plant and animal cultivation in postcode 4860 (Northern and Regional Australia) may count as specified work for Working Holiday Maker visas (subclasses 417 and 462). This is a postcode rule from the Home Affairs instruments — not evidence that seasonal jobs exist here, and not a count of WHM residents. Home Affairs specified work · LIN 22/012 · LIN 22/013. Compilation used: 5 April 2025.

Region employment estimates (SA4, not this suburb)

Jobs and Skills Australia NERO modelled estimates for Cairns (SA4 306), 2026-08. These figures describe the broader region, not this suburb, and occupations are not added together.

  • Crop Farmers ANZSCO 1212796
  • Crop Farm Workers ANZSCO 8412672
  • Livestock Farmers ANZSCO 1213374
  • Agricultural, Forestry and Horticultural Plant Operators ANZSCO 7211302
  • Other Farm, Forestry and Garden Workers ANZSCO 8419154
  • Livestock Farm Workers ANZSCO 8415129
  • Mixed Crop and Livestock Farmers ANZSCO 121472
  • Aquaculture Workers ANZSCO 841172
  • Forestry and Logging Workers ANZSCO 841336
  • Mixed Crop and Livestock Farm Workers ANZSCO 841626

Cairns is a Statistical Area Level 4. Fruit, nut and vegetable workers are not published separately in NERO (they sit under ANZSCO 8412). Jobs and Skills Australia warns not to sum occupations or geographies. NERO data. Nowcast of Employment by Region and Occupation, Jobs and Skills Australia, Commonwealth of Australia. CC BY 4.0.

Census employed residents counted in G54: 702 · AFF share +508% vs the state.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — industry of employment (G54/G56), place of usual residence — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated · Resident main job in the week before Census night, not jobs located in the suburb

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

  • WHM specified work areas (LIN 22/012 and LIN 22/013) — Department of Home Affairs · 2025-04-05 · Updated · Postcode eligibility for plant and animal cultivation; not a count of WHM residents
  • Nowcast of Employment by Region and Occupation (NERO), SA4 × ANZSCO 4-digit — Jobs and Skills Australia · 2026-08 · Updated · Monthly modelled SA4 estimates; not suburb-level. CC BY 4.0

Community & culture

14% speak a language other than English at home; 15.2% born overseas

Language at home
1,365 English only · 222 other
Non-English at home
14%
Born overseas
246 (15.2%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
445 (25.3%)
Australian citizens
1,516
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
7

Top languages other than English

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

  • Punjabi33 · 49.3%
  • Italian11 · 16.4%
  • Australian Indigenous languages8 · 11.9%
  • Cantonese5 · 7.5%
  • Mandarin4 · 6%
  • Croatian3 · 4.5%
  • French3 · 4.5%

Religion

50.6%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 50.6%, while 32.7% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion32.7%40.7%
Christianity50.6%45.7%
Other / not stated16.7%13.6%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic21%18.6%
Anglican11.8%11.3%
Christian (not further defined)4.1%3.1%
Presbyterian and Reformed2.7%2.1%
Uniting Church2.6%3.6%
Pentecostal2.3%1.4%

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 4860, 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)
203
Against the person
47
Against property
63
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
153.6
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 37 residents
State crime-rate percentile
91th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+11.2%

Most common offence types

  • Drug Offences48
  • Good Order Offences31
  • Traffic And Related Offences30
  • Assault15
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)30

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
6
Median school ICSEA (6 schools)
851.5
Median ICSEA percentile
6th
Primary catchments overlapping suburb
2
Secondary catchments overlapping suburb
1
School list
  • Innisfail East State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 814 · 3th percentile · LBOTE 25% · 148 students · Top SEA quarter 1% · 0.4 km awayView on My School →
  • Radiant Life CollegeCombined · Independent · ICSEA 749 · 2th percentile · LBOTE 78% · 137 students · Top SEA quarter 2% · 0.8 km awayView on My School →
  • Good Counsel Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1001 · 47th percentile · LBOTE 18% · 340 students · Top SEA quarter 9% · 1.4 km awayView on My School →
  • Good Counsel CollegeSecondary · Catholic · ICSEA 982 · 38th percentile · LBOTE 20% · 414 students · Top SEA quarter 7% · 1.5 km awayView on My School →
  • Innisfail State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 771 · 2th percentile · LBOTE 27% · 117 students · Top SEA quarter 0% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
  • Innisfail State CollegeCombined · Government · ICSEA 889 · 9th percentile · LBOTE 17% · 951 students · Top SEA quarter 4% · 1.9 km awayView on My School →
School catchments
  • Innisfail East SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Innisfail SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Innisfail State CollegeGovernment 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

16 mapped amenities

1 cafes · 2 places of worship · 1 playgrounds · 1 sports centres

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Decent local green space — 2 parks in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
Walkability proxy
2/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0.57
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0.57
Parks per 1,000 residents
1.14
Food & drink(1)
  • Water Tower CafeCafe
Shopping(1)
  • Convenience store
Community(1)
  • Innisfail East State SchoolSchool

    92 Mourilyan Road

Sport & outdoors(7)
  • Baxter ParkPark
  • Dave Dunbar Park (The Corso)Park
  • Park
  • Playground
  • Public toilets
  • Innisfail Bowls ClubSports centre
  • Sports field
Other(4)
  • Parking (2)
  • Picnic Table (2)
  • Guru Nanak Sikh Education Centre NQPlace of worship

    Lower Hickey Street, East Innisfail

  • Place of worship

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

  • Innisfail Bowls Club

    Lawn Bowls

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

2 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Baxter ParkPark
  • Dave Dunbar Park (The Corso)Park

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
7.3%
Woodland / forest cover
5.6%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
3
Parks (OSM)
2
Typical summer maximum
31°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

2 places of worship within ~1.5 km

  • Guru Nanak Sikh Education Centre NQ

    Lower Hickey Street, East Innisfail

  • Place of worship

From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Nearest hospital
Innisfail Hospital (1.6 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)
55
Participants per 1,000 residents
31.1

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
31° / 23°
Rainfall
883 mm · ~90 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
29° / 21°
Rainfall
553 mm · ~69 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
25° / 15°
Rainfall
124 mm · ~16 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
29° / 20°
Rainfall
196 mm · ~24 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Heritage

1 heritage place

  • Innisfail Water TowerState heritage place

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Heritage listings as established streetscape

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated

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
Kennedy
Member of Parliament
Bob KATTER (Katter's Australian Party (KAP))
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
123,696
Turnout (2025)
83.8%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+0.8 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 59.3%Labor 40.7%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 16.0 km away).

Coalition 49.3%Labor 50.7%

10.0 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +3.9 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Innisfail EastLabor 51.5% · Coalition 48.5% TPP (2025)0.5 km away
  • Innisfail NorthLabor 45.6% · Coalition 54.4% TPP (2025)1.7 km away
  • GoondiLabor 43.3% · Coalition 56.7% TPP (2025)2.5 km away
  • Flying Fish PointLabor 43.3% · Coalition 56.7% TPP (2025)5.5 km away
  • MourilyanLabor 32.9% · Coalition 67.1% 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)
1/10
IRSD decile (2021)
1/10

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 Cassowary Coast Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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