QLD · Gympie Council

Gunalda, 4570

Est. population · Jun 2025

466

Growth (1 yr)

+2.0%

Growth (5 yr)

+12.3%

Median age

55

Median income

$893/wk

Employment rate

32%

Languages at home

2.4%non-English

Mostly English at home

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

27.6/100
Below average

1302nd in QLD

Verified 66% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Education hub
  • High desirability
What Gunalda is known for: Education hub, High desirability

Suburb profile

In Gympie Council, Gunalda keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice.

With limited local amenities, residents regularly travel to a neighbouring town for shops, appointments and a wider choice. There is enough green space nearby for walks, picnics and after-school play. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here than in denser, more walkable pockets.

Homes are relatively cheap compared with the wider market, which keeps entry costs lower. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.

Versus similar regional towns, the suburb reads below average on desirability, chiefly because local dining and lifestyle amenities trail behind. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Gunalda snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

466

+2.0% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

10.0%

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

#351

among Country & regional · Mature

Safety

55th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

76th

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

1/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

27th

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
27.6/100 — Below average
National rank
5931st in Australia
State rank
1302nd in QLD
Peer rank
#351 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#791 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
66%

Data sources & freshness

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

Population

Estimated resident population

466(June 2025)

+2.0% annual · +12.3% over 5 years · 76th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+2.0%
5-year growth
+12.3%
Change in 1 year
+9
Change in 5 years
+51
Growth rank in QLD
76th 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 +2.0% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
426
Median age
55
Median household income / week
$893
Dwelling vacancy
10%
Unoccupied private dwellings
19 of 190
Median monthly mortgage
$1,096
Employment rate
32%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
160 / 0 / 0 (+ 9 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)
21
Against the person
4
Against property
11
Rate per 1,000 residents
45.1
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 106 residents
State safety percentile
54.5th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+3.2%

Most common offence types

  • Drug Offences334
  • Good Order Offences211
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)739
  • Traffic And Related Offences355
  • Unlawful Entry172

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
956
Median ICSEA percentile
27th
School list
  • Gunalda State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 956 · 27th percentile · LBOTE 3% · 41 students · Top SEA quarter 2%View on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.

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

1 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Gunalda ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
1
Parks (OSM)
1

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
Gympie General Hospital (21.4 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)
17
Participants per 1,000 residents
36.5

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° / 19°
Rainfall
356 mm · ~44 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
27° / 14°
Rainfall
189 mm · ~24 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
21° / 7°
Rainfall
109 mm · ~14 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
27° / 13°
Rainfall
200 mm · ~25 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normalsWorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Roadworks & transport

1 active roadworks / incidents

  • Planned roadworks on the Bruce Highway between Hermans Road and Balkin Street.Bruce Highway21 Jun 2026 – 22 Jun 2027

Data sources & freshness

  • Road incidents & closuresState road authority open-data feeds · current · Updated

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
Wide Bay
Member of Parliament
Llew O'BRIEN (Liberal National Party of Queensland)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
123,153
Turnout (2025)
89.3%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+3.7 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 57.6%Labor 42.4%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 20.4 km away).

Coalition 60.7%Labor 39.3%

3.1 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +2.0 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • GunaldaLabor 39.2% · Coalition 60.8% TPP (2025)4.0 km away
  • GlenwoodLabor 43.8% · Coalition 56.2% TPP (2025)7.3 km away
  • CurraLabor 42.5% · Coalition 57.5% TPP (2025)9.5 km away
  • Lower WongaLabor 21.2% · Coalition 78.8% TPP (2025)15.3 km away
  • ChatsworthLabor 34.5% · Coalition 65.5% TPP (2025)15.9 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)
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 (5%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)

Data sources & freshness

More in Gympie Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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