QLD · Fraser Coast Council

Kawungan, 4655

Est. population · Jun 2025

6,234

Growth (1 yr)

+2.1%

Growth (5 yr)

+7.0%

Median age

50

Median income

$1,148/wk

Employment rate

42%

Languages at home

5.3%non-English

Most common: Mandarin, Sinhalese, Spanish

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

43.9/100
Average

Top 44% of Queensland's suburbs

Verified 66% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Education hub
  • Heritage area
  • National parks
  • High desirability
  • Green suburb
What Kawungan is known for: Education hub, Heritage area, National parks, High desirability, Green suburb

Suburb profile

Kawungan is a quieter mid-sized suburb in Fraser Coast Council, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. An older demographic makes it especially popular with retirees, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. The town centre holds its own, with enough local flavour to make staying close to home appealing.

Everyday basics may be close by, but bigger shopping and services typically require a trip to a nearby centre. Local green pockets are modest, with bigger outdoor outings usually found in neighbouring areas. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here than in denser, more walkable pockets.

Homes cost more here than in most comparable suburbs. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.

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

At a glance

Kawungan snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

$660/wk

Population (ERP)

6,234

+2.1% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

5.7%

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

#87

among Country & regional · Mature

Safety

48th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

80th

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

2/10

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
43.9/100 — Average
State standing
Top 44% of Queensland's suburbs
National rank
3096th in Australia
State rank
669th in QLD
Peer rank
#87 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#281 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
66%

Data sources & freshness

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

Housing

All types (Mar 2026)
$660

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

6,234(June 2025)

+2.1% annual · +7.0% over 5 years · 80th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+2.1%
5-year growth
+7.0%
Change in 1 year
+130
Change in 5 years
+408
Growth rank in QLD
80th 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 (~6,600), extrapolated at +1.2% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
5,460
Median age
50
Median household income / week
$1,148
Dwelling vacancy
5.7%
Unoccupied private dwellings
127 of 2,217
Median monthly mortgage
$1,408
Employment rate
42%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
1,758 / 283 / 8 (+ 34 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)
262
Against the person
56
Against property
132
Rate per 1,000 residents
42
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 98 residents
State safety percentile
47.5th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-1.2%

Most common offence types

  • Drug Offences395
  • Good Order Offences332
  • Other Property Damage289
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)837
  • Traffic And Related Offences338

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
3
Median school ICSEA (3 schools)
976
Median ICSEA percentile
36th
School list
  • Kawungan State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 976 · 36th percentile · LBOTE 8% · 877 students · Top SEA quarter 8% · 1.0 km awayView on My School →
  • Hervey Bay Special SchoolSpecial · Government · ICSEA 970 · 33th percentile · LBOTE 8% · 105 students · Top SEA quarter 10% · 1.3 km awayView on My School →
  • Fraser Coast Anglican CollegeCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1098 · 84th percentile · LBOTE 23% · 1,010 students · Top SEA quarter 40% · 1.6 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

15 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

1 playgrounds · 1 petrol stations

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Decent local green space2 parks in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
Walkability proxy
0/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
0.37
Community(2)
  • Hervey Bay Special SchoolSchool
  • Kawungan State SchoolSchool
Sport & outdoors(3)
  • Community ParkPark
  • Margaret Linn ReservePark
  • Playground
Other(7)
  • Car wash
  • Kawungan Royal Drive 22Guest House

    23 Royal Drive

  • Parking (3)
  • BPPetrol station

    164 Main Street

  • Public toilets
  • Shelter (2)
  • Ozcare Hervey BaySocial Facility

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

2 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Community ParkPark
  • Margaret Linn ReservePark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
2
Parks (OSM)
2

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
St Stephen's Hospital (2.2 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)
216
Participants per 1,000 residents
34.6

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
29° / 21°
Rainfall
496 mm · ~62 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
26° / 18°
Rainfall
422 mm · ~53 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
21° / 12°
Rainfall
246 mm · ~31 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
26° / 17°
Rainfall
232 mm · ~29 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normalsWorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Heritage

1 heritage place

  • Colonsay Farm (former Doolong Farm)State heritage place

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage registerState heritage authority · 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
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 14.8 km away).

Coalition 49.8%Labor 50.2%

6.5 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +7.7 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • KawunganLabor 51.8% · Coalition 48.2% TPP (2025)1.3 km away
  • PialbaLabor 51.2% · Coalition 48.8% TPP (2025)3.0 km away
  • Urraween SouthLabor 42.3% · Coalition 57.7% TPP (2025)3.0 km away
  • TorquayLabor 53.1% · Coalition 46.9% TPP (2025)3.1 km away
  • Urangan WestLabor 46.2% · Coalition 53.8% TPP (2025)3.3 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)
2/10
IRSD decile (2021)
3/10

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

Compare with

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

More in Fraser Coast Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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