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%

University qualified

11.2%

Work from home

5.3%

Languages at home

5.3%non-English

Most common: Mandarin, Sinhalese, Spanish

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

34.6/100
Below average

1144th in QLD

Verified 87% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Country town
What Kawungan is known for: Country town

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Kawungan, QLD suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

Cite this suburb snapshot

Suburb Guide, “Kawungan, QLD Suburb Guide”, updated 2 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/qld/kawungan

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Suburb profile

Kawungan is a regional town in Queensland, in Fraser Coast Council. It is close to the Hervey Bay.

School access is strong, well above typical levels for regional towns. Space is a strength, but car dependence is high. The clearer weaknesses are higher rents and thinner dining and café options, with median rents 22% above the peer median.

Kawungan is a better fit for people who value school access more than 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

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

Strengths

  • School access is strong

Weaknesses

  • Rents run above those in comparable places
  • Dining and cafés are a relative weakness

What stands out

  • Hervey Bay
  • Space is a strength, but car dependence is high

Who it suits

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

Housing, growth and risk

How Kawungan compares

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

#328

among Country & regional · Mature

Crime rate

51st

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

80th

percentile in QLD

Rented dwellings

24%

2021 Census tenure

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
34.6/100 — Below average
National rank
5689th in Australia
State rank
1144th in QLD
Peer rank
#328 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#660 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
87%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb 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 (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

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
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$340
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
46.1% / 29.6% / 24.2%
Employment rate
42%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
5.3% / 0.4% / 79.1%
Walked or cycled to work
1.6%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
1,758 / 283 / 8 (+ 34 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

11.2% of adults have a university degree, compared with 21.9% across Queensland. 21.9% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified11.2% · 21.9% QLD
  • Diploma qualified9.1% · 9.4% QLD
  • Trade / vocational21.9% · 18.9% QLD
  • Year 12 or below57.8% · 49.8% QLD

Highest qualification field

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

  • Engineering and related technologies18.8%
  • Management and commerce17.4%
  • Society and culture15.2%
  • Health14.3%
  • Education10.5%
  • Food, hospitality and personal services8%
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)
$49,563

32nd percentile in QLD · -16% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$56,163

28th percentile in QLD · -14% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
11.0%

56th percentile in QLD · -20% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$75,825

62nd percentile in QLD · +20% vs Australia

Residents with business income
9.0%

38th percentile in QLD · -13% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 4655 — 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
37,740
Taxpayers reporting net rent
4,072
Median net rent
$1,288
Taxpayers reporting business income
3,371
Taxable income vs state median
-11%
Salary / wages vs state median
-8%
Rental investment vs state median
0%
Super vs state median
+9%
Business income vs state median
-10%

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

5.3% speak a language other than English at home; 17.3% born overseas

Language at home
4,932 English only · 274 other
Non-English at home
5.3%
Born overseas
898 (17.3%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
217 (4%)
Australian citizens
4,952
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
16

Top languages other than English

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

  • Mandarin7 · 10.4%
  • Sinhalese6 · 9%
  • Spanish6 · 9%
  • Italian5 · 7.5%
  • Persian5 · 7.5%
  • Filipino4 · 6%
  • Macedonian4 · 6%
  • Malayalam4 · 6%

Religion

49.1%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 49.1%, while 41.2% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion41.2%40.7%
Christianity49.1%45.7%
Other / not stated9.7%13.6%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Anglican16.4%11.3%
Catholic15.2%18.6%
Uniting Church4.2%3.6%
Christian (not further defined)2.7%3.1%
Baptist2.7%1.7%
Presbyterian and Reformed2.6%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 4655, 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)
327
Against the person
67
Against property
168
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
70.2
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 81 residents
State crime-rate percentile
51th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+1.7%

Most common offence types

  • Drug Offences41
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)88
  • Traffic And Related Offences36
  • Unlawful Entry29
  • Good Order Offences33

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
3
Median school ICSEA (3 schools)
976
Median ICSEA percentile
36th
Primary catchments overlapping suburb
1
Secondary catchments overlapping suburb
2
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 →
School catchments
  • Hervey Bay SHSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Kawungan SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Urangan 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

18 mapped amenities

1 playgrounds · 1 caravan parks · 1 petrol stations

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Decent local green space — 2 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
Everyday services(1)
  • BPPetrol station

    164 Main Street

Community(2)
  • Hervey Bay Special SchoolSchool
  • Kawungan State SchoolSchool
Sport & outdoors(6)
  • Foreshore PathCycling route
  • Mary to Bay Rail TrailCycling route
  • Community ParkPark
  • Margaret Linn ReservePark
  • Playground
  • Public toilets
Camping & holiday parks(1)
  • Coconut Grove Caravan ParkCaravan park
Places to stay(1)
  • Kawungan Royal Drive 22Guest house

    23 Royal Drive

Other(4)
  • Car wash
  • Parking (3)
  • 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. 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

Parks & reserves

2 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Community ParkPark
  • Margaret Linn ReservePark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
0.6%
Woodland / forest cover
0%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
2
Parks (OSM)
2
Typical summer maximum
29°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
St Stephen's Hospital (2.2 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0
Aged-care services
3
Residential aged-care places
255

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

Aged-care services
  • Bolton Clarke BaycrestKAWUNGANResidential
  • Kal'ang Community CareKAWUNGANHome Care
  • Ozcare - Hervey BayHERVEY BAYResidential

Australian Government–subsidised services from the AIHW GEN list (30 June 2025), assigned to this suburb by location.

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

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 (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Heritage

1 heritage place

  • Colonsay Farm (former Doolong Farm)State 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
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 (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 Fraser Coast Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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