QLD · Cairns Council

Kewarra Beach, 4879

Est. population · Jun 2025

6,626

Growth (1 yr)

+1.7%

Growth (5 yr)

+7.7%

Median age

43

Median income

$1,748/wk

Employment rate

61.8%

Languages at home

10.9%non-English

Most common: German, Japanese, Italian

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

54.6/100
Average

Top 24% of Queensland's suburbs

Verified 71% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Coastal
  • Green suburb
  • High desirability
  • Education hub
What Kewarra Beach is known for: Coastal, Green suburb, High desirability, Education hub

Suburb profile

Well away from Brisbane, Kewarra Beach is a coastal mid-sized suburb built around sand, sea and space. The area suits established families and long-term locals, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Many residents were born overseas or speak a language other than English at home.

Local shops, markets and community spots keep everyday life grounded in the town itself. Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls. Reasonably walkable — many errands reachable on foot or by bus, with buses linking the suburb to surrounding areas.

Property sits in a premium price band and is harder to enter for many buyers. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.

Against similar coastal suburbs, safety, plus community and employment stand out and the overall desirability rating is good, with local dining and lifestyle amenities, plus schools and education less decisive.

At a glance

Kewarra Beach snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

$725/wk

Population (ERP)

6,626

+1.7% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

7.4%

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

#20

among Coastal & beach · Established

Safety

18th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

70th

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

7/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

45th

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
54.6/100 — Average
State standing
Top 24% of Queensland's suburbs
National rank
1598th in Australia
State rank
364th in QLD
Peer rank
#20 among Coastal & beach · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#51 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Data confidence
71%

Data sources & freshness

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

Housing

All types (Mar 2026)
$725

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

6,626(June 2025)

+1.7% annual · +7.7% over 5 years · 70th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.7%
5-year growth
+7.7%
Change in 1 year
+111
Change in 5 years
+473
Growth rank in QLD
70th 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 (~7,150), extrapolated at +1.5% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
6,133
Median age
43
Median household income / week
$1,748
Dwelling vacancy
7.4%
Unoccupied private dwellings
183 of 2,461
Median monthly mortgage
$1,733
Employment rate
61.8%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
2,099 / 56 / 113

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)
172
Against the person
28
Against property
109
Rate per 1,000 residents
26
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 219 residents
State safety percentile
17.6th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+6.1%

Most common offence types

  • Drug Offences52
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)89
  • Unlawful Entry184
  • Unlawful Use Of Motor Vehicle68
  • Assault69

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
996
Median ICSEA percentile
45th
School list
  • Tropical North Learning Academy - Trinity Beach State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 996 · 45th percentile · LBOTE 21% · 899 students · Top SEA quarter 12% · 1.6 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

47 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

1 supermarkets · 1 pharmacies · 1 fast food · 1 bakeries · 1 places of worship · 2 playgrounds · 3 swimming pools

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Reasonably walkable — many errands reachable on foot or by bus
  • Great for outdoor family life14 parks mapped in suburb, 2 playgrounds nearby
Walkability proxy
53/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0.33
Parks per 1,000 residents
2.28
Food & drink(2)
  • Wild Yeast FNQBakery
  • Fast food
Shopping(2)
  • Friendly GrocerSupermarket
Community(2)
  • Sun Pacific College CairnsSchool
  • Trinity Anglican SchoolSchool
Health & services(2)
  • Kewarra Family PracticeMedical clinic

    Unit 7 2 Cottesloe Drive, Kewarra Beach

  • Kewarra Beach PharmacyPharmacy

    Unit 2 10 Cottesloe Drive, Kewarra Beach

Sport & outdoors(18)
  • Curlew ParkPark
  • Green Avenue ParkPark
  • Kookaburaa ParkPark
  • Kookaburra ParkPark
  • Leonard Street ParkPark
  • Nova Street ParkPark
  • Paradise Gardens ParkPark
  • Park (4)
  • Reefsedge ParkPark
  • Playground (2)
  • Sports field
  • Swimming pool (3)
Entertainment(1)
  • Viewpoint
Transport(6)

6 bus stops

Other(12)
  • LiquorlandAlcohol
  • Red Cross Trinity BeachCharity
  • Drinking water
  • Hotel
  • Paradise Palms ResortHotel
  • Parking (4)
  • Generations ChurchPlace of worship
  • Australia PostPost Box
  • Kewarra Aged CareSocial Facility
  • Kewarra Beach Resort & SpaSpa

    80 Kewarra Street, Kewarra Beach

  • TelstraTelephone
  • Waste Basket

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

9 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Curlew ParkPark
  • Green Avenue ParkPark
  • Kookaburaa ParkPark
  • Kookaburra ParkPark
  • Leonard Street ParkPark
  • Nova Street ParkPark
  • Paradise Gardens ParkPark
  • Reefsedge ParkPark
  • SunBird ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
25
Parks (OSM)
14

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

Places of worship

1 places of worship within ~1.5 km

  • Generations Church

From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
1
Nearest hospital
Cairns North Community Health Facility (15.2 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
Not in suburb
  • Kewarra Family PracticeCottesloe DriveDoctor

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
138
Participants per 1,000 residents
20.8

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° / 25°
Rainfall
1,038 mm · ~90 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
29° / 24°
Rainfall
925 mm · ~92 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
25° / 20°
Rainfall
164 mm · ~20 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
28° / 22°
Rainfall
188 mm · ~24 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normalsWorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

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
Leichhardt
Member of Parliament
Matt SMITH (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
122,757
Turnout (2025)
83.0%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+9.5 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 43.9%Labor 56.1%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 5.7 km away).

Coalition 46.5%Labor 53.5%

2.6 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +8.5 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Kewarra BeachLabor 51.8% · Coalition 48.2% TPP (2025)0.9 km away
  • Trinity BeachLabor 57.9% · Coalition 42.1% TPP (2025)1.8 km away
  • Clifton BeachLabor 48.9% · Coalition 51.1% TPP (2025)2.2 km away
  • Trinity ParkLabor 56.9% · Coalition 43.1% TPP (2025)3.4 km away
  • SmithfieldLabor 68.5% · Coalition 31.6% TPP (2025)3.5 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)
7/10
IRSD decile (2021)
7/10

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 Cairns Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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