QLD · Mareeba Council

Kuranda, 4881

Est. population · Jun 2025

3,417

Growth (1 yr)

+0.5%

Growth (5 yr)

+5.4%

Median age

46

Median income

$1,284/wk

Employment rate

46.3%

Languages at home

9.1%non-English

Most common: Australian Indigenous languages, German, French

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

36.5/100
Below average

938th in QLD

Verified 71% confidence

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

Suburb profile

Kuranda is a quieter mid-sized suburb in Mareeba Council, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. The area suits established families and long-term locals, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice.

Local parks and tree cover add a welcome outdoor dimension to suburban life. A car helps for most daily errands, with fewer amenities clustered within an easy walk. Purchase and rent costs sit on the more affordable side of the local range.

Local crime has been trending higher of late. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.

The desirability picture is below average, weighed down by softer local dining and lifestyle amenities relative to similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Kuranda snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

$450/wk

Population (ERP)

3,417

+0.5% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

9.0%

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

#181

among Country & regional · Mature

Safety

78th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

28th

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

3/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

39th

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
36.5/100 — Below average
National rank
4394th in Australia
State rank
938th in QLD
Peer rank
#181 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#483 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
71%

Data sources & freshness

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

Housing

All types (Mar 2026)
$450

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

3,417(June 2025)

+0.5% annual · +5.4% over 5 years · 28th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.5%
5-year growth
+5.4%
Change in 1 year
+16
Change in 5 years
+174
Growth rank in QLD
28th 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 (~3,550), extrapolated at +0.7% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
3,273
Median age
46
Median household income / week
$1,284
Dwelling vacancy
9%
Unoccupied private dwellings
114 of 1,273
Median monthly mortgage
$1,595
Employment rate
46.3%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
1,016 / 28 / 43 (+ 63 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)
230
Against the person
77
Against property
87
Rate per 1,000 residents
67.3
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 43 residents
State safety percentile
77.5th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+13.4%

Most common offence types

  • Assault50
  • Good Order Offences59
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)47
  • Traffic And Related Offences46
  • Unlawful Entry40

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
2
Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
960.5
Median ICSEA percentile
39th
School list
  • Cairns Hinterland Steiner SchoolCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1059 · 72th percentile · LBOTE 26% · 157 students · Top SEA quarter 26%View on My School →
  • Kuranda District State CollegeCombined · Government · ICSEA 862 · 6th percentile · LBOTE 15% · 285 students · Top SEA quarter 8%View on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

1 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Decent local green space4 parks in suburb
Walkability proxy
0/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
1.22
Other(1)
  • The Billabong KurandaCamp Site

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

5 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Bartley ParkPark
  • Booroo Street ReservePark
  • Centenary ParkPark
  • Myola Palm Nature RefugeNature reserve
  • Rotary Club ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
8
Parks (OSM)
4

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

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
3
Nearest hospital
Cairns North Community Health Facility (17.8 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
Not in suburb
  • Discount Drug StorePharmacy
  • Kuranda MedicalDoctor
  • Kuranda PhysiotherapyArara StreetPhysiotherapist

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
85
Participants per 1,000 residents
24.9

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

Roadworks & transport

1 active roadworks / incidents

  • Barron Bridge Night WorksKennedy Highway03 Aug 2026 – 27 Aug 2026

Data sources & freshness

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

Heritage

1 heritage place

  • Kuranda Fig Tree AvenueState 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
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 10.7 km away).

Coalition 39.9%Labor 60.1%

4.0 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +6.8 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • KurandaLabor 62.6% · Coalition 37.4% TPP (2025)3.1 km away
  • SmithfieldLabor 68.5% · Coalition 31.6% TPP (2025)8.4 km away
  • Kewarra BeachLabor 51.8% · Coalition 48.2% TPP (2025)8.5 km away
  • CaravonicaLabor 55.0% · Coalition 45.0% TPP (2025)9.3 km away
  • Trinity ParkLabor 56.9% · Coalition 43.1% TPP (2025)9.4 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)
3/10
IRSD decile (2021)
2/10

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 Mareeba Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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