Median house price
—
No data available
QLD · Noosa Council
Lake Macdonald, 4563
Est. population · Jun 2025
1,384
Growth (1 yr)
+1.3%
Growth (5 yr)
+8.7%
Median age
49
Median income
$1,771/wk
Employment rate
52.8%
Languages at home
3.4%non-English
Most common: Greek, French, Australian Indigenous languages
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- National parks
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Lake Macdonald offers a slower smaller community life in Noosa Council, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Regional towns and local services do more of the everyday heavy lifting than the city. An older demographic makes it especially popular with retirees, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood.
Weekends tend to revolve around local favourites: a café, a market run, a walk through town. Everyday basics may be close by, but bigger shopping and services typically require a trip to a nearby centre. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here than in denser, more walkable pockets.
Property prices run toward the upper end of the local market. 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 growth momentum compared with similar regional towns, though safety remain brighter spots. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
At a glance
Lake Macdonald snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
—
No data available
Population (ERP)
1,384
+1.3% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
7.3%
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
#95
among Country & regional · Mature
Safety
14th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
57th
percentile in QLD
Advantage (IRSAD)
7/10
national SEIFA decile
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
- 42.7/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 47% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 3306th in Australia
- State rank
- 712th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #95 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #310 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 62%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Population
Estimated resident population
1,384(June 2025)
+1.3% annual · +8.7% over 5 years · 57th percentile in QLD
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +1.3%
- 5-year growth
- +8.7%
- Change in 1 year
- +18
- Change in 5 years
- +111
- Growth rank in QLD
- 57th 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 (~1,500), extrapolated at +1.6% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 1,352
- Median age
- 49
- Median household income / week
- $1,771
- Dwelling vacancy
- 7.3%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 38 of 522
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Employment rate
- 52.8%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 468 / 0 / 7 (+ 4 other)
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs 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
Community & culture
No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian 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)
- 33
- Against the person
- 5
- Against property
- 12
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 23.8
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 270 residents
- State safety percentile
- 14.2th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +1%
Most common offence types
- Drug Offences34
- Good Order Offences23
- Other Property Damage21
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)42
- Traffic And Related Offences64
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Aug 2026; Jan 2026 to Aug 2026 · Updated · Calendar-year aggregates
Family & Lifestyle
Amenities
19 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
1 swimming pools
Local character & venue list
Local character
- Limited walkable amenities nearby
- Walkability proxy
- 0/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 1.48
Sport & outdoors(3)
- Cod ParkPark
- Kookaburra ParkPark
- Swimming pool
Entertainment(1)
- Theatre
Other(8)
- Bench (2)
- Camp CoorooraCamp Site
Unit Lot 6 Collwood Road
- Drinking water
- Noosa Botanic GardensGarden
- Parking (3)
- Public toilets
- Shelter (4)
- Slipway (2)
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 insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Parks & reserves
2 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Cod ParkPark
- Kookaburra ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · current · Updated
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
- OpenStreetMap green cover — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Nearest hospital
- Eden Private Hospital (4.2 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · current · Updated
NDIS participation
- NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
- 35
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 25.3
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
- NDIS participants by SA2 — National Disability Insurance Agency · 2026-Q1 · Updated · Quarterly SA2 counts allocated to suburb boundaries
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
- 508 mm · ~64 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 25° / 17°
- Rainfall
- 453 mm · ~57 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 21° / 11°
- Rainfall
- 235 mm · ~29 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 25° / 16°
- Rainfall
- 250 mm · ~31 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Temperature and humidity comfort
Data sources & freshness
- Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated
Future & Planning
Planning & development
Development applications from QLD coordinated projects (lodged 2020–2026).
1 planning-related records
Other· 1 proposal
- Six Mile Creek Dam Safety Upgrade ProjectSeqwater proposes to upgrade Six Mile Creek Dam to meet modern safety standards.Completed IAR project
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- QLD coordinated projects — Queensland Department of State Development · 2020–2026 · Updated · State projects (not council DAs)
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 overlays — State 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 11.3 km away).
Coalition 51.9%Labor 48.1%
5.8 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +5.2 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
- CooroyLabor 48.6% · Coalition 51.4% TPP (2025)4.1 km away
- Cooroy SouthLabor 49.3% · Coalition 50.7% TPP (2025)4.7 km away
- TinbeerwahLabor 47.9% · Coalition 52.1% TPP (2025)4.9 km away
- PomonaLabor 51.7% · Coalition 48.3% TPP (2025)8.6 km away
- Tewantin SouthLabor 47.8% · Coalition 52.2% TPP (2025)9.5 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
- Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated · 2025 election with by-election overlays
Socio-economic
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 7/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 6/10
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
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
More in Noosa Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.