QLD · Mareeba Council

Mareeba, 4880

Est. population · Jun 2025

12,764

Growth (1 yr)

+1.4%

Growth (5 yr)

+6.6%

Median age

41

Median income

$1,282/wk

Employment rate

51.4%

Languages at home

14.6%non-English

Most common: Italian, Mandarin, Punjabi

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

44.4/100
Average

Top 43% of Queensland's suburbs

Verified 71% confidence

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

Suburb profile

Mareeba offers a slower established suburb life in Mareeba Council, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Residents are mostly families and working professionals, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice.

Local shops are sparse, so a fuller set of amenities usually means travelling to a neighbouring town or regional hub. Green space punches above what many regional towns offer, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here than in denser, more walkable pockets.

Purchase and rent costs sit on the more affordable side of the local range. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.

Desirability sits around average overall, with local dining and lifestyle amenities, plus community and employment the main drag compared with similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Mareeba snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

$400/wk

Population (ERP)

12,764

+1.4% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

8.4%

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

#84

among Country & regional · Established

Safety

90th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

59th

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

2/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

28th

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
44.4/100 — Average
State standing
Top 43% of Queensland's suburbs
National rank
3020th in Australia
State rank
654th in QLD
Peer rank
#84 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#268 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
71%

Data sources & freshness

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

Housing

All types (Mar 2026)
$400

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

12,764(June 2025)

+1.4% annual · +6.6% over 5 years · 59th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.4%
5-year growth
+6.6%
Change in 1 year
+175
Change in 5 years
+788
Growth rank in QLD
59th 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 (~13,700), extrapolated at +1.4% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
11,825
Median age
41
Median household income / week
$1,282
Dwelling vacancy
8.4%
Unoccupied private dwellings
391 of 4,672
Median monthly mortgage
$1,495
Employment rate
51.4%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
3,795 / 40 / 311 (+ 103 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)
1,195
Against the person
313
Against property
524
Rate per 1,000 residents
93.6
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 38 residents
State safety percentile
89.8th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+0.6%

Most common offence types

  • Assault190
  • Drug Offences206
  • Good Order Offences157
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)259
  • Unlawful Entry154

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
4
Median school ICSEA (4 schools)
944
Median ICSEA percentile
28th
School list
  • Mareeba State High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 886 · 8th percentile · LBOTE 16% · 721 students · Top SEA quarter 3%View on My School →
  • Mareeba State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 855 · 5th percentile · LBOTE 16% · 695 students · Top SEA quarter 2%View on My School →
  • St Stephen's Catholic CollegeSecondary · Catholic · ICSEA 1041 · 65th percentile · LBOTE 8% · 652 students · Top SEA quarter 19%View on My School →
  • St Thomas' SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1002 · 47th percentile · LBOTE 14% · 431 students · Top SEA quarter 11%View on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.

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

14 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Alex Lawson ParkPark
  • Allan Jensen ParkPark
  • Ant Hill ParkPark
  • Arnold ParkPark
  • Bicentenial Lakes ParkPark
  • Brady ParkPark
  • Centenary ParkPark
  • Firth ParkPark
  • Jack Bethel ParkPark
  • Lions ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
29
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

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
3
Nearest hospital
Mareeba Hospital (9.5 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
On site
  • Mareeba HospitalHospital
  • Mareeba HospitalHospital
  • My Mareeba DentistDentist

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
349
Participants per 1,000 residents
27.3

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

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

Heritage

3 heritage places

  • Assay Office & Store, MareebaState heritage place
  • Mareeba Shire Hall (former)State heritage place
  • Mareeba Uniting Church (former)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
Kennedy
Member of Parliament
Bob KATTER (Katter's Australian Party (KAP))
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
123,696
Turnout (2025)
83.8%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+0.8 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 59.3%Labor 40.7%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 23.5 km away).

Coalition 61.5%Labor 38.5%

2.2 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +1.7 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Mareeba NorthLabor 35.3% · Coalition 64.7% TPP (2025)10.2 km away
  • MareebaLabor 45.9% · Coalition 54.1% TPP (2025)10.4 km away
  • Mareeba WestLabor 39.0% · Coalition 61.0% TPP (2025)10.9 km away
  • WalkaminLabor 34.9% · Coalition 65.1% TPP (2025)12.5 km away
  • BiboohraLabor 33.3% · Coalition 66.7% TPP (2025)17.0 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)
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.