QLD · Sunshine Coast Council

Maroochy River, 4561

Est. population · Jun 2025

1,809

Growth (1 yr)

+1.4%

Growth (5 yr)

+12.9%

Median age

42

Median income

$2,152/wk

Employment rate

62.8%

Languages at home

2.4%non-English

Most common: German, Afrikaans

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

27.1/100
Below average

1320th in QLD

Verified 58% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • National parks
  • River access
  • Heritage area
  • High desirability
What Maroochy River is known for: National parks, River access, Heritage area, High desirability

Suburb profile

In Sunshine Coast Council, Maroochy River keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. Distance from the metro area around Brisbane is part of the appeal, with regional hubs closer to hand than the city. The area suits established families and long-term locals, with family life visible on every street.

Dining is thinner on the ground than in busier metro pockets, so many residents head to neighbouring suburbs for a night out. A car helps for most daily errands, with fewer amenities clustered within an easy walk. Housing is expensive relative to much of the state.

The suburb still has an emerging character, as newer residents settle in and local identity forms.

Desirability lands below average here: softer parks and green space weighing on the result versus similar metro suburbs, even with safety, plus community and employment holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Maroochy River snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

$840/wk

Population (ERP)

1,809

+1.4% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

7.6%

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

#75

among Metro Brisbane · Emerging

Safety

19th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

60th

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

8/10

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
27.1/100 — Below average
National rank
5997th in Australia
State rank
1320th in QLD
Peer rank
#75 among Metro Brisbane · Emerging suburbs
Cohort rank
#400 among Metro Brisbane suburbs
Data confidence
58%

Data sources & freshness

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

Housing

All types (Mar 2026)
$840

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

1,809(June 2025)

+1.4% annual · +12.9% over 5 years · 60th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.4%
5-year growth
+12.9%
Change in 1 year
+25
Change in 5 years
+207
Growth rank in QLD
60th 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 (~2,150), extrapolated at +3.5% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
1,667
Median age
42
Median household income / week
$2,152
Dwelling vacancy
7.6%
Unoccupied private dwellings
44 of 582
Median monthly mortgage
$2,000
Employment rate
62.8%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
524 / 8 / 10

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)
49
Against the person
7
Against property
23
Rate per 1,000 residents
27.1
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 238 residents
State safety percentile
19.4th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-11.7%

Most common offence types

  • Other Property Damage16
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)45
  • Traffic And Related Offences55
  • Unlawful Entry15
  • Good Order Offences12

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

Amenities

9 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

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
0.6
Sport & outdoors(1)
  • Dunethin Rock Recreation AreaPark
Other(8)
  • Burnside Hill - Dunethin Rock Scout CampsiteCamp Site
  • Dunethin Rock Scout Campsite & Water Activity CentreCamp Site
  • Maroochy River Canoe TrailInformation
  • Dunethin Rock Bushland Reserve NetworkNature Reserve
  • Public toilets
  • Shelter
  • Slipway
  • 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

2 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Dunethin Rock Bushland Reserve NetworkNature reserve
  • Dunethin Rock Recreation AreaPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
1
Parks (OSM)
1

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

Nearest hospital
Nambour Selangor Private Hospital (7.7 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
61
Participants per 1,000 residents
33.7

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
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 normalsWorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Heritage

1 heritage place

  • Dunethin RockState 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
Fairfax
Member of Parliament
Ted O'BRIEN (Liberal National Party of Queensland)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
130,658
Turnout (2025)
89.7%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+5.7 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 53.2%Labor 46.8%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 7.9 km away).

Coalition 52.9%Labor 47.1%

0.3 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +6.1 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Bli Bli NorthLabor 44.4% · Coalition 55.6% TPP (2025)2.2 km away
  • Bli BliLabor 49.4% · Coalition 50.6% TPP (2025)4.4 km away
  • YandinaLabor 50.8% · Coalition 49.2% TPP (2025)6.8 km away
  • Pacific ParadiseLabor 49.2% · Coalition 50.8% TPP (2025)7.1 km away
  • Coolum BeachLabor 56.1% · Coalition 43.9% TPP (2025)7.3 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)
8/10
IRSD decile (2021)
9/10

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 Sunshine Coast Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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