Median house price
—
No data available
QLD · Gold Coast Council
Merrimac, 4226
Est. population · Jun 2025
8,436
Growth (1 yr)
+0.9%
Growth (5 yr)
+2.2%
Median age
38
Median income
$1,688/wk
Employment rate
61.7%
Languages at home
17.4%non-English
Most common: Japanese, Cantonese, Spanish
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- High desirability
- Green suburb
- Excellent transport
- Education hub
- Café precinct
Suburb profile
Merrimac is a well-connected mid-sized suburb in Gold Coast Council with everyday amenities close at hand. Residents are mostly families and working professionals, with family life visible on every street. Many residents were born overseas or speak a language other than English at home.
Dining is thinner on the ground than in busier metro pockets, so many residents head to neighbouring suburbs for a night out. 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, and buses help with longer trips.
Homes cost more here than in most comparable suburbs. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
Desirability rates good overall, led by stronger schools and education, plus safety compared with similar metro suburbs.
At a glance
Merrimac snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
$800/wk
Population (ERP)
8,436
+0.9% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
4.1%
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
#98
among Metro Brisbane · Established
Safety
18th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
39th
percentile in QLD
Advantage (IRSAD)
5/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
67th
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
- 61.0/100 — Good
- State standing
- Top 14% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 921st in Australia
- State rank
- 202nd in QLD
- Peer rank
- #98 among Metro Brisbane · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #138 among Metro Brisbane suburbs
- Data confidence
- 85%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Housing
- All types (Mar 2026)
- $800
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
- RTA bond statistics — Residential Tenancies Authority (Queensland) · Mar 2026 · Updated · Quarterly releases
Population
Estimated resident population
8,436(June 2025)
+0.9% annual · +2.2% over 5 years · 39th percentile in QLD
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +0.9%
- 5-year growth
- +2.2%
- Change in 1 year
- +74
- Change in 5 years
- +178
- Growth rank in QLD
- 39th 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 (~8,850), extrapolated at +1.0% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 7,212
- Median age
- 38
- Median household income / week
- $1,688
- Dwelling vacancy
- 4.1%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 111 of 2,699
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Employment rate
- 61.7%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 1,246 / 1,079 / 262
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)
- 219
- Against the person
- 33
- Against property
- 132
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 26
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 219 residents
- State safety percentile
- 17.6th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -2.1%
Most common offence types
- Assault73
- Drug Offences130
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)401
- Traffic And Related Offences83
- Unlawful Entry85
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
Schools & preschools
- Schools within 2 km
- 4
- Median school ICSEA (4 schools)
- 1,046.5
- Median ICSEA percentile
- 67th
School list
- Star of the Sea SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1045 · 66th percentile · LBOTE 5% · 236 students · Top SEA quarter 13% · 0.5 km awayView on My School →
- St Michael's CollegeSecondary · Catholic · ICSEA 1048 · 67th percentile · LBOTE 6% · 820 students · Top SEA quarter 17% · 0.9 km awayView on My School →
- Merrimac State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1020 · 56th percentile · LBOTE 27% · 600 students · Top SEA quarter 11% · 1.0 km awayView on My School →
- All Saints Anglican SchoolCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1137 · 93th percentile · LBOTE 27% · 1,828 students · Top SEA quarter 52% · 1.7 km awayView on My School →
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
Childcare
2 childcare services from OpenStreetMap
- Little Angels Child CareGooding Drivekindergarten
- Sunkids Children CentreBourton Roadkindergarten
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
Childcare centre count
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · current · Updated
Public transport
21 public transport stops in this suburb
- Gooding Dr at Bourton Road
- Gooding Dr at Bourton Road
- Gooding Dr at Jondique Avenue
- Gooding Dr at Merrimac Primary School
- Gooding Dr at Merrimac Primary School
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · current · Updated
Amenities
74 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
1 restaurants · 2 cafes · 1 pubs · 1 pharmacies · 1 fast food · 3 places of worship · 7 playgrounds · 1 swimming pools
Local character & venue list
Local character
- Reasonably walkable — many errands reachable on foot or by bus
- Great for outdoor family life — 11 parks mapped in suburb, 7 playgrounds nearby
- Well connected by public transport — 21 public transport stops
- Strong local sport and recreation — 11 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
- Walkability proxy
- 55/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 0.28
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 0.69
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 1.53
Food & drink(5)
- Bourton Road CafeCafe
- Pie FaceCafe
- McDonald'sFast food
Gooding Drive, Merrimac
- Merrimac TavernPub
- The German ClubRestaurant
Jondique Avenue, Merrimac
Shopping(3)
- BP ShopConvenience store
- Convenience store
Community(5)
- Little Angels Child CareKindergarten
162 Gooding Drive, Merrimac
- Sunkids Children CentreKindergarten
22 Bourton Road, Merrimac
- Merrimac State SchoolSchool
2 Boowaggan Road
- Queensland Independent CollegeSchool
16 Ghilgai Road, Merrimac
- St Michael's CollegeSchool
Jondique Avenue, Merrimac
Health & services(3)
- Merridown Family SurgeryClinic
166 - 174 Gooding Drive, Merrimac
- Totally DentalDentist
166 Gooding Drive, Merrimac
- Gooding Drive Amcal ChemproPharmacy
166 Gooding Drive, Merrimac
Sport & outdoors(22)
- Baymill ParkPark
- Faerie ParkPark
- Highfield ParkPark
- Meadowbrook ReservePark
- Park (6)
- Stoner Family ParkPark
- Playground (7)
- AFL FieldSports field
- Bus Turnaround Court #1Sports field
- Sports field
- Swimming pool
Transport(10)
10 bus stops
Other(20)
- Attraction
- Bbq
- Bench (3)
- Drinking water
- Fire station
- Merrimac Rural Fire ServiceFire station
- Fitness Station
- Hillview House Aged CareNursing Home
239 Gooding Drive, Merrimac
- Merrimac Aged CareNursing Home
3 - 5 Glenhaven Court, Merrimac
- Merrimac Park Private CareNursing Home
50 Macadie Way, Merrimac
- Parking (6)
- BPPetrol station
- UnitedPetrol station
- Picnic Table
- Kingdom HallPlace of worship
50 Highfield Drive, Merrimac
- Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's WitnessesPlace of worship
50 Highfield Drive, Merrimac
- Logos Chinese Christian ChurchPlace of worship
42 Bourton Road, Merrimac
- Avica ResortResort
- Shelter
- Merrimac Waste and Recycling CentreWaste Transfer Station
Boowaggan Road, Merrimac
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
5 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Baymill ParkPark
- Faerie ParkPark
- Highfield ParkPark
- Meadowbrook ReservePark
- Stoner Family ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 89
- Parks (OSM)
- 11
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
Places of worship
3 places of worship within ~1.5 km
- Kingdom Hall
50 Highfield Drive, Merrimac
- Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
50 Highfield Drive, Merrimac
- Logos Chinese Christian Church
42 Bourton Road, Merrimac
From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
- 1
- Nearest hospital
- Emergency (2.4 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
- Emergency department in suburb
- Not in suburb
- Merridown Family SurgeryGooding DriveClinic
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)
- 264
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 31.3
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
- 28° / 18°
- Rainfall
- 493 mm · ~62 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 25° / 14°
- Rainfall
- 343 mm · ~43 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 20° / 7°
- Rainfall
- 144 mm · ~18 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 25° / 12°
- Rainfall
- 249 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
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
- McPherson
- Member of Parliament
- Leon REBELLO (Liberal National Party of Queensland)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 121,545
- Turnout (2025)
- 87.4%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- +4.9 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 54.4%Labor 45.6%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 4.9 km away).
Coalition 54.0%Labor 46.0%
0.5 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +6.0 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
- Merrimac (McPherson)Labor 45.4% · Coalition 54.6% TPP (2025)1.2 km away
- Robina WestLabor 52.9% · Coalition 47.1% TPP (2025)2.7 km away
- Robina NorthLabor 41.1% · Coalition 58.9% TPP (2025)3.1 km away
- Tallai (McPherson)Labor 47.0% · Coalition 53.0% TPP (2025)3.3 km away
- RobinaLabor 42.2% · Coalition 57.8% 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
- Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated · 2025 election with by-election overlays
Socio-economic
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 5/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 5/10
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
Compare with
Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.
More in Gold Coast Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.