QLD · Cassowary Coast Council

Murray Upper, 4854

Est. population · Jun 2025

236

Growth (1 yr)

+1.7%

Growth (5 yr)

+7.3%

Median age

42

Median income

$857/wk

Employment rate

42.5%

Languages at home

23.6%non-English

Most common: Australian Indigenous languages

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

30/100
Below average

1221st in QLD

Verified 71% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • National parks
  • Green suburb
  • Education hub
  • High desirability
What Murray Upper is known for: National parks, Green suburb, Education hub, High desirability

Suburb profile

Murray Upper is a quieter smaller community in Cassowary Coast Council, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. The area suits established families and long-term locals, with family life visible on every street. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name.

Local shops are sparse, so a fuller set of amenities usually means travelling to a neighbouring town or regional hub. Local green pockets are modest, with bigger outdoor outings usually found in neighbouring areas. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here than in denser, more walkable pockets.

Homes are relatively cheap compared with the wider market, which keeps entry costs lower. An emerging neighbourhood feel is building here, with new households gradually reshaping local life.

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

At a glance

Murray Upper snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

236

+1.7% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

10.0%

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

#186

among Country & regional · Emerging

Safety

40th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

70th

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

1/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

3rd

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
30.0/100 — Below average
National rank
5594th in Australia
State rank
1221st in QLD
Peer rank
#186 among Country & regional · Emerging suburbs
Cohort rank
#717 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
71%

Data sources & freshness

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

Population

Estimated resident population

236(June 2025)

+1.7% annual · +7.3% over 5 years · 70th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.7%
5-year growth
+7.3%
Change in 1 year
+4
Change in 5 years
+16
Growth rank in QLD
70th 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 (~250), extrapolated at +0.8% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
218
Median age
42
Median household income / week
$857
Dwelling vacancy
10%
Unoccupied private dwellings
8 of 80
Median monthly mortgage
$0
Employment rate
42.5%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
72 / 0 / 0 (+ 3 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)
9
Against the person
2
Against property
3
Rate per 1,000 residents
38.1
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 109 residents
State safety percentile
39.5th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-2.7%

Most common offence types

  • Assault30
  • Drug Offences65
  • Good Order Offences38
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)33
  • Traffic And Related Offences56

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
1
Median school ICSEA
799
Median ICSEA percentile
3th
School list
  • Murray River Upper State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 799 · 3th percentile · LBOTE 3% · 30 students · Top SEA quarter 1%View on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

2 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
Shopping(1)
  • Jumbun Community StoreConvenience store
Health & services(1)
  • Jumbun Medical ClinicMedical clinic

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

1 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Yabullum Nature RefugeNature reserve

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
5
Parks (OSM)
0

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
1
Nearest hospital
Tully Hospital (25.7 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
Not in suburb
  • Jumbun Medical ClinicDoctor

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
5
Participants per 1,000 residents
21.2

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° / 23°
Rainfall
883 mm · ~90 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
29° / 21°
Rainfall
553 mm · ~69 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
25° / 15°
Rainfall
124 mm · ~16 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
29° / 20°
Rainfall
196 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

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 41.4 km away).

Coalition 60.5%Labor 39.5%

1.1 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +13.4 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Murray UpperLabor 41.0% · Coalition 59.0% TPP (2025)7.1 km away
  • Kennedy CentralLabor 23.3% · Coalition 76.7% TPP (2025)18.7 km away
  • TullyLabor 43.9% · Coalition 56.1% TPP (2025)24.9 km away
  • Tully NorthLabor 40.3% · Coalition 59.7% TPP (2025)24.9 km away
  • Lower TullyLabor 41.2% · Coalition 58.8% TPP (2025)26.2 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)
1/10
IRSD decile (2021)
1/10

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

More in Cassowary Coast Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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