Median house price
—
No data available
QLD · Sunshine Coast Council
Palmwoods, 4555
Est. population · Jun 2025
7,302
Growth (1 yr)
+2.8%
Growth (5 yr)
+17.2%
Median age
43
Median income
$1,738/wk
Employment rate
59%
Languages at home
4%non-English
Most common: Portuguese, French, Italian
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
- National parks
- Excellent transport
- Café precinct
Suburb profile
Palmwoods is a practical mid-sized suburb in Sunshine Coast Council, well placed for families who want metro access without the inner-city squeeze. Distance from the metro area around Brisbane is part of the appeal, with regional hubs closer to hand than the city. Long-term locals and family households define much of the community, with family life visible on every street.
Sport and recreation are easy to access, with local venues supporting active weekends and after-work routines. Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls. Most routine trips are on foot, while buses and trains cover longer journeys across the metro area.
Housing is expensive relative to much of the state. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
Desirability rates good overall, led by stronger safety, plus schools and education compared with similar metro suburbs.
At a glance
Palmwoods snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
$750/wk
Population (ERP)
7,302
+2.8% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
4.8%
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
#58
among Metro Brisbane · Established
Safety
7th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
87th
percentile in QLD
Advantage (IRSAD)
6/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
60th
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
- 67.2/100 — Good
- State standing
- Top 7% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 384th in Australia
- State rank
- 95th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #58 among Metro Brisbane · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #75 among Metro Brisbane suburbs
- Data confidence
- 85%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Housing
- All types (Mar 2026)
- $750
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
7,302(June 2025)
+2.8% annual · +17.2% over 5 years · 87th percentile in QLD
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +2.8%
- 5-year growth
- +17.2%
- Change in 1 year
- +196
- Change in 5 years
- +1,070
- Growth rank in QLD
- 87th 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 (~8,000), extrapolated at +1.9% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 6,357
- Median age
- 43
- Median household income / week
- $1,738
- Dwelling vacancy
- 4.8%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 113 of 2,358
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,878
- Employment rate
- 59%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 2,031 / 182 / 27
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)
- 117
- Against the person
- 16
- Against property
- 63
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 16
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 397 residents
- State safety percentile
- 7th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -4.1%
Most common offence types
- Assault8
- Other Property Damage13
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)50
- Traffic And Related Offences16
- Drug Offences23
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
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 1,030
- Median ICSEA percentile
- 60th
School list
- Palmwoods State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1030 · 60th percentile · LBOTE 9% · 485 students · Top SEA quarter 16% · 0.9 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
5 childcare services from OpenStreetMap
- Palmwoods Community Kindergartenchildcare
- Palmwoods Early Learning CentreHarris Drivechildcare
- Palmwoods Early Learning Centrechildcare
- childcarechildcare
- childcarechildcare
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
Childcare centre count
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · current · Updated
Public transport
13 public transport stops in this suburb
- Jubilee Dr near Woombye Palmwoods Rd
- Montville Rd at Palmwoods Primary
- Montville Rd near Dunning St
- Woombye Palmwoods Rd near Holly Green Cr
- Woombye Palmwoods Rd near Nicklin Rd
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
308 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
3 restaurants · 2 cafes · 2 pubs · 1 supermarkets · 1 pharmacies · 1 fast food · 1 bakeries · 5 playgrounds
Local character & venue list
Local character
- Highly walkable for everyday errands
- Great for outdoor family life — 21 parks mapped in suburb, 5 playgrounds nearby
- Reasonable bus and transport access — 13 public transport stops
- Strong local sport and recreation — 179 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
- Walkability proxy
- 78/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 0.31
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 1.42
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 3.3
Food & drink(9)
- Palmwoods BakeryBakery
2-4 Margaret Street, Palmwoods
- Homegrown CafeCafe
8 Main Street
- Stonebridge GardensCafe
20 Rifle Range Road
- Palmwoods TakeawayFast food
- Palmwoods Bowls ClubPub
1 Nicklin Road
- Palmwoods HotelPub
28-34 Main Street, Palmwoods
- PiggybackRestaurant
1 Koorawatha Lane, Palmwoods
- Pizza PizzaRestaurant
- Ricks GarageRestaurant
Shopping(3)
- We Meat AgainButcher
- SPAR PalmwoodsSupermarket
7 Main Street, Palmwoods
Community(7)
- Childcare (2)
- Palmwoods Community KindergartenChildcare
- Palmwoods Early Learning CentreChildcare
- Palmwoods Early Learning CentreChildcare
1 Harris Drive, Palmwoods
- QCWA PalmwoodsCommunity centre
11 Main Street, Palmwoods
- Palmwoods State SchoolSchool
Health & services(5)
- DentalExcelDentist
2-4 Margaret Street, Palmwoods
- Medical clinic
7 Margaret Street, Palmwoods
- Palmwoods Clinic Family MedicineMedical clinic
9 Margaret Street, Palmwoods
- Palmwoods Medical CentreMedical clinic
1 Briggs Street, Palmwoods
- Capital Chemist PalmwoodsPharmacy
2-4 Margaret Street, Palmwoods
Sport & outdoors(192)
- Aland Place Natural Amenity ReservePark
- Banskia Place Drainage ReservePark
- Brudo Court ParkPark
- Federation ParkPark
Primrose Court, Palmwoods
- Holly Green Crescent ParkPark
255-259 Woombye Palmwoods Road
- Kolora Park Enviromental ReservePark
- Lawson ParkPark
13 Main Street, Palmwoods
- Lemon ParkPark
150 Palmwoods - Montville Road
- Palm and Litter ParkPark
- Palmwoods Piccabeen GreenPark
- Palmwoods School Road ParkPark
- Park
- Paynters Pocket Neighbourhood ParkPark
- Playground
Primrose Court, Palmwoods
- Playground (4)
- Briggs ParkSports field
- Multi Purpose CourtSports field
- Palmwoods Skate ParkSports field
- Prep, 1, 2 OvalSports field
- Sports field
- Year 3 & 4 OvalSports field
- Year 5 & 6 OvalSports field
- Palmwoods Aquatic CentreSwimming pool
101 Palmwoods-Montville Road
- Swimming pool (166)
Transport(26)
25 bus stops · 1 train stations
Other(41)
- BottlemartAlcohol
- BottlemartAlcohol
28-34 Main Street, Palmwoods
- Heritage BankBank
18-20 Margaret Street, Palmwoods
- Bbq (2)
- Bench (4)
- AT Metal WorksCar repair
- Salads at PalmwoodsFarm
80 Rifle Range Road
- Palmwoods Rural Fire ServiceFire station
- Cam Crossley SculptorGallery
6 Garden Avenue
- Garden (2)
- Soil & SoulGarden
- The CottageGuest House
130 Paskins Road
- The DukeHairdresser
- Wildwood Sanctuary Bed & breakfastHotel
30 Batt Road
- Information (4)
- Mandala Massage Antje MeyerMassage
10 Inglewood Court
- Palmwoods NewsagencyNewsagent
- Clinic car parkParking
9 Margaret Street, Palmwoods
- Federation ParkParking
Primrose Court, Palmwoods
- Margaret Street Public Car ParkParking
Margaret Street, Palmwoods
- Palmwoods Aquatic CentreParking
101 Palmwoods-Montville Road
- Palmwoods HotelParking
28 Main Street, Palmwoods
- Palmwoods HotelParking
36-38 Main Street, Palmwoods
- Palmwoods park 'n' rideParking
- Palmwoods State SchoolParking
- Parking (10)
- Sunshine Coast CouncilParking
- Sunshine Coast Regional CouncilParking
53 Palmwoods-Montville Road
- Picnic Table (4)
- Palmwoods Police StationPolice
15 Margaret Street, Palmwoods
- Palmwoods Local Post OfficePost office
13 Margaret Street, Palmwoods
- Palmwoods Memorial Hall Public ToiletsPublic toilets
Margaret Street, Palmwoods
- Public toilets
- Sunshine Coast CouncilPublic toilets
- Sunshine Coast Regional CouncilPublic toilets
150 Palmwoods - Montville Road
- Federation ParkShelter
Primrose Court, Palmwoods
- Shelter
150 Palmwoods - Montville Road
- Shelter (7)
- Daniel Morcombe FoundationSocial Facility
7 Koorawatha Lane, Palmwoods
- Palmwoods Garden VillageSocial Facility
- 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 insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Parks & reserves
22 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Abbotts Road Environmental ReserveNature reserve
- Aland Place Natural Amenity ReservePark
- Banskia Place Drainage ReservePark
- Brudo Court ParkPark
- Citron Place Draiange ReservePark
- Citron Place Drainage Reserve 2Park
- Federation ParkPark
- Holly Green Crescent ParkPark
- Kolora Park Enviromental ReservePark
- Lawson ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 25
- Parks (OSM)
- 21
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
- Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
- 4
- Nearest hospital
- Nambour General Hospital Emergency (8.0 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
- Emergency department in suburb
- Not in suburb
- Capital Chemist PalmwoodsMargaret StreetPharmacy
- Cittamani Hospice ServiceWoombye Palmwoods RoadHospice
- DentalExcelMargaret StreetDentist
- Palmwoods Medical CentreBriggs StreetDoctor
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)
- 222
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 30.4
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° / 20°
- Rainfall
- 498 mm · ~62 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 26° / 17°
- Rainfall
- 406 mm · ~51 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 21° / 10°
- Rainfall
- 196 mm · ~24 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 26° / 15°
- Rainfall
- 256 mm · ~32 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
- Fisher
- Member of Parliament
- Andrew WALLACE (Liberal National Party of Queensland)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 139,064
- Turnout (2025)
- 90.1%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- +2.6 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 56.0%Labor 44.0%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 11.0 km away).
Coalition 53.3%Labor 46.7%
2.8 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +2.8 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
- PalmwoodsLabor 46.0% · Coalition 54.0% TPP (2025)1.5 km away
- Woombye (Fisher)Labor 48.4% · Coalition 51.6% TPP (2025)3.1 km away
- EudloLabor 49.2% · Coalition 50.8% TPP (2025)3.7 km away
- MontvilleLabor 42.4% · Coalition 57.6% TPP (2025)6.7 km away
- MooloolahLabor 49.0% · Coalition 51.0% TPP (2025)8.4 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)
- 6/10
- 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
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.