Median house price
—
No data available
QLD · Sunshine Coast Council
Shelly Beach, 4551
Est. population · Jun 2025
942
Growth (1 yr)
+0.5%
Growth (5 yr)
+0.8%
Median age
48
Median income
$2,026/wk
Employment rate
59.2%
Languages at home
4%non-English
Most common: French, Spanish, German
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- Coastal
- Education hub
- Excellent transport
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Shelly Beach is a coastal smaller community where beach life and relaxed outdoor living shape the local character. The wider metro area and neighbouring suburbs stay within easy reach when you want a change of scene. Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life.
With fewer amenities on hand, neighbouring suburbs do much of the shopping and service heavy lifting. Open space is thinner than in many coastal suburbs, so residents often travel a little further for a longer park day. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here, with buses covering longer trips across the wider 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 lands below average here: softer schools and education weighing on the result versus similar coastal suburbs, even with community and employment, plus safety holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
At a glance
Shelly Beach snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
—
No data available
Population (ERP)
942
+0.5% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
19.1%
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
#51
among Coastal & beach · Mature
Safety
18th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
29th
percentile in QLD
Advantage (IRSAD)
9/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
71st
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
- 35.1/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 4678th in Australia
- State rank
- 1005th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #51 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #102 among Coastal & beach suburbs
- Data confidence
- 74%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Population
Estimated resident population
942(June 2025)
+0.5% annual · +0.8% over 5 years · 29th percentile in QLD
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +0.5%
- 5-year growth
- +0.8%
- Change in 1 year
- +5
- Change in 5 years
- +7
- Growth rank in QLD
- 29th 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 (~950), extrapolated at +0.2% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 925
- Median age
- 48
- Median household income / week
- $2,026
- Dwelling vacancy
- 19.1%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 80 of 419
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,200
- Employment rate
- 59.2%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 276 / 4 / 49 (+ 3 other)
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)
- 25
- Against the person
- 4
- Against property
- 13
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 26.5
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 231 residents
- State safety percentile
- 18.3th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -3.4%
Most common offence types
- Drug Offences353
- Good Order Offences171
- Other Property Damage183
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)577
- Traffic And Related Offences225
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
- 2
- Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
- 1,059.5
- Median ICSEA percentile
- 71th
School list
- Our Lady of the Rosary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1092 · 82th percentile · LBOTE 7% · 321 students · Top SEA quarter 35% · 0.3 km awayView on My School →
- Caloundra State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1027 · 59th percentile · LBOTE 13% · 481 students · Top SEA quarter 21% · 1.1 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
Public transport
2 public transport stops in this suburb
- Edmund St at Caloundra Catholic Church
- Edmund St at Russell Street
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
9 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
1 places of worship · 1 playgrounds
Local character & venue list
Local character
- Limited walkable amenities nearby
- Decent local green space — 0 parks in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
- Walkability proxy
- 3/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 0
Community(1)
- Our Lady of the Rosary Primary SchoolSchool
Sport & outdoors(1)
- Playground
Transport(2)
2 bus stops
Other(5)
- Bbq
- Parking
- Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic ChurchPlace of worship
61 Edmund Street
- Post Box
- Public toilets
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
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
- OpenStreetMap green cover — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Places of worship
1 places of worship within ~1.5 km
- Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church
61 Edmund Street
From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Nearest hospital
- Ramsay Clinic Caloundra (2.5 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
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)
- 27
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 28.7
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
- 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 5.6 km away).
Coalition 51.7%Labor 48.3%
4.4 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +0.5 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
- CaloundraLabor 50.0% · Coalition 50.0% TPP (2025)1.7 km away
- Dicky BeachLabor 45.9% · Coalition 54.1% TPP (2025)1.8 km away
- CurrimundiLabor 52.8% · Coalition 47.2% TPP (2025)2.5 km away
- Golden BeachLabor 44.4% · Coalition 55.6% TPP (2025)3.5 km away
- Currimundi WestLabor 49.1% · Coalition 50.9% TPP (2025)3.9 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)
- 9/10
- 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
- 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.