QLD · Whitsunday Council

Shute Harbour, 4802

Est. population · Jun 2025

101

Growth (1 yr)

+2.0%

Growth (5 yr)

+13.5%

Median age

58

Median income

$1,812/wk

Employment rate

46.7%

Languages at home

Mostly English at home

2021 Census · usual residence

  • Green suburb
What Shute Harbour is known for: Green suburb

Suburb profile

Shute Harbour is a residential smaller community in Whitsunday Council with a familiar suburban feel. It is a long way from Brisbane, so life orients around regional towns and local hubs rather than the metro area. A mature community gives the area a calm, settled social fabric, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life.

The town centre holds its own, with enough local flavour to make staying close to home appealing. Green space punches above what many comparable suburbs offer, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here, with buses covering longer trips across the wider area.

Property prices run toward the upper end of the local market. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.

At a glance

Shute Harbour snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

101

+2.0% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

30.9%

Census unoccupied dwellings

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Safety

85th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

78th

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

Population

Estimated resident population

101(June 2025)

+2.0% annual · +13.5% over 5 years · 78th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+2.0%
5-year growth
+13.5%
Change in 1 year
+2
Change in 5 years
+12
Growth rank in QLD
78th 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 (~100), extrapolated at +3.0% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
113
Median age
58
Median household income / week
$1,812
Dwelling vacancy
30.9%
Unoccupied private dwellings
17 of 55
Median monthly mortgage
$1,322
Employment rate
46.7%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
36 / 0 / 0 (+ 4 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)
8
Against the person
2
Against property
2
Rate per 1,000 residents
79.2
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 56 residents
State safety percentile
85.2th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-7.3%

Most common offence types

  • Assault95
  • Drug Offences286
  • Good Order Offences192
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)136
  • Traffic And Related Offences167

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

29 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

4 swimming pools · 1 petrol stations

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life4 parks mapped in suburb
Walkability proxy
2/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
35.4
Sport & outdoors(8)
  • Park (4)
  • Swimming pool (4)
Entertainment(1)
  • Lions LookoutViewpoint
Transport(1)

1 bus stops

Other(11)
  • Bbq
  • Salty Dog Sea KayakingBoat Rental
  • Whitsunday Rent A YachtBoat Rental

    6 Bay Terrace, Shute Harbour

  • Pineapple House WhitsundaysGuest House

    9 Warrain Street

  • Baybliss ApartmentsHotel
  • Coral Point LodgeHotel

    52-54 Harbour Avenue, Shute Harbour

  • Car & Boat ParkingParking
  • Parking (6)
  • Petrol station
  • Picnic Table (3)
  • Slipway (2)

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

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
4
Parks (OSM)
4

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
Health Care Centre (8.7 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)
2
Participants per 1,000 residents
19.8

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° / 25°
Rainfall
772 mm · ~90 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
27° / 22°
Rainfall
599 mm · ~75 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
22° / 18°
Rainfall
157 mm · ~20 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
26° / 21°
Rainfall
140 mm · ~18 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
Dawson
Member of Parliament
Andrew WILLCOX (Liberal National Party of Queensland)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
117,202
Turnout (2025)
88.2%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
-1.4 pp toward Coalition

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 61.8%Labor 38.2%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 68.4 km away).

Coalition 61.7%Labor 38.3%

0.1 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: -3.1 pp toward Coalition

Nearest polling places

  • Airlie BeachLabor 36.0% · Coalition 64.0% TPP (2025)6.8 km away
  • CannonvaleLabor 41.1% · Coalition 58.9% TPP (2025)9.6 km away
  • Hamilton IslandLabor 55.1% · Coalition 44.9% TPP (2025)20.6 km away
  • ProserpineLabor 31.7% · Coalition 68.3% TPP (2025)25.2 km away
  • BloomsburyLabor 30.7% · Coalition 69.3% TPP (2025)50.5 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

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
8/10
IRSD decile (2021)
8/10

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 Whitsunday Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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