QLD · Cassowary Coast Council

Silkwood, 4856

Est. population · Jun 2025

420

Growth (1 yr)

+0.5%

Growth (5 yr)

+1.9%

Median age

44

Median income

$1,117/wk

Employment rate

49.7%

Languages at home

6%non-English

Most common: Punjabi

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

28.7/100
Below average

1268th in QLD

Verified 66% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Education hub
  • High desirability
What Silkwood is known for: Education hub, High desirability

Suburb profile

Silkwood offers a slower smaller community life in Cassowary Coast Council, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Long-term locals and family households define much of the community, with family life visible on every street. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting.

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.

Housing is more affordable than in many parts of the state. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.

Desirability lands below average here: softer local dining and lifestyle amenities, plus parks and green space weighing on the result versus similar regional towns, even with safety holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Silkwood snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

420

+0.5% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

16.0%

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

#191

among Country & regional · Established

Safety

22nd

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

28th

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

1/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

20th

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
28.7/100 — Below average
National rank
5791st in Australia
State rank
1268th in QLD
Peer rank
#191 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#760 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
66%

Data sources & freshness

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

Population

Estimated resident population

420(June 2025)

+0.5% annual · +1.9% over 5 years · 28th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.5%
5-year growth
+1.9%
Change in 1 year
+2
Change in 5 years
+8
Growth rank in QLD
28th 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 (~450), extrapolated at +0.5% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
407
Median age
44
Median household income / week
$1,117
Dwelling vacancy
16%
Unoccupied private dwellings
30 of 187
Median monthly mortgage
$1,083
Employment rate
49.7%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
156 / 0 / 0

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)
12
Against the person
3
Against property
2
Rate per 1,000 residents
28.6
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 136 residents
State safety percentile
22.1th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+2.5%

Most common offence types

  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)2
  • Traffic And Related Offences9
  • Assault2
  • Drug Offences2
  • Good Order Offences3

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
2
Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
925.5
Median ICSEA percentile
20th
School list
  • Silkwood State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 889 · 9th percentile · LBOTE 13% · 53 students · Top SEA quarter 3%View on My School →
  • St John's SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 962 · 30th percentile · LBOTE 20% · 48 students · Top SEA quarter 3%View on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

4 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

1 petrol stations

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
Sport & outdoors(2)
  • Silkwood Clay Target ClubSports field
  • Sports field
Other(2)
  • AstronPetrol station
  • TelstraTelephone

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)
1
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

Nearest hospital
Tully Hospital (22.3 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)
10
Participants per 1,000 residents
23.8

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
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 18.8 km away).

Coalition 66.7%Labor 33.3%

7.4 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +0.1 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • SilkwoodLabor 30.3% · Coalition 69.7% TPP (2025)2.6 km away
  • El ArishLabor 44.3% · Coalition 55.7% TPP (2025)6.8 km away
  • Kurrimine BeachLabor 33.5% · Coalition 66.5% TPP (2025)8.9 km away
  • Mena CreekLabor 41.1% · Coalition 58.9% TPP (2025)12.6 km away
  • Mission BeachLabor 51.6% · Coalition 48.4% TPP (2025)15.8 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)
2/10

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.