QLD · Mackay Council
South Mackay, 4740
Current weather
19.9°CClear sky
91% humidity · 8 km/h wind · 24.5° / 13.9° today · 0.1 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- National parks
- High desirability
Suburb profile
South Mackay anchors everyday life in Mackay, a regional mid-sized suburb with its own identity and rhythm. The community is self-contained in the best sense. Local life comes first, with the region opening up beyond. Tree-lined streets and leafy pockets give the suburb a noticeably green, settled character.
Residents are mostly families and working professionals, with family life visible on every street. Weekends tend to revolve around local favourites: a café, a market run, a walk through town. Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls.
The area offers approachable housing costs alongside a lifestyle that still feels complete. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
The desirability score is around average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and schools and education against similar regional towns, even with parks and green space and housing affordability holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 6,918
- Median age
- 39
- Median household income / week
- $1,477
- Dwelling vacancy
- 8.7%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 268 of 3,073
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,500
- Employment rate
- 59.2%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 230 / 688 / 58
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 · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Housing
- All types (Mar 2026)
- $510
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) · Period: Mar 2026 · Updated on site · Quarterly releases
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
- 410
- Against the person
- 98
- Against property
- 186
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 59.3
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 71 residents
- State safety percentile
- 77th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +7.2%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault500
- Drug Offences818
- Good Order Offences578
- Other Property Damage431
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)1129
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Jul 2026; Jan 2026 to Jul 2026 · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 936
- Mackay State High SchoolSecondary
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 · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Amenities
36 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- 303 to city centerBus stop
- Bus stop (5)
- Car Rental
- Napier Shopping VillageConvenience store
- South Mackay SupermarketConvenience store
- Birralee Child Care CentreKindergarten
- Parking (3)
- Parking Entrance
- St Mary's Catholic ChurchPlace of worship
- Playground (2)
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
12 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Harrup ParkPark
- Illawong ParkPark
- Kemmis ParkPark
- Mackay CroquetPark
- Napier Street ParkPark
- Old Far Beach Landfill AreaPark
- Park VigoroPark
- Penn Street ParkPark
- Robb Place ParkPark
- Shark ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 1
- Emergency department
- On site
- Blue Care Respite Carehospital
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 2/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 2/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Childcare
1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap
- Birralee Child Care Centrekindergarten
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
Childcare centre count
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Period: current · Updated on site
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 · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 48
- Parks (OSM)
- 47
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 features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 43.0/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 45% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 2956th in Australia
- State rank
- 682nd in QLD
- Peer rank
- #205 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #304 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 77%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- 303 to city centeramenitiesbus_stop
- Birralee Child Care Centreamenitieskindergarten
- Boral Fieldamenitiessports_centre
- Bus stopamenitiesbus_stop
- Bus stopamenitiesbus_stop
- Bus stopamenitiesbus_stop
- Bus stopamenitiesbus_stop
- Bus stopamenitiesbus_stop
- Car Rentalamenitiescar_rental
- CitiBeach Mackayamenitiespitch
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Mackay Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.