suburb.guide

QLD · Mackay Council

South Mackay, 4740

Est. population · Jun 2025

7,637

Growth (1 yr)

+0.8%

Growth (5 yr)

+4.6%

Median age

39

Median income

$1,477/wk

Employment rate

59.2%

University qualified

11%

Work from home

3.4%

Languages at home

10%non-English

Most common: Tagalog, Filipino, Mandarin

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

36.9/100
Below average

1017th in QLD

Verified 88% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Beach
  • Education hub
  • Green suburb
  • Port & industry
What South Mackay is known for: Beach, Education hub, Green suburb, Port & industry

Using this data? Cite or embed. Publishers

Suburb snapshot infographic

Download PNG
South Mackay, QLD suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

Embed this snapshot

The image links to the canonical suburb page. Copy the HTML as-is.

South Mackay, QLD suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

Cite this suburb snapshot

Suburb Guide, “South Mackay, QLD Suburb Guide”, updated 2 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/qld/south-mackay

No registration is required. Please keep the link to the suburb page.

Suburb profile

South Mackay is an industrial and port town in Queensland, in Mackay Council, with mainly mixed commercial and residential development. It has an industrial and port economy.

Local amenities are a relative strength, placing it among the highest-ranked industrial and port towns. Everyday destinations are relatively walkable. Local school ICSEA scores are among the highest in the peer group. Green cover is an exceptional strength. Trade-offs centre on limited health access and higher crime, with health access 50% below the peer median.

Overall, South Mackay suits people prioritising school quality and local amenities over health access.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Industrial or port town · compared with industrial and port towns in Queensland (230)

Strengths

  • Local school ICSEA scores are among the highest in the peer group
  • Local amenities are a relative strength
  • Green cover is a relative strength
  • Everyday destinations are relatively walkable

Weaknesses

  • Health-facility access is relatively limited
  • Reported crime in the wider postcode 4740 is elevated relative to comparable places

What stands out

  • Far Beach
  • Illawong Beach
  • Industrial and port economy
  • University campus

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyersInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How South Mackay compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent

$510/wk

Population (ERP)

7,637

+0.8% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

8.7%

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

#139

among Country & regional · Established

Crime rate

79th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

36th

percentile in QLD

Rented dwellings

39%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

2/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

44th

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
36.9/100 — Below average
National rank
5205th in Australia
State rank
1017th in QLD
Peer rank
#139 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#556 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
88%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

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 (10%) · Future Growth (6%)

Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band

Data sources & freshness

Population

Estimated resident population

7,637(June 2025)

+0.8% annual · +4.6% over 5 years · 36th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.8%
5-year growth
+4.6%
Change in 1 year
+60
Change in 5 years
+337
Growth rank in QLD
36th 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 (~7,500), extrapolated at -0.3% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

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
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$290
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
27.9% / 33% / 39.1%
Employment rate
59.2%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
3.4% / 1.2% / 79.7%
Walked or cycled to work
3.4%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
2,063 / 688 / 58

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted 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

Qualifications

11% of adults have a university degree, compared with 21.9% across Queensland. 24.4% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified11% · 21.9% QLD
  • Diploma qualified6.2% · 9.4% QLD
  • Trade / vocational24.4% · 18.9% QLD
  • Year 12 or below58.3% · 49.8% QLD

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Engineering and related technologies27.5%
  • Management and commerce17.2%
  • Health11%
  • Society and culture11%
  • Education9.4%
  • Architecture and building8.5%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$68,683

88th percentile in QLD · +17% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$72,982

87th percentile in QLD · +12% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
10.0%

33rd percentile in QLD · -27% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$80,701

71st percentile in QLD · +27% vs Australia

Residents with business income
6.0%

5th percentile in QLD · -42% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 4740 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
58,301
Taxpayers reporting net rent
5,584
Median net rent
-$272
Taxpayers reporting business income
3,475
Taxable income vs state median
+24%
Salary / wages vs state median
+20%
Rental investment vs state median
-9%
Super vs state median
+16%
Business income vs state median
-40%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in QLD, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

10% speak a language other than English at home; 16.1% born overseas

Language at home
5,724 English only · 635 other
Non-English at home
10%
Born overseas
1,023 (16.1%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
546 (7.9%)
Australian citizens
5,881
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
19

Top languages other than English

Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).

  • Tagalog73 · 29.9%
  • Filipino49 · 20.1%
  • Mandarin14 · 5.7%
  • Thai13 · 5.3%
  • Cantonese10 · 4.1%
  • Vietnamese10 · 4.1%
  • Italian9 · 3.7%
  • Spanish9 · 3.7%

Religion

53.9%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 53.9%, while 34.2% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion34.2%40.7%
Christianity53.9%45.7%
Other / not stated12%13.6%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic27.2%18.6%
Anglican10.9%11.3%
Uniting Church6.5%3.6%
Christian (not further defined)2.4%3.1%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Offence counts are estimated for this suburb from postcode 4740, which is shared with other suburbs.

Reported offences are running higher than the same point last year.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2026 to Sep 2026)
620
Against the person
143
Against property
269
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
108.6
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 48 residents
State crime-rate percentile
78.5th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+4%

Most common offence types

  • Assault59
  • Drug Offences109
  • Good Order Offences70
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)138
  • Traffic And Related Offences59

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

  • QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Sep 2026; Jan 2026 to Sep 2026 · Updated · Calendar-year aggregates

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
2
Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
993
Median ICSEA percentile
44th
Primary catchments overlapping suburb
3
Secondary catchments overlapping suburb
1
School list
  • St Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1050 · 68th percentile · LBOTE 18% · 384 students · Top SEA quarter 19% · 1.3 km awayView on My School →
  • Mackay State High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 936 · 20th percentile · LBOTE 23% · 1,254 students · Top SEA quarter 4% · 1.5 km awayView on My School →
School catchments
  • Mackay Central SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Mackay SHSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Mackay West SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Victoria Park SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment

Government school intake zones that overlap this suburb boundary. Living in a catchment does not guarantee enrolment; check the education authority.

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Childcare

1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap

  • Birralee Child Care Centrekindergarten

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Childcare centres per 1,000 residents

Data sources & freshness

  • Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · current · Updated

Amenities

120 mapped amenities

1 restaurants · 1 cafes · 1 places of worship · 2 playgrounds · 6 sports centres · 1 swimming pools · 2 beaches

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life — 47 parks mapped in suburb, 2 playgrounds nearby
  • Strong local sport and recreation — 14 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
Walkability proxy
13/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0.14
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0.29
Parks per 1,000 residents
6.79
Food & drink(2)
  • Mackay Aero ClubCafe
  • Harrup Park Country ClubRestaurant
Shopping(2)
  • Napier Shopping VillageConvenience store
  • South Mackay SupermarketConvenience store
Community(5)
  • Birralee Child Care CentreKindergarten
  • Mackay State High SchoolSchool

    123 Milton Street

  • Mercy CollegeSchool
  • School
  • St Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolSchool

    42 Juliet Street

Health & services(2)
  • Blue Care Respite CareHospital
  • Mackay Pet BarnVeterinary
Sport & outdoors(56)
  • Far BeachBeach
  • Illawong BeachBeach
  • Bluewater TrailCycling route
  • Cross City LinkCycling route
  • Scott StreetCycling route
  • Harrup ParkPark
  • Mackay CroquetPark
  • Napier Street ParkPark
  • Old Far Beach Landfill AreaPark
  • Park (29)
  • Park VigoroPark
  • Penn Street ParkPark
  • Shark ParkPark
  • Playground (2)
  • Boral FieldSports centre
  • City Brothers Football ClubSports centre
  • Mackay Junior Tennis AssociationSports centre
  • Mackay Netball AssociationSports centre
  • Mackay Tennis AssociationSports centre
  • Sports centre
  • CitiBeach MackaySports field
  • George Gorrie OvalSports field
  • Jack Roberts FieldSports field
  • Josie & Mick Rogers OvalSports field
  • Sports field
  • Swimming pool
  • Bluewater TrailWalking trail
Entertainment(1)
  • Mackay Musical Comedy PlayersTheatre
Transport(6)

6 bus stops

Other(14)
  • Car Rental
  • Avis/Hertz/BudgetParking
  • Covered CarparkParking
  • Long Term ParkingParking
  • Parking (27)
  • Short Term ParkingParking
  • Thrifty / Eurocar RentalParking
  • Parking Entrance
  • St Mary's Catholic ChurchPlace of worship
  • Public Building (3)
  • Shelter (4)
  • Taxi (2)
  • Track
  • James Cook University - Mackay CampusUniversity

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Sporting clubs

2 named sporting clubs in this suburb

  • City Brothers Football Club
  • Eastern Swans Football Club

Named sporting clubs from OpenStreetMap, assigned to this suburb's boundary. Sporting facilities such as ovals, courts and recreation centres are listed under Amenities.

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap sporting clubs — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Geofabrik australia-latest.osm.pbf

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

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
22.1%
Woodland / forest cover
0%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
48
Parks (OSM)
47
Typical summer maximum
30°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Places of worship

1 places of worship within ~1.5 km

  • St Mary's Catholic Church

From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
1
Nearest hospital
Blue Care Respite Care (0.3 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
On site
GP clinics in suburb
0
Aged-care services
1

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

  • Bolton Point - STRC - MackaySOUTH MACKAYShort-Term Restorative Care (STRC)
  • Blue Care Respite CareHospital

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
236
Participants per 1,000 residents
30.9

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
30° / 23°
Rainfall
868 mm · ~90 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
27° / 20°
Rainfall
504 mm · ~63 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
23° / 13°
Rainfall
121 mm · ~15 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
28° / 18°
Rainfall
183 mm · ~23 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid
Flood / inundation overlay
No mapped inundation on suburb boundary

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping. Flood cover uses floodplain overlay polygons against the suburb boundary where published.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State 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 6.3 km away).

Coalition 53.5%Labor 46.5%

8.4 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +0.4 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Mackay SouthLabor 49.1% · Coalition 50.9% TPP (2025)1.5 km away
  • Mackay WestLabor 45.2% · Coalition 54.8% TPP (2025)2.2 km away
  • MackayLabor 43.5% · Coalition 56.5% TPP (2025)2.3 km away
  • Mackay Town BeachLabor 46.5% · Coalition 53.5% TPP (2025)2.6 km away
  • Mackay Goose PondsLabor 49.4% · Coalition 50.6% TPP (2025)4.8 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)
2/10
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 (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

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.