suburb.guide

QLD · Mackay Council

Walkerston, 4751

Est. population · Jun 2025

3,404

Growth (1 yr)

+0.3%

Growth (5 yr)

+4.3%

Median age

35

Median income

$2,142/wk

Employment rate

65.1%

University qualified

7.5%

Work from home

3.9%

Languages at home

1.9%non-English

Most common: Afrikaans, Australian Indigenous languages

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

51.9/100
Average

Top 21% of Queensland's suburbs

Verified 90% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • Port & industry
What Walkerston is known for: Green suburb, Port & industry

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Walkerston, QLD suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Walkerston, QLD Suburb Guide”, updated 2 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/qld/walkerston

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Suburb profile

Walkerston 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.

The suburb is highly walkable compared with similar places, placing it among the highest-ranked industrial and port towns. Local amenities is an exceptional strength. Reported crime is exceptionally low against comparable places. Reported offences have risen 14% year on year, and household incomes sit well above the peer median, with household incomes 27% above the peer median. The clearer weaknesses are higher rents and weaker population growth, with median rents 20% above the peer median.

Overall, the suburb suits people prioritising lower crime and walkability over lower rents.

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

  • Reported crime is exceptionally low against comparable places
  • The suburb is highly walkable compared with similar places
  • Local amenity access is stronger than in most comparable places
  • Household incomes sit well above the peer median

Weaknesses

  • Rents run above those in comparable places
  • Population has been growing more slowly than in comparable places, or declining

What stands out

  • Industrial and port economy

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • StudentsInsufficient data
  • Budget buyersInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How Walkerston compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent

$670/wk

Population (ERP)

3,404

+0.3% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

6.2%

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

#11

among Country & regional · Established

Crime rate

10th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

25th

percentile in QLD

Rented dwellings

24%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

4/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

36th

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
51.9/100 — Average
State standing
Top 21% of Queensland's suburbs
National rank
1664th in Australia
State rank
312th in QLD
Peer rank
#11 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#80 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
90%

Data sources & freshness

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

Housing

All types (Mar 2026)
$670

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

3,404(June 2025)

+0.3% annual · +4.3% over 5 years · 25th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.3%
5-year growth
+4.3%
Change in 1 year
+9
Change in 5 years
+139
Growth rank in QLD
25th 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 (~3,450), extrapolated at +0.1% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
3,615
Median age
35
Median household income / week
$2,142
Dwelling vacancy
6.2%
Unoccupied private dwellings
81 of 1,304
Median monthly mortgage
$1,733
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$360
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
30.7% / 45.6% / 23.7%
Employment rate
65.1%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
3.9% / 1.3% / 77.9%
Walked or cycled to work
1.5%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
1,122 / 87 / 0 (+ 9 other)

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

7.5% of adults have a university degree, compared with 21.9% across Queensland. 28.8% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified7.5% · 21.9% QLD
  • Diploma qualified6% · 9.4% QLD
  • Trade / vocational28.8% · 18.9% QLD
  • Year 12 or below57.7% · 49.8% QLD

Highest qualification field

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

  • Engineering and related technologies38.2%
  • Management and commerce18.1%
  • Health9.6%
  • Society and culture9.6%
  • Education7.3%
  • Food, hospitality and personal services6.6%
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)
$72,058

93rd percentile in QLD · +23% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$77,842

95th percentile in QLD · +20% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
9.0%

27th percentile in QLD · -35% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$112,823

95th percentile in QLD · +78% vs Australia

Residents with business income
5.0%

3rd percentile in QLD · -52% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 4751 — 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
3,053
Taxpayers reporting net rent
268
Median net rent
-$200
Taxpayers reporting business income
166
Taxable income vs state median
+30%
Salary / wages vs state median
+28%
Rental investment vs state median
-18%
Super vs state median
+63%
Business income vs state median
-50%

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

1.9% speak a language other than English at home; 6.8% born overseas

Language at home
3,220 English only · 62 other
Non-English at home
1.9%
Born overseas
223 (6.8%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
156 (4.3%)
Australian citizens
3,176
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
2

Top languages other than English

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

  • Afrikaans3 · 50%
  • Australian Indigenous languages3 · 50%

Religion

54%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 54%, while 34.6% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion34.6%40.7%
Christianity54%45.7%
Other / not stated11.4%13.6%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic28.1%18.6%
Anglican11%11.3%
Uniting Church8%3.6%

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 4751, 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)
76
Against the person
11
Against property
38
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
29.8
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 329 residents
State crime-rate percentile
10th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+12.9%

Most common offence types

  • Drug Offences11
  • Assault6
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)16
  • Unlawful Entry8
  • Traffic And Related Offences9

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)
976
Median ICSEA percentile
36th
Primary catchments overlapping suburb
2
Secondary catchments overlapping suburb
2
School list
  • Walkerston State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 949 · 24th percentile · LBOTE 6% · 306 students · Top SEA quarter 2% · 0.0 km awayView on My School →
  • St John's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1003 · 48th percentile · LBOTE 3% · 349 students · Top SEA quarter 5% · 0.4 km awayView on My School →
School catchments
  • Farleigh SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Mackay North SHSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Mackay SHSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Walkerston 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

  • kindergartenkindergarten

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Childcare centres per 1,000 residents

Data sources & freshness

  • Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · current · Updated

Amenities

40 mapped amenities

2 pubs · 1 supermarkets · 1 pharmacies · 1 fast food · 1 libraries · 4 places of worship · 2 playgrounds · 4 sports centres

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • A car helps for daily needs
  • Great for outdoor family life — 9 parks mapped in suburb, 2 playgrounds nearby
Walkability proxy
46/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0.83
Parks per 1,000 residents
2.49
Food & drink(3)
  • Walkerston SeafoodsFast food
  • O'Sheas Hotel MotelPub
  • The Duke of EdinburghPub
Shopping(2)
  • WoolworthsSupermarket
Everyday services(2)
  • Walkerstone Motors & MarinePetrol station
  • Walkerston Post OfficePost office
Community(5)
  • Pioneer War Memorial HallCommunity centre
  • Kindergarten
  • Walkerston LibraryLibrary
  • St Johns Catholic Primary SchoolSchool
  • Walkerston State SchoolSchool
Health & services(3)
  • Walkerston GP SuperclinicMedical clinic
  • Pharmacy
  • Valley Vet SurgeryVeterinary
Sport & outdoors(14)
  • Alsatia ParkPark
  • Anzac ParkPark
  • Centenary ParkPark
  • Jim Pascoe ParkPark
  • McLennan ParkPark
  • Norman Smith ParkPark
  • Park
  • Playground (2)
  • Public toilets
  • BMX TrackSports centre
  • Luke Payne Memorial Skate ParkSports centre
  • Sports centre
  • Western Suburbs Rugby Leagues Club MackaySports centre
Other(8)
  • Retro visionElectronics
  • Parking (4)
  • Seventhday Adventist ChurchPlace of worship
  • St Andrews WalkerstonPlace of worship
  • St Johns Catholic ChurchPlace of worship
  • St Mary MagdalenePlace of worship
  • Walkerston Police StationPolice
  • Shelter (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. 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

Parks & reserves

7 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Allan Cameron ParkPark
  • Alsatia ParkPark
  • Anzac ParkPark
  • Centenary ParkPark
  • Jim Pascoe ParkPark
  • McLennan ParkPark
  • Norman Smith ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
0.5%
Woodland / forest cover
0%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
9
Parks (OSM)
9
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

4 places of worship within ~1.5 km

  • Seventhday Adventist Church
  • St Andrews Walkerston
  • St Johns Catholic Church
  • St Mary Magdalene

From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
2
Nearest hospital
Mackay Day Surgery (10.9 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
Not in suburb
GP clinics in suburb
1
GPs tagged bulk billing (OSM)
0 of 1

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

  • Walkerston GP SuperclinicGP
  • PharmacyPharmacy

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
70
Participants per 1,000 residents
20.6

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

Heritage

1 heritage place

  • Walkerston State Butcher's Shop (former)State heritage place

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Heritage listings as established streetscape

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated

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
Capricornia
Member of Parliament
Michelle LANDRY (Liberal National Party of Queensland)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
115,141
Turnout (2025)
88.8%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+0.8 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 55.8%Labor 44.2%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 24.4 km away).

Coalition 61.5%Labor 38.5%

5.7 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +1.2 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • WalkerstonLabor 38.5% · Coalition 61.5% TPP (2025)0.2 km away
  • OoraleaLabor 48.3% · Coalition 51.7% TPP (2025)8.4 km away
  • Bakers CreekLabor 45.5% · Coalition 54.5% TPP (2025)10.1 km away
  • MarianLabor 38.6% · Coalition 61.4% TPP (2025)11.0 km away
  • ChelonaLabor 26.2% · Coalition 73.8% TPP (2025)14.2 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)
4/10
IRSD decile (2021)
6/10

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.