Median house price
—
No data available
QLD · Council TBC
Whitsundays
Est. population · Jun 2025
2,576
Growth (1 yr)
+2.3%
Growth (5 yr)
+13.3%
Median age
29
Median income
$1,902/wk
Employment rate
69.9%
Languages at home
23.8%non-English
Most common: Spanish, French, Indonesian
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- Coastal
- Green suburb
- Education hub
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Well away from Brisbane, Whitsundays is a coastal smaller community built around sand, sea and space. A younger crowd gives the area energy, with plenty of residents in steady employment. Overseas-born and multilingual households are a noticeable part of the local population.
With limited local amenities, residents regularly travel to a neighbouring town for shops, appointments and a wider choice. Local parks and tree cover add a welcome outdoor dimension to suburban life. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here than in denser, more walkable pockets.
Homes cost more here than in most comparable suburbs. A growing community is gradually adding fresh energy without losing its local identity.
Against similar coastal suburbs, the suburb sits around average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities, plus growth momentum lag behind, despite relative strength in community and employment, plus safety. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
At a glance
Whitsundays snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
—
No data available
Population (ERP)
2,576
+2.3% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
14.6%
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
#8
among Coastal & beach · Growth area
Pop. growth
82nd
percentile in QLD
Advantage (IRSAD)
10/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
79th
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
- 46.1/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 39% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 2730th in Australia
- State rank
- 591st in QLD
- Peer rank
- #8 among Coastal & beach · Growth area suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #72 among Coastal & beach suburbs
- Data confidence
- 69%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Population
Estimated resident population
2,576(June 2025)
+2.3% annual · +13.3% over 5 years · 82th percentile in QLD
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +2.3%
- 5-year growth
- +13.3%
- Change in 1 year
- +58
- Change in 5 years
- +302
- Growth rank in QLD
- 82th 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 (~3,000), extrapolated at +3.0% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 2,281
- Median age
- 29
- Median household income / week
- $1,902
- Dwelling vacancy
- 14.6%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 23 of 157
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,790
- Employment rate
- 69.9%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 28 / 6 / 10 (+ 21 other)
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 · Updated
The 2026 Census runs 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
Community & culture
No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Family & Lifestyle
Schools & preschools
- Schools within 2 km
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 1,081
- Median ICSEA percentile
- 79th
School list
- Hamilton Island State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1081 · 79th percentile · LBOTE 11% · 19 students · Top SEA quarter 38%View on My School →
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 · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
Childcare
3 childcare services from OpenStreetMap
- Hamilton Island Kindykindergarten
- childcarechildcare
- kindergartenkindergarten
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
Childcare centre count
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · current · Updated
Amenities
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 9
- Parks (OSM)
- 2
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 — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
- 3
- Nearest hospital
- Medical Centre (12.8 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
- Emergency department in suburb
- On site
- Allied Health ServicesClinic
- ClinicClinic
- Medical CentreHospital
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · current · Updated
NDIS participation
- NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
- 39
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 15.1
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
- NDIS participants by SA2 — National Disability Insurance Agency · 2026-Q1 · Updated · Quarterly SA2 counts allocated to suburb boundaries
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 normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated
Future & Planning
Planning & development
Development applications from QLD coordinated projects (lodged 2020–2026).
1 planning-related records
Other· 1 proposal
- Dent Island Golf Course ResortIntegrated golf course and residential resort.Completed EIS project
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- QLD coordinated projects — Queensland Department of State Development · 2020–2026 · Updated · State projects (not council DAs)
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 · 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 87.2 km away).
Coalition 59.2%Labor 40.8%
2.6 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: -1.6 pp toward Coalition
Nearest polling places
- Airlie BeachLabor 36.0% · Coalition 64.0% TPP (2025)26.1 km away
- Hamilton IslandLabor 55.1% · Coalition 44.9% TPP (2025)27.8 km away
- CannonvaleLabor 41.1% · Coalition 58.9% TPP (2025)28.1 km away
- ProserpineLabor 31.7% · Coalition 68.3% TPP (2025)46.7 km away
- BowenLabor 28.5% · Coalition 71.5% TPP (2025)70.4 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
- Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated · 2025 election with by-election overlays
Socio-economic
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 10/10
- 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 (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
Compare with
Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.