QLD · Whitsunday Council
Airlie Beach, 4802
Current weather
19.2°CClear sky
84% humidity · 11 km/h wind · 22.8° / 17.8° today · 0.9 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Coastal
- Café precinct
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Airlie Beach is a coastal smaller community where beach life and relaxed outdoor living shape the local character. Distance from the capital is noticeable, but the trade-off is space, calm and a community that knows its neighbours. There is a lightness to the air here, with the coast never far from mind.
Families and commuters make up much of the community, with plenty of young families in the mix. Food and coffee are a real part of local identity, with plenty of places to meet and linger. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.
Homes here are sought-after, with many people drawn to the lifestyle the area offers. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits around average overall, mainly because housing affordability and schools and education lag similar coastal suburbs, despite relative strength in parks and green space and transport and access.
Population
- Population
- 1,312
- Median age
- 41
- Median household income / week
- $1,562
- Dwelling vacancy
- 29.9%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 186 of 623
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,925
- Employment rate
- 58.7%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 60 / 55 / 183
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)
- $550
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)
- 103
- Against the person
- 29
- Against property
- 26
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 78.5
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 45 residents
- State safety percentile
- 86.4th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -7%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault80
- Drug Offences225
- Good Order Offences159
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)113
- Traffic And Related Offences126
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
Planning & development
Development applications from QLD coordinated projects (lodged 2020–2026).
1 planning-related records
Other· 1 proposal
- Port of Airlie MarinaIntegrated marina development: boating, tourism, residential and commercial facilitiesCompleted EIS project
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- QLD coordinated projects — Queensland Department of State Development · Period: 2020–2026 · Updated on site · State coordinated projects register (not council DAs)
Amenities
128 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- BWSAlcohol
- Thirsty CamelAlcohol
- Foot's artworkArt
- ANZATM
- Commonwealth BankATM
- rediATMATM
- WestpacATM
- NABBank
348 Shute Harbour Road
- BeachesBar
365 Shute Harbour Road
- Breeze BarBar
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
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Headland ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 3
- Emergency department
- Not in suburb
- Pharmacypharmacy
- Pharmacypharmacy
- Whitsunday Doctors Servicedoctor
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)
- 6/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 5/10
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
- BrightEyeskindergarten
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)
- 25
- Parks (OSM)
- 25
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
- 47.0/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 35% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 2314th in Australia
- State rank
- 528th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #37 among Coastal & beach · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #65 among Coastal & beach suburbs
- Data confidence
- 73%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- AB Marineamenitieselectronics
- ANZamenitiesatm
- Airlie Beachamenitiesbus_stop
- Airlie Beach Hotelamenitiespub
- Airlie Beach Lagoonamenitiesswimming_pool
- Airlie Inkamenitiestattoo
- Alley Catamenitiesrestaurant
- Anchor Baramenitiesrestaurant
- Aquadiveamenitiesscuba_diving
- Avisamenitiescar_rental
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Whitsunday Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.