QLD · Whitsunday Council
Bowen, 4805
Current weather
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Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- National parks
- Education hub
- Heritage area
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Bowen is a quieter established suburb in Whitsunday, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. Set in the wider countryside, it offers distance from the capital and a strong sense of place. Leafy streets and shaded corners make the suburb feel greener and more established than many nearby.
The area suits established families and long-term locals, with plenty of young families in the mix. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name. Green space is a real strength, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb.
Schools and education options in the area make family routines easier to manage. Homes are relatively affordable, which helps families and first-time residents put down roots.
The desirability score is around average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and community and employment against similar regional towns, even with parks and green space and transport and access holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 11,205
- Median age
- 42
- Median household income / week
- $1,343
- Dwelling vacancy
- 13.3%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 621 of 4,669
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,500
- Employment rate
- 53.4%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 331 / 531 / 14
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)
- $500
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)
- 616
- Against the person
- 128
- Against property
- 252
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 55
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 88 residents
- State safety percentile
- 71.4th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +4.1%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Drug Offences84
- Good Order Offences76
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)107
- Traffic And Related Offences132
- Unlawful Entry61
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
- 5
- Median school ICSEA (5 schools)
- 927
- Bowen State High SchoolSecondary
- Bowen State SchoolPrimary
- Merinda State SchoolPrimary
- Queens Beach State SchoolPrimary
- St Mary's Catholic SchoolPrimary
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
Roadworks & transport
1 active roadworks / incidents
- Greata Creek to Emu CreekBruce Highway, n/a16 Jun 2026 – 30 Oct 2026
Data sources & freshness
- Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · Hourly refresh where supported
Planning & development
Development applications from QLD coordinated projects (lodged 2020–2026).
1 planning-related records
Other· 1 proposal
- Abbot Point Coal Terminal ExpansionStage 3. Duplication of the existing terminal infrastructure, which will double the Port of Abbot Point's capacity from 25 million tonnes per annum to 50 mtpa.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 · Period: 2020–2026 · Updated on site · State coordinated projects register (not council DAs)
Amenities
1 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Parking
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
16 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Bosel's Nature RefugeNature reserve
- Camping ReservePark
- Case ParkPark
- Col Leather Sporting ComplexPark
- Davidson ParkPark
- Denison ParkPark
- Edgecumbe Heights Recreation ReservePark
- Ethel Barker ParkPark
- Foreshore ParkPark
- Hansen ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 3
- Emergency department
- On site
- Adaptive Strategiescentre
- Blue Care Respite Centrehospital
- Bowen Hospitalhospital
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
Heritage
4 state heritage places
- Bowen Court HouseState heritage place
- Bowen Harbour Board Building (former)State heritage place
- Bowen State SchoolState heritage place
- Flemington Road CemeteryState heritage place
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · 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)
- 50
- Parks (OSM)
- 46
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
- 41.7/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 46% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 3009th in Australia
- State rank
- 701st in QLD
- Peer rank
- #215 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #319 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 75%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Parkingamenitiesparking
- Drug Offencescrime84
- Good Order Offencescrime76
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime107
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime132
- Unlawful Entrycrime61
- Bowen Court HouseheritageState heritage place
- Bowen Harbour Board Building (former)heritageState heritage place
- Bowen State SchoolheritageState heritage place
- Flemington Road CemeteryheritageState heritage place
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Updated on site
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.