QLD · Cook Council
Cooktown, 4895
Current weather
19.8°CClear sky
82% humidity · 15.7 km/h wind · 24.7° / 18.3° today · 0.2 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- National parks
- Heritage area
- High desirability
Suburb profile
In Cook, Cooktown keeps a rural calm, a mid-sized suburb with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. Far from the capital hubbub, it offers genuine distance, local character and room to live at a slower pace. Leafy streets and shaded corners make the suburb feel greener and more established than many nearby.
Long-term locals and family households define much of the community, with family life visible on every street. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.
Homes are relatively affordable, which helps families and first-time residents put down roots. The built character feels settled and mature, with period homes lending the streets a sense of history.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and community and employment lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in parks and green space and transport and access. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 2,746
- Median age
- 44
- Median household income / week
- $1,215
- Dwelling vacancy
- 16.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 194 of 1,175
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Employment rate
- 47.9%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 84 / 82 / 7
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)
- $420
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)
- 234
- Against the person
- 91
- Against property
- 70
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 85.2
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 30 residents
- State safety percentile
- 89.5th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -11.9%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault88
- Good Order Offences58
- Other Property Damage45
- Traffic And Related Offences48
- Unlawful Entry39
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
- 3
- Median school ICSEA (3 schools)
- 838
- Cooktown State SchoolCombined
- Endeavour Christian CollegeCombined
- Holy Spirit CollegeSpecial
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
- Annan and Racecourse roadMulligan Highway (Annan Road) / Racecourse Road, n/a04 May 2026 – 30 Sep 2026
Data sources & freshness
- Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · Hourly refresh where supported
Amenities
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
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
3 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Anzac Memorial ParkPark
- Archer Point Conservation ParkNature reserve
- Mount Cook National ParkNature reserve
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 2
- Emergency department
- On site
- Cooktown Multipurpose Health ServiceHope Streethospital
- Endeavour Pharmacypharmacy
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
16 state heritage places
- Annan River BridgeState heritage place
- Cook Shire HallState heritage place
- Cooks Monument and ReserveState heritage place
- Cooktown CemeteryState heritage place
- Cooktown Post and Telegraph Office (former)State heritage place
- Cooktown Powder MagazineState heritage place
- Early Granite Kerbing and Channelling, CooktownState heritage place
- Ferrari Estates BuildingState heritage place
- Gallop Botanic Reserve, incorporating Cooktown Botanic GardensState heritage place
- Grassy Hill LighthouseState 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)
- 37
- 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 features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 34.8/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 4433rd in Australia
- State rank
- 1028th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #347 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #567 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 71%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Assaultcrime88
- Good Order Offencescrime58
- Other Property Damagecrime45
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime48
- Unlawful Entrycrime39
- Annan River BridgeheritageState heritage place
- Cook Shire HallheritageState heritage place
- Cooks Monument and ReserveheritageState heritage place
- Cooktown CemeteryheritageState heritage place
- Cooktown Post and Telegraph Office (former)heritageState heritage place
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Updated on site
More in Cook Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.