QLD · Sunshine Coast Council
Coolum Beach, 4573
Current weather
15.8°CClear sky
90% humidity · 5.7 km/h wind · 22.3° / 14.9° today · 0.3 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Coastal
- Green suburb
- High desirability
- National parks
Suburb profile
Coolum Beach wears its coastal identity openly, a established suburb built around sand, sea and an easy outdoor rhythm. The coast is the anchor, with regional towns nearby for markets, dining and weekend exploring. Sea breezes and coastal air are part of everyday life, especially on warmer evenings.
Established families and long-term residents give the suburb a settled feel, with family life visible on every street. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime. Strong public transport connections keep the wider area accessible.
Homes here are sought-after, with many people drawn to the lifestyle the area offers. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
On the desirability index, the suburb rates good overall, led by parks and green space and safety, while local dining and lifestyle amenities and housing affordability sit closer to the middle of the pack for similar coastal suburbs.
Population
- Population
- 9,152
- Median age
- 45
- Median household income / week
- $1,600
- Dwelling vacancy
- 15.4%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 650 of 4,209
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,000
- Employment rate
- 57.7%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 269 / 478 / 564
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)
- $820
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)
- 110
- Against the person
- 20
- Against property
- 56
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 12
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 458 residents
- State safety percentile
- 4.1th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -10.4%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Drug Offences33
- Good Order Offences32
- Other Property Damage48
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)85
- Traffic And Related Offences61
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)
- 1,046
- Coolum Beach Christian CollegeCombined
- Coolum State High SchoolSecondary
- Coolum State 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
Public transport
27 public transport stops in this suburb
- Birtwill St near David Low Way
- Birtwill St near Heathfield Rd
- David Low Way at Coolum Beach
- David Low Way at Coolum High School
- David Low Way at Coolum High School
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
Amenities
26 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- CelebrationsAlcohol
- Dough FusionBakery
- Central Ave near Palm AveBus stop
- Central Ave near Pandanus AveBus stop
- South Coolum Rd near Green Oaks DrBus stop
- Yandina Coolum Rd near Park CrBus stop
- Budd's ButchersButcher
- Bean in the NewsCafe
- Car repair
- Care OutreachCharity
35 Dacmar Street
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
- Avalon Street ParkPark
- Centenary Heights Road ParkPark
- Cinnamon ParkPark
- Corbould Road Bushland Conservation ReserveNature reserve
- Cordellia Street ParkPark
- Edith Place ParkPark
- Frogs HollowPark
- Jack Morgan ParkPark
- Lions & Norrie Job ParkPark
- Lomandra Place Drainage ReservePark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 8
- Emergency department
- Not in suburb
- CoastWide Smilesdentist
- Coolum Beach 7 Day Doctorsdoctor
- Coolum Beach Health Centredoctor
- Inner Wellnessalternative
- LiveLife Pharmacypharmacy
- QML Pathologydoctor
- Suncoast Medical Centreclinic
- Sunshine Smiles Dentaldentist
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)
- 7/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 6/10
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
- Kids Plus Day Carekindergarten
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)
- 27
- Parks (OSM)
- 16
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
- 62.8/100 — Good
- State standing
- Top 8% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 608th in Australia
- State rank
- 116th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #10 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #22 among Coastal & beach suburbs
- Data confidence
- 85%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- 7-Elevenamenitiesfuel
- Beachside Veterinary Surgeryamenitiesveterinary
- Bean in the Newsamenitiescafe
- Budd's Butchersamenitiesbutcher
- Car repairamenitiescar_repair
- Care Outreachamenities35 Dacmar Streetcharity
- Celebrationsamenitiesalcohol
- Central Ave near Palm Aveamenitiesbus_stop
- Central Ave near Pandanus Aveamenitiesbus_stop
- CoastWide Smilesamenitiesdentist
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Sunshine Coast Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.