QLD · Gold Coast Council
Helensvale, 4212
Current weather
16.5°CClear sky
89% humidity · 7.4 km/h wind · 21.7° / 14.4° today · 0.3 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- National parks
- Excellent transport
- High desirability
Suburb profile
In Gold Coast, Helensvale is a settled established suburb with a familiar suburban feel and good links to the wider city. Still within reach of the city while offering more breathing room, it suits those who want balance over bustle. Generous greenery runs through the area, from street trees to tucked-away reserves.
Families and commuters make up much of the community, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Local shops and services cover the basics well, with more choice a short trip into neighbouring suburbs. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.
Buses and nearby services make commuting and cross-suburb trips straightforward. Housing carries a premium, but residents tend to feel the lifestyle justifies the commitment.
The desirability score is around average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and safety against similar metro suburbs, 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
- 18,949
- Median age
- 41
- Median household income / week
- $2,014
- Dwelling vacancy
- 4.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 297 of 6,667
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,098
- Employment rate
- 60.8%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 458 / 915 / 257
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)
- $920
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)
- 794
- Against the person
- 140
- Against property
- 393
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 41.9
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 135 residents
- State safety percentile
- 55th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +19.3%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault97
- Drug Offences264
- Good Order Offences97
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)410
- Traffic And Related Offences132
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
- 2
- Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
- 1,016
- Helensvale State High SchoolSecondary
- Helensvale 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
85 public transport stops in this suburb
- Discovery Dr at Ashford Road
- Discovery Dr at Eugenia Reserve
- Discovery Dr at Hession Oval
- Discovery Dr at Lindfield Road Shops
- Town Centre Drive
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
Roadworks & transport
3 active roadworks / incidents
- Between Ridgevale Drive and Enfield Place.Mildura Drive, n/a07 Jun 2026 – 04 Jul 2026
- M1 southbound on-ramp heading east from Pacific PinesGold Coast Highway / Pacific Motorway, n/a28 Jun 2026 – 02 Jul 2026
- RoadworksBuckler Drive / Gold Coast Highway, n/a27 Jun 2026 – 23 Jul 2026
Data sources & freshness
- Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · Hourly refresh where supported
Amenities
27 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Liquor Legends Monterey KeysAlcohol
175 Monterey Keys Drive, Helensvale
- Discovery Dr at Ashford RoadBus stop
- Discovery Dr at Eugenia ReserveBus stop
- Discovery Dr at Hession OvalBus stop
- Discovery Dr at Kingaroy AvenueBus stop
- Helensvale Rd at Monterey Keys DriveBus stop
- Helensvale State High SchoolBus stop
- Mildura Dr at Pentland CourtBus stop
- Mildura Dr near Pentland CtBus stop
- Monterey Keys Dr at Lakeshore DriveBus stop
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
61 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Acacia ReservePark
- Ashford ParkPark
- Banksia ReservePark
- Bauhinia ReservePark
- Cadaghi ReservePark
- Calliandra ParkPark
- Callistemon ReservePark
- Careel ReservePark
- Cassia ReservePark
- Cupania ReservePark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 5
- Emergency department
- Not in suburb
- Helensvale Community Healthclinic
- Myhealth HelensvaleMillaroo Drivedoctor
- Pacific Smiles Dentaldentist
- Pharmacypharmacy
- Priceline 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)
- 8/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 7/10
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
2 childcare services from OpenStreetMap
- Goodstart Early Learning Hope Islandchildcare
- kindergartenkindergarten
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)
- 131
- Parks (OSM)
- 102
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
- 55.4/100 — Good
- State standing
- Top 19% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 1328th in Australia
- State rank
- 283rd in QLD
- Peer rank
- #164 among Metro Brisbane · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #169 among Metro Brisbane 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-Elevenamenitiesconvenience
- Discovery Dr at Ashford Roadamenitiesbus_stop
- Discovery Dr at Eugenia Reserveamenitiesbus_stop
- Discovery Dr at Hession Ovalamenitiesbus_stop
- Discovery Dr at Kingaroy Avenueamenitiesbus_stop
- Helensvale Aquatic Centreamenitiessports_centre
- Helensvale Rd at Monterey Keys Driveamenitiesbus_stop
- Helensvale State High Schoolamenitiesbus_stop
- Liquor Legends Monterey Keysamenities175 Monterey Keys Drive, Helensvalealcohol
- Mildura Dr at Pentland Courtamenitiesbus_stop
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Gold Coast Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.