suburb.guide

QLD · Mackay Council

Koumala, 4738

Current weather

16.2°CClear sky

94% humidity · 0.8 km/h wind · 23.2° / 14.7° today · 0.3 mm rain

Updated

Desirability score

40.1/100
Average

797th in QLD

66% data confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • National parks
  • High desirability
What Koumala is known for: Green suburb, National parks, High desirability

Suburb profile

In Mackay, Koumala keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. Distance from the capital is noticeable, but the trade-off is space, calm and a community that knows its neighbours. The landscape itself is part of the lifestyle: open paddocks, big skies and room to breathe.

Established families and long-term residents give the suburb a settled feel, with plenty of young families in the mix. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting. There is enough green space nearby for walks, picnics and after-school play.

Housing remains accessible compared with many parts of the state. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.

The desirability score is around average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and schools and education against similar regional towns, even with safety and parks and green space holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

Population

Population
772
Median age
45
Median household income / week
$1,833
Dwelling vacancy
10.4%
Unoccupied private dwellings
29 of 279
Median monthly mortgage
$1,667
Employment rate
59.4%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
22 / 0 / 0

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.

Crime & safety

Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
16
Against the person
1
Against property
7
Rate per 1,000 residents
20.7
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 772 residents
State safety percentile
13.6th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-22.2%

Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.

Reported offences by period

Most common offence types

  • Drug Offences6
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)3
  • Traffic And Related Offences4
  • Unlawful Entry3
  • Unlawful Use Of Motor Vehicle2

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
1
Median school ICSEA
948
  • Koumala State SchoolPrimary

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

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

2 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Cape Palmerston National ParkNature reserve
  • Two Hills Nature RefugeNature reserve

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
3/10
IRSD decile (2021)
3/10

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

Heritage

1 state heritage place

  • Koumala War MemorialState 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)
8
Parks (OSM)
4

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
40.1/100 — Average
National rank
3471st in Australia
State rank
797th in QLD
Peer rank
#130 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#386 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
66%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics

Recent changes

  • Drug Offencescrime6
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime3
  • Traffic And Related Offencescrime4
  • Unlawful Entrycrime3
  • Unlawful Use Of Motor Vehiclecrime2
  • Koumala War MemorialheritageState heritage place
  • Cape Palmerston National Parkgovernmentnature_reserve
  • Two Hills Nature Refugegovernmentnature_reserve
  • Koumala State SchoolschoolsPrimary

Data sources & freshness

More in Mackay Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.