QLD · Sunshine Coast Council
Marcoola, 4564
Current weather
17.6°CMainly clear
89% humidity · 8.9 km/h wind · 21.9° / 15.5° today · 0.3 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Coastal
- Green suburb
- National parks
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Life in Marcoola revolves around the coast, with the feel of a mid-sized suburb that never strays far from the water. Coastal living here comes with genuine distance from the capital, a self-contained pace with the sea at its heart. Sea breezes and coastal air are part of everyday life, especially on warmer evenings.
The area suits established families and long-term locals, with family life visible on every street. Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls. Strong public transport connections keep the wider area accessible.
Housing carries a premium, but residents tend to feel the lifestyle justifies the commitment. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and housing affordability against similar coastal suburbs, even with parks and green space and safety holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 3,355
- Median age
- 45
- Median household income / week
- $1,401
- Dwelling vacancy
- 17.9%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 302 of 1,683
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Employment rate
- 58.9%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 115 / 337 / 448
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)
- $680
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)
- 60
- Against the person
- 10
- Against property
- 36
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 17.9
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 336 residents
- State safety percentile
- 9.9th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +6.9%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault20
- Other Property Damage20
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)62
- Traffic And Related Offences38
- Unlawful Entry17
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
Public transport
21 public transport stops in this suburb
- David Low Way at Lorraine Avenue
- David Low Way at Lorraine Avenue
- David Low Way at Petrie Avenue
- David Low Way at Petrie Avenue
- David Low Way at Seaside Boulevard
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
Planning & development
Development applications from QLD coordinated projects (lodged 2020–2026).
1 planning-related records
Other· 1 proposal
- Sunshine Coast Airport ExpansionNew east-west runway and associated infrastructure at the existing Sunshine Coast Airport.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
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
9 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Beech Street ParkPark
- Felix Parry ParkPark
- Glen Retreat ParkPark
- Orungal ParkPark
- Park or reserveNature reserve
- Runway Drive ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 1
- Emergency department
- Not in suburb
- Chemist Warehousepharmacy
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)
- 5/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 5/10
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
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)
- 11
- Parks (OSM)
- 8
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
- 38.2/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 3787th in Australia
- State rank
- 874th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #43 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #92 among Coastal & beach suburbs
- Data confidence
- 74%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Assaultcrime20
- Other Property Damagecrime20
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime62
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime38
- Unlawful Entrycrime17
- Chemist Warehousehealthpharmacy
- Beech Street Parkgovernmentpark
- Felix Parry Parkgovernmentpark
- Glen Retreat Parkgovernmentpark
- Orungal Parkgovernmentpark
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Updated on site
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.