QLD · Sunshine Coast Council
Meridan Plains, 4551
Current weather
18.1°CMainly clear
88% humidity · 9.7 km/h wind · 22.2° / 14.4° today · 0.4 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- National parks
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Meridan Plains is a practical mid-sized suburb in Sunshine Coast, well placed for families who want metro access without the inner-city squeeze. Still within reach of the city while offering more breathing room, it suits those who want balance over bustle. Leafy streets and shaded corners make the suburb feel greener and more established than many nearby.
Residents are mostly families and working professionals, with family life visible on every street. Daily life is practical and well connected, with the city and nearby suburbs easy to tap into. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.
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 sits around average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and transport and access lag similar metro suburbs, despite relative strength in parks and green space and housing affordability. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 4,589
- Median age
- 36
- Median household income / week
- $1,529
- Dwelling vacancy
- 4.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 79 of 1,773
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,850
- Employment rate
- 58.2%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 145 / 407 / 67
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)
- $715
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)
- 114
- Against the person
- 20
- Against property
- 58
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 24.8
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 229 residents
- State safety percentile
- 19.2th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -4.5%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Drug Offences268
- Good Order Offences143
- Other Property Damage147
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)440
- Traffic And Related Offences189
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)
- 1,063.5
- Meridan State CollegeCombined
- Pacific Lutheran CollegeCombined
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
3 public transport stops in this suburb
- Parklands Bvd at Sunset Drive
- Woodlands Bvd at Forest Park Street
- Woodlands Bvd at Pacific Lutheran College
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
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
- Caloundra Conservation ParkNature reserve
- Edward Corbould Environmental Reserve WestNature reserve
- Ellis Way DrainagePark
- Kawana Forest Bushland ReserveNature reserve
- Kurrajong Crescent ParkPark
- Leacy's Bushland Conservation ReserveNature reserve
- Meridan Plains Conservation ParkNature reserve
- Sattler Road ParkPark
- Westaway Road Bushland ReserveNature reserve
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
- My Parklands PhysioParklands Boulevardphysiotherapist
- Parklands Medical CentreParklands Boulevarddoctor
- QML PathologyParklands Boulevardclinic
- TerryWhite ChemmartParklands Boulevardpharmacy
- ToothKindParklands Boulevarddentist
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)
- 16
- Parks (OSM)
- 7
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
- 48.4/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 32% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 2135th in Australia
- State rank
- 485th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #238 among Metro Brisbane · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #252 among Metro Brisbane suburbs
- Data confidence
- 78%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Drug Offencescrime268
- Good Order Offencescrime143
- Other Property Damagecrime147
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime440
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime189
- My Parklands PhysiohealthParklands Boulevardphysiotherapist
- Parklands Medical CentrehealthParklands Boulevarddoctor
- QML PathologyhealthParklands Boulevardclinic
- TerryWhite ChemmarthealthParklands Boulevardpharmacy
- ToothKindhealthParklands Boulevarddentist
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
- 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.