QLD · Mackay Council
Ooralea, 4740
Current weather
18.4°CClear sky
90% humidity · 5.1 km/h wind · 24° / 16.6° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- National parks
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Ooralea is a regional centre in Mackay that balances local services with a more relaxed pace of life. The community is self-contained in the best sense. Local life comes first, with the region opening up beyond. Tree-lined streets and leafy pockets give the suburb a noticeably green, settled character.
Families and commuters make up much of the community, with plenty of young families in the mix. Weekends tend to revolve around local favourites: a café, a market run, a walk through town. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.
Property is in demand, reflecting the appeal of living in a place people actively choose. 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 safety lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in parks and green space and housing affordability.
Population
- Population
- 3,691
- Median age
- 35
- Median household income / week
- $2,248
- Dwelling vacancy
- 7.7%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 106 of 1,370
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,820
- Employment rate
- 67.6%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 93 / 95 / 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.
Housing
- All types (Mar 2026)
- $700
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)
- 219
- Against the person
- 52
- Against property
- 99
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 59.3
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 71 residents
- State safety percentile
- 76.9th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +7.3%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault500
- Drug Offences818
- Good Order Offences578
- Other Property Damage431
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)1129
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
Amenities
21 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Alcohol
- Bus stop
- CQ UniversityBus stop
- Vellas SupermarketConvenience store
- Parking Space (4)
- Petrol station
- Pharmacy
- Playground (2)
- Post Box
- Shelter (2)
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
5 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Bernborough Avenue ParkPark
- Dickens Avenue ParkPark
- Downie Street ParkPark
- George Moore ParkPark
- Mullers 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
- 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)
- 7/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 8/10
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)
- 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
- 53.2/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 24% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 1581st in Australia
- State rank
- 358th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #77 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #106 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 62%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Alcoholamenitiesalcohol
- Bus stopamenitiesbus_stop
- CQ Universityamenitiesbus_stop
- Mackay Aquatic and Recreation Complexamenitiessports_centre
- Mackay Kennel Clubamenitiessports_centre
- Ooralea Racecourseamenitiessports_centre
- Parking Spaceamenitiesparking_space
- Parking Spaceamenitiesparking_space
- Parking Spaceamenitiesparking_space
- Parking Spaceamenitiesparking_space
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
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.