QLD · Gympie Council
Rainbow Beach, 4581
Current weather
18.2°CMainly clear
88% humidity · 8.6 km/h wind · 22.2° / 15.5° today · 2 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Coastal
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Life in Rainbow Beach revolves around the coast, with the feel of a smaller community 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.
An older demographic makes it especially popular with retirees, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. There is enough green space nearby for walks, picnics and after-school play. The area offers approachable housing costs alongside a lifestyle that still feels complete.
Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because housing affordability and community and employment lag similar coastal suburbs, despite relative strength in safety.
Population
- Population
- 1,220
- Median age
- 56
- Median household income / week
- $972
- Dwelling vacancy
- 41.8%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 363 of 869
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,605
- Employment rate
- 44.7%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 40 / 81 / 43
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)
- $560
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)
- 59
- Against the person
- 16
- Against property
- 25
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 48.4
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 76 residents
- State safety percentile
- 63.8th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -24.6%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault6
- Drug Offences11
- Good Order Offences12
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)19
- Traffic And Related Offences9
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
- 987
- Rainbow Beach 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
Amenities
45 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Clarkson Dr at Rainbow ShoresBus stop
- Karoonda Ct near Carlo Rd hail 'n' rideBus stop
- 4WD Underbody & Complete Car WashCar wash
- Drinking water
- Rainbow Beach Pizza n GrillFast food
- Soul FoodFast food
- Rainbow Beach BarbershopHairdresser
- The Laundry TubLaundry
- Sports field
- IGA Rainbow BeachSupermarket
Unit 9 48 Rainbow Beach Road
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
- Centenary ParkPark
- Laurie Hanson ParkPark
- Lawrie Hanson ParkPark
- Parc of the Rainbow Beach State SchoolPark
- Phil Rogers ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 2
- Emergency department
- Not in suburb
- Rainbow Beach Medical PracticeIlmenite Avenuedoctor
- Rainbow Beach PharmacyRainbow Beach Roadpharmacy
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)
- 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
- 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)
- 5
- Parks (OSM)
- 5
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
- 3473rd in Australia
- State rank
- 799th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #39 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #88 among Coastal & beach suburbs
- Data confidence
- 71%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- 4WD Underbody & Complete Car Washamenitiescar_wash
- Clarkson Dr at Rainbow Shoresamenitiesbus_stop
- Drinking wateramenitiesdrinking_water
- IGA Rainbow BeachamenitiesUnit 9 48 Rainbow Beach Roadsupermarket
- Karoonda Ct near Carlo Rd hail 'n' rideamenitiesbus_stop
- Rainbow Beach Barbershopamenitieshairdresser
- Rainbow Beach Pizza n Grillamenitiesfast_food
- Soul Foodamenitiesfast_food
- Sports fieldamenitiespitch
- Swimming poolamenitiesswimming_pool
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Gympie Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.