QLD · Gold Coast Council
Runaway Bay, 4216
Current weather
18.8°COvercast
86% humidity · 9.1 km/h wind · 21.6° / 15.6° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- Excellent transport
- Cycling
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Runaway Bay is a lively inner established suburb with dining, shopping and leisure options right on the doorstep. Connections to the wider metro area are straightforward, with neighbouring communities close at hand. Generous greenery runs through the area, from street trees to tucked-away reserves.
Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here. Local shops and services cover the basics well, with more choice a short trip into neighbouring suburbs. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime.
Getting around the metro area is straightforward, with transport tying neighbouring communities together. Homes here are sought-after, with many people drawn to the lifestyle the area offers.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits around average overall, mainly because housing affordability lag similar metro suburbs, despite relative strength in parks and green space.
Population
- Population
- 9,308
- Median age
- 54
- Median household income / week
- $1,382
- Dwelling vacancy
- 10.6%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 471 of 4,443
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,000
- Employment rate
- 47.6%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 268 / 1,049 / 1,121
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)
- $800
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)
- 270
- Against the person
- 48
- Against property
- 154
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 29
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 194 residents
- State safety percentile
- 27th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +9.5%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault102
- Drug Offences142
- Other Property Damage106
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)392
- Traffic And Related Offences102
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
- 1,076
- St Francis Xavier 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
Public transport
34 public transport stops in this suburb
- Bayview St at Cassia Street
- Bayview St at Karema Crescent
- Bayview St at St Francis Xavier Catholic School
- Bayview St at St Francis Xavier Catholic School
- Runaway Bay Centre
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
90 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- BWSAlcohol
- ANZATM
- NABATM
- ANZBank
- Commonwealth BankBank
- Heritage BankBank
- NABBank
- WestpacBank
- Bench (2)
- The Pedal ShoppeBicycle
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
7 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Anglers ParkPark
- Biggera ParkPark
- Len and Muriel Godlonton ReservePark
- O'Connell ParkPark
- Rollo Meyers ParkPark
- Runaway Bay Lions ParkPark
- Shearwater 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
- TerryWhite Chemmartpharmacy
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)
- 6/10
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
Childcare
1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap
- Gold Coast Kindyland Kidskindergarten
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
Childcare centre count
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · 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)
- 14
- Parks (OSM)
- 13
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
- 49.6/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 30% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 1978th in Australia
- State rank
- 447th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #12 among Metro Brisbane · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #236 among Metro Brisbane suburbs
- Data confidence
- 85%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- ANZamenitiesatm
- ANZamenitiesbank
- Aldiamenities10-12 Lae Drivesupermarket
- Ampolamenitiesfuel
- Australia Postamenitiespost_box
- BWSamenitiesalcohol
- Bayview St at Cassia Streetamenitiesbus_stop
- Bayview St at Clam Streetamenitiesbus_stop
- Bayview St at Karema Crescentamenitiesbus_stop
- Bayview St at Madang Crescentamenitiesbus_stop
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
More in Gold Coast Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.