QLD · Redland Council
Russell Island, 4184
Current weather
20.7°COvercast
82% humidity · 12.5 km/h wind · 22.6° / 17.7° today · 1 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Excellent transport
- Coastal
- Green suburb
- National parks
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Russell Island is a coastal mid-sized suburb where beach life and relaxed outdoor living shape the local character. Out in the wider region, it rewards those who value open country and a pace set by the land, not the clock. There is a lightness to the air here, with the coast never far from mind.
Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. The town centre holds its own, with enough local flavour to make staying close to home appealing. There is enough green space nearby for walks, picnics and after-school play.
Housing remains accessible compared with many parts of the state. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because community and employment and local dining and lifestyle amenities lag similar coastal suburbs, despite relative strength in parks and green space. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 3,698
- Median age
- 59
- Median household income / week
- $756
- Dwelling vacancy
- 18%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 387 of 2,152
- Median monthly mortgage
- $867
- Employment rate
- 25.9%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 219 / 0 / 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)
- $465
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)
- 186
- Against the person
- 43
- Against property
- 48
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 50.3
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 86 residents
- State safety percentile
- 66.2th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +0.3%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault46
- Drug Offences142
- Good Order Offences39
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)45
- Traffic And Related Offences44
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
- 922
- Russell Island 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
Public transport
1 public transport stops in this suburb
- Russell Island ferry terminal
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
1 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Playground
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
- Fern Terrace ReserveNature reserve
- High Street ParkPark
- Jock Kennedy ParkPark
- Park or reserveNature reserve
- ReserveNature reserve
- Sandy Beach ParkPark
- Whistling Kite WetlandsNature reserve
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
- Bay Island Medical Servicedoctor
- Russell Island Chemistpharmacy
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)
- 1/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 1/10
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)
- 3
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
- 29.2/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5454th in Australia
- State rank
- 1258th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #56 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #112 among Coastal & beach 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
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
- Assaultcrime46
- Drug Offencescrime142
- Good Order Offencescrime39
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime45
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime44
- Bay Island Medical Servicehealthdoctor
- Russell Island Chemisthealthpharmacy
- Fern Terrace Reservegovernmentnature_reserve
- High Street Parkgovernmentpark
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
- 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 Redland Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.