QLD · Sunshine Coast Council
Shelly Beach, 4551
Current weather
20.7°CPartly cloudy
78% humidity · 13.7 km/h wind · 23.8° / 15.7° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Coastal
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Shelly Beach is a coastal smaller community where beach life and relaxed outdoor living shape the local character. Sea and sand are the main draw, with neighbouring coastal communities easy to explore on a free afternoon. Salt air and open horizons give the suburb a relaxed, outdoor feel year-round.
Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. Homes here are sought-after, with many people drawn to the lifestyle the area offers.
The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker transport and access and local dining and lifestyle amenities against similar coastal suburbs, even with community and employment and safety holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 925
- Median age
- 48
- Median household income / week
- $2,026
- Dwelling vacancy
- 19.1%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 80 of 419
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,200
- Employment rate
- 59.2%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 38 / 4 / 49
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.
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
- 23
- Against the person
- 4
- Against property
- 12
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 24.9
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 231 residents
- State safety percentile
- 19.5th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -4.4%
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
Public transport
2 public transport stops in this suburb
- Edmund St at Caloundra Catholic Church
- Edmund St at Russell Street
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
7 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bbq
- Edmund St at Caloundra Catholic ChurchBus stop
- Edmund St at Russell StreetBus stop
- Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic ChurchPlace of worship
61 Edmund Street
- Playground
- Post Box
- Public toilets
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
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 9/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 9/10
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)
- 0
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
- 31.4/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5067th in Australia
- State rank
- 1180th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #53 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #107 among Coastal & beach suburbs
- Data confidence
- 65%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Bbqamenitiesbbq
- Edmund St at Caloundra Catholic Churchamenitiesbus_stop
- Edmund St at Russell Streetamenitiesbus_stop
- Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Churchamenities61 Edmund Streetplace_of_worship
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
- Post Boxamenitiespost_box
- Public toiletsamenitiestoilets
- Drug Offencescrime268
- Good Order Offencescrime143
- Other Property Damagecrime147
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
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.