Where the South African community lives in Gold Coast
Hope Island has the largest South African community: 3.2% of residents were born in South Africa and 1.8% reported South African ancestry. Bonogin and Willow Vale follow. These 15 suburbs came from a field of 50 eligible Gold Coast suburbs.
This page ranks Gold Coast suburbs by where the South African community is most established, using the 2021 Census. Suburbs are ordered by the share of residents who were born in South Africa, and each one also shows the share who reported South African ancestry. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents are ranked.
No single number captures a community on its own — ancestry is the broadest (it includes Australian-born second and third generations), country of birth captures migrants, and language spoken at home tracks the actively speaking core. We show every angle the 2021 Census publishes for the South African community so you can see the full picture. Ancestry is a multiple-response question, so shares read as "residents who reported this ancestry" rather than an exclusive count. Percentile ranks are computed within Gold Coast's pool. This is descriptive demographic information, not a recommendation. Measured on the metro pools, South Africa-born is both wider (729 suburbs against 589) and more concentrated (peaking at 14.3% against 12.7%) than South African ancestry, which many second-generation residents report as English instead.
Where the South African community lives in Gold Coast
Ranked by the share of residents who were born in South Africa in the 2021 Census, among suburbs with at least 2,000 residents. Each suburb also shows the share who reported South African ancestry — the other angle the census publishes on where the South African community is established.
Hope Island
QLD 4212 · 14,522 residents3% born in South Africa · 2% South African ancestry
Bonogin
QLD 4213 · 4,896 residents3% born in South Africa · 2% South African ancestry
Willow Vale
QLD 4209 · 2,279 residents3% born in South Africa · 2% South African ancestry
Reedy Creek
QLD 4227 · 7,412 residents3% born in South Africa · 2% South African ancestry
Maudsland
QLD 4210 · 8,073 residents2% born in South Africa · 1% South African ancestry
Mudgeeraba
QLD 4213 · 14,578 residents2% born in South Africa · 2% South African ancestry
Coomera
QLD 4209 · 20,225 residents2% born in South Africa · 2% South African ancestry
Clear Island Waters
QLD 4226 · 4,395 residents2% born in South Africa · 1% South African ancestry
Ormeau Hills
QLD 4208 · 4,521 residents2% born in South Africa · 2% South African ancestry
Tallai
QLD 4213 · 4,465 residents2% born in South Africa · 1% South African ancestry
Robina
QLD 4226 · 25,659 residents2% born in South Africa · 1% South African ancestry
Upper Coomera
QLD 4209 · 27,180 residents2% born in South Africa · 1% South African ancestry
Oxenford
QLD 4210 · 12,273 residents2% born in South Africa · 1% South African ancestry
Helensvale
QLD 4212 · 18,949 residents2% born in South Africa · 1% South African ancestry
Carrara
QLD 4211 · 13,138 residents2% born in South Africa · 1% South African ancestry
Ranked from 50 qualifying suburbs.
Ranked on the share of residents born in the relevant country (ancestry fragments across sub-groups, so birthplace is the more reliable signal here) in the 2021 Census, percentile-ranked within Gold Coast's candidate pool. Every suburb also shows all three census angles — ancestry, country of birth, and language spoken at home — because no single number captures a community on its own. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents qualify. Ancestry is a multiple-response question, so shares read as "residents who reported this ancestry", not an exclusive count. Descriptive ABS Census data, not a recommendation. See how we calculate for the full methodology.
Common questions about this ranking
How is this ranking put together?
Suburbs are ordered by the share of residents who were born in South Africa. Measured on the metro pools, South Africa-born is both wider (729 suburbs against 589) and more concentrated (peaking at 14.3% against 12.7%) than South African ancestry, which many second-generation residents report as English instead. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents are included, and percentile ranks are computed within Gold Coast's pool, so the list reflects concentration relative to other metro suburbs.
What do the percentages on each suburb mean?
They are different census angles on the South African community: country of birth counts only those who migrated and ancestry is the broadest, since it includes people born here. They rarely match, and seeing them together tells you whether a suburb's community is long-established, newly-arrived, or somewhere in between.
Why don't the percentages add up?
They measure different things and come from different census questions. Ancestry is a multiple-response question (a person can report up to two), so it isn't a clean share of population; birthplace counts only people born overseas; and language counts only those who still speak it at home. This is descriptive demographic data, not a recommendation to seek out or avoid anywhere.
How current is it?
The figures are from the 2021 Census, the most recent available until results from the August 2026 Census are released in 2027. The top 15 is recomputed whenever we refresh the census data.
Same list in other cities
- Where the South African community lives in Sydney
- Where the South African community lives in Melbourne
- Where the South African community lives in Brisbane
- Where the South African community lives in Perth
- Where the South African community lives in Adelaide
- Where the South African community lives in Hobart
- Where the South African community lives in Darwin
- Where the South African community lives in Canberra
- Where the South African community lives in Newcastle
- Where the South African community lives in Central Coast
- Where the South African community lives in Sunshine Coast
- Where the South African community lives in Wollongong
- Where the South African community lives in Geelong
- Where the South African community lives in Townsville
- Where the South African community lives in Toowoomba
- Where the South African community lives in Busselton
- Where the South African community lives in Ballarat
- Where the South African community lives in Cairns
- Where the South African community lives in Albany
- Where the South African community lives in Ballina
- Where the South African community lives in Geraldton
- Where the South African community lives in Warragul
- Where the South African community lives in Bundaberg
- Where the South African community lives in Launceston
- Where the South African community lives in Bendigo
- Where the South African community lives in Rockhampton
- Where the South African community lives in Mackay
- Where the South African community lives in Albury – Wodonga
- Where the South African community lives in Camden Haven
- Where the South African community lives in Burnie
- Where the South African community lives in Wagga Wagga
- Where the South African community lives in Coffs Harbour
- Where the South African community lives in Alice Springs
- Where the South African community lives in Mount Isa
Related
Rankings last computed 28 September 2026. Recomputed after each ACARA schools data refresh.