Blacks Beach vs Dolphin Heads

Blacks Beach is the younger of the two, with a median age of 31 against 48 in Dolphin Heads. In both, most homes are detached houses and about half of households are couple families. In Blacks Beach, about half of households rent. In Dolphin Heads, most households own their home. Houses cost more in Dolphin Heads: a median of $960,000, against $690,000 in Blacks Beach, though rent is higher in Blacks Beach. On these figures, Blacks Beach tends to suit renters, families with children, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Dolphin Heads suits people living alone.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Blacks Beach

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (5 vs 0)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (86% vs 62%)
  • is already more of a family suburb (71% vs 55%)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Blacks Beach

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has cheaper land ($545,000 vs $892,500)
  • has cheaper houses ($690,000 vs $960,000)
  • But Dolphin Heads has cheaper units ($207,000 vs $420,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Dolphin Heads

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (13% vs 19%)
  • has cheaper rent ($360/wk vs $390/wk)
  • But Blacks Beach has a bigger rental market to choose from (55% vs 40%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Dolphin Heads

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (16/100 vs 5/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Dolphin Heads

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (16/100 vs 5/100)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (39% vs 14%)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (15% vs 8%)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Blacks Beach and Dolphin Heads drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
Walkability 5 / 16
Blacks Beach — Walkability: 5/100 Dolphin Heads — Walkability: 16/100
Safety 46 / 41
Blacks Beach — Safety: 46/100 Dolphin Heads — Safety: 41/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Blacks Beach — Low fire risk: 100/100 Dolphin Heads — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Blacks Beach has more residents (4,153 vs 413); Dolphin Heads skews older (48 vs 31).

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
Population 4,153
+90% vs other
 413
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +7.6% +6.4%
Median age 31 48
Median household income $104,676/yr $147,316/yr
+41% vs other
Median weekly rent $390/wk
+8% vs other
 $360/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
0-4 8.4% / 3.9%
Blacks Beach — 0-4: 8.4% Dolphin Heads — 0-4: 3.9%
5-14 17.1% / 11.4%
Blacks Beach — 5-14: 17.1% Dolphin Heads — 5-14: 11.4%
15-19 6.5% / 6.1%
Blacks Beach — 15-19: 6.5% Dolphin Heads — 15-19: 6.1%
20-24 7.1% / 2.7%
Blacks Beach — 20-24: 7.1% Dolphin Heads — 20-24: 2.7%
25-34 17.3% / 7.0%
Blacks Beach — 25-34: 17.3% Dolphin Heads — 25-34: 7.0%
35-44 14.3% / 12.8%
Blacks Beach — 35-44: 14.3% Dolphin Heads — 35-44: 12.8%
45-54 11.5% / 19.6%
Blacks Beach — 45-54: 11.5% Dolphin Heads — 45-54: 19.6%
55-64 10.2% / 21.3%
Blacks Beach — 55-64: 10.2% Dolphin Heads — 55-64: 21.3%
65-74 5.5% / 11.6%
Blacks Beach — 65-74: 5.5% Dolphin Heads — 65-74: 11.6%
75-84 1.7% / 2.2%
Blacks Beach — 75-84: 1.7% Dolphin Heads — 75-84: 2.2%
85+ 0.3% / 1.5%
Blacks Beach — 85+: 0.3% Dolphin Heads — 85+: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Blacks Beach 47.6% couple families
Blacks Beach — Couple Families: 47.6% Blacks Beach — Lone Person: 21.8% Blacks Beach — One Parent Families: 23.8% Blacks Beach — Group Household: 5.5% Blacks Beach — Other Families: 1.3%
Dolphin Heads 46.0% couple families
Dolphin Heads — Couple Families: 46.0% Dolphin Heads — Lone Person: 41.0% Dolphin Heads — One Parent Families: 9.0% Dolphin Heads — Group Household: 4.0% Dolphin Heads — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Blacks Beach 54.6% renting
Blacks Beach — Owned Outright: 15.9% Blacks Beach — Mortgage: 29.5% Blacks Beach — Renting: 54.6%
Dolphin Heads 39.6% renting
Dolphin Heads — Owned Outright: 27.5% Dolphin Heads — Mortgage: 32.9% Dolphin Heads — Renting: 39.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
Certificate III & IV 17.7% / 17.4%
Blacks Beach — Certificate III & IV: 17.7% Dolphin Heads — Certificate III & IV: 17.4%
Bachelor Degree 7.1% / 17.2%
Blacks Beach — Bachelor Degree: 7.1% Dolphin Heads — Bachelor Degree: 17.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.2% / 8.7%
Blacks Beach — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.2% Dolphin Heads — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.7%
Postgraduate Degree 1.8% / 5.6%
Blacks Beach — Postgraduate Degree: 1.8% Dolphin Heads — Postgraduate Degree: 5.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.1% / 2.7%
Blacks Beach — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1% Dolphin Heads — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.7%).

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
New Zealand 3.2% / 4.6%
Blacks Beach — New Zealand: 3.2% Dolphin Heads — New Zealand: 4.6%
South Africa 3.5% / 4.1%
Blacks Beach — South Africa: 3.5% Dolphin Heads — South Africa: 4.1%
England 2.7% / 4.8%
Blacks Beach — England: 2.7% Dolphin Heads — England: 4.8%
Germany 0.3% / 1.7%
Blacks Beach — Germany: 0.3% Dolphin Heads — Germany: 1.7%
Zimbabwe 0.8% / 0.7%
Blacks Beach — Zimbabwe: 0.8% Dolphin Heads — Zimbabwe: 0.7%
Netherlands — / 1.2%
Blacks Beach — Netherlands: not among its largest Dolphin Heads — Netherlands: 1.2%
Philippines 0.7% / —
Blacks Beach — Philippines: 0.7% Dolphin Heads — Philippines: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Blacks Beach 86.2% houses
Blacks Beach — Houses: 86.2% Blacks Beach — Townhouses: 11.8% Blacks Beach — Flats / Apartments: 2.0%
Dolphin Heads 62.5% houses
Dolphin Heads — Houses: 62.5% Dolphin Heads — Townhouses: 38.8% Dolphin Heads — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
Median house price $690,000 $960,000
Median unit price $420,000 $207,000
Median land price $545,000 $892,500
Typical days to sell (houses) 34 days
from 60 sales
 78 days
from 8 sales

Development activity

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
New dwellings approved 574
across Mackay
same for both
Approvals change year on year -6%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
Houses 4.7%
$670/wk on $739K
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within QLD

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 77% of QLD Higher than 96% of QLD
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 69% of QLD Higher than 77% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 41% of QLD
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 89% of QLD Higher than 74% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 83% of QLD —

Liveability

Dolphin Heads is more walkable (16 vs 5).

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
Grade C —
Score 46/100 —
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 very advantaged area
decile 10/10

Risk profile

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
54/100
 Moderate
59/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion High
74/100
 Low
23/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
Inside the suburb 0
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Amenities in the suburb

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
Cafes & restaurants 1 0
Parks & reserves 5 0
Childcare 1 0
Beaches 1 0
Waterways 1
same for both

Mobility

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
Walkability score 5/100 16/100
Distance to Brisbane 980.5 km 980 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 680 min 678 min
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 4740
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 56
postcode 4740
same for both

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
Car (driver) 85.9% / 72.1%
Blacks Beach — Car (driver): 85.9% Dolphin Heads — Car (driver): 72.1%
Worked from Home 4.4% / 18.4%
Blacks Beach — Worked from Home: 4.4% Dolphin Heads — Worked from Home: 18.4%
Car (passenger) 6.3% / 8.0%
Blacks Beach — Car (passenger): 6.3% Dolphin Heads — Car (passenger): 8.0%
Bus 2.5% / 1.5%
Blacks Beach — Bus: 2.5% Dolphin Heads — Bus: 1.5%
Walked Only 0.6% / —
Blacks Beach — Walked Only: 0.6% Dolphin Heads — Walked Only: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (85.9%).

Setting

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
Elevation 4 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 -2 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.1 km
1.9 km to a named beach
 365 m
855 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
Connectivity score 77/100 63/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 57%
1,661 premises
 33%
215 premises

Climate

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
Annual rainfall 1,633 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.6°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 14.5°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
PM2.5 6.6 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.9 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
Average residential rate $1,873/yr
same for both
Council Mackay
same for both

Federal electorate

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
Division Dawson
same for both
Member Andrew Willcox
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Blacks Beach Dolphin Heads
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Blacks Beach

Coastal Family Large Blocks

Dolphin Heads

Affordable Beach Coastal Parks River Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Blacks Beach

Blacks Beach vs Andergrove Blacks Beach vs Beaconsfield Blacks Beach vs Rural View Blacks Beach vs Slade Point Blacks Beach vs Eimeo Blacks Beach vs Coral Sea

Other comparisons with Dolphin Heads

Dolphin Heads vs Eimeo Dolphin Heads vs Coral Sea
Full data on Blacks Beach Full data on Dolphin Heads
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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