Cape Gloucester vs Whitsundays
Whitsundays is the younger of the two, with a median age of 29 against 49 in Cape Gloucester. In Cape Gloucester, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are people living alone. In Whitsundays, most households rent, most homes are flats or apartments, and most households are people living alone. On these figures, Cape Gloucester tends to suit couples and older residents, while Whitsundays suits renters, young adults, and 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
Cape Gloucester
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more separate houses rather than flats (103% vs 21%)
- is already more of a family suburb (54% vs 28%)
- carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 35/100)
- But Whitsundays has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Cape Gloucester has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $356/wk)
- Whitsundays has a bigger rental market to choose from (66% vs 19%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Cape Gloucester
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (771 min vs 830 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (1119.4 km vs 1144.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Cape Gloucester
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- has more residents already 65 and over (34% vs 6%)
- carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 35/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Cape Gloucester
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (37.1% vs 0.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Cape Gloucester and Whitsundays drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Whitsundays has more residents (2,281 vs 85); Cape Gloucester skews older (49 vs 29).
| Cape Gloucester | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 85 | 2,281 +2584% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +37.1% | +0.5% |
| Median age | 49 | 29 |
| Median household income | $73,112/yr | $98,904/yr +35% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk | $356/wk +42% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (35.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.0%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Development activity
| Cape Gloucester | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 190 across Whitsunday same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +70% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Cape Gloucester | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 43% of QLD | Higher than 73% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 27% of QLD | Higher than 18% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 31% of QLD | Higher than 50% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 36% of QLD | Higher than 7% of QLD |
Liveability
| Cape Gloucester | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | B |
| Score | — | 50/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | very advantaged area decile 10/10 |
Risk profile
Whitsundays carries more crime risk (35 vs 21).
| Cape Gloucester | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 35/100 | Moderate 41/100 |
| Crime | Low 21/100 | Low 35/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Moderate 63/100 | High 87/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Cape Gloucester | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 2 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Cape Gloucester
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Whitsundays
- Hamilton Island State School Government · Primary below peers
- Hayman Island State School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Cape Gloucester | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 14 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 3 |
| GPs | 0 | 1 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Beaches | 0 | 9 |
| Waterways | 23 | 1 |
Mobility
Whitsundays sits further from the CBD (1144.5 km vs 1119.4 km).
| Cape Gloucester | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 1119.4 km | 1144.5 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 771 min | 830 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 4800 | 0.3% postcode 4802 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 85 postcode 4800 | 56 postcode 4802 |
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (80.6%).
Setting
| Cape Gloucester | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 123 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 105 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 4.4 km | 1.5 km 4.4 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Cape Gloucester | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 27/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 47 premises | 0% 26 premises |
Climate
| Cape Gloucester | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,502 mm | 1,708 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.7°C | — |
| Winter min (Jul) | 11.9°C | — |
Council rates
| Cape Gloucester | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,412/yr same for both | |
| Council | Whitsunday same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Cape Gloucester | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Dawson same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Willcox same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Cape Gloucester | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Cape Gloucester
Other comparisons with Whitsundays
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.