Conway Beach vs Wilson Beach
Wilson Beach is the younger of the two, with a median age of 58 against 62 in Conway Beach. In both, most households own their home, most homes are detached houses, and the large majority of households are people living alone. On these figures, Conway Beach tends to suit older residents.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Conway Beach carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 85/100)
- Wilson Beach has more separate houses rather than flats (88% vs 74%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Wilson Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (26% vs 51%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Wilson Beach
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 21%)
- has cheaper rent ($178/wk vs $200/wk)
- But Conway Beach has a bigger rental market to choose from (26% vs 12%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Conway Beach
ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (12/100 vs 85/100)
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (26% vs 12%)
- has more residents already 65 and over (47% vs 31%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Wilson Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (15.3% vs -6.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Conway Beach and Wilson Beach 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
Wilson Beach has higher household incomes ($68,224 vs $49,348); Conway Beach rents higher ($200/wk vs $178/wk).
| Conway Beach | Wilson Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 75 +9% vs other | 68 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -6.2% | +15.3% |
| Median age | 62 | 58 |
| Median household income | $49,348/yr | $68,224/yr +38% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk +11% vs other | $178/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (37.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (32.4%).
Development activity
| Conway Beach | Wilson Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 190 across Whitsunday same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +70% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Conway Beach | Wilson Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 12% of QLD | Higher than 35% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 44% of QLD | Higher than 48% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 31% of QLD same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 60% of QLD | Higher than 61% of QLD |
Liveability
| Conway Beach | Wilson Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Conway Beach carries more bushfire risk (85 vs 0); Wilson Beach carries more crime risk (85 vs 12).
| Conway Beach | Wilson Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 85/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Low 12/100 | High 85/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Low 18/100 | High 73/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Conway Beach | Wilson Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Conway Beach | Wilson Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
| Conway Beach | Wilson Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 1114.6 km | 1114.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 767 min | 764 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 4800 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 85 postcode 4800 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (100.0%).
Setting
| Conway Beach | Wilson Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 5 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | -3 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 239 m | 84 m |
NBN connectivity
| Conway Beach | Wilson Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 47 premises | 0% 49 premises |
Climate
| Conway Beach | Wilson Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,502 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.7°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 11.9°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Conway Beach | Wilson Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,412/yr same for both | |
| Council | Whitsunday same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Conway Beach | Wilson Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Dawson same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Willcox same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Conway Beach | Wilson Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Conway Beach
Other comparisons with Wilson Beach
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.