Cooroy vs Lake Macdonald

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Lake Macdonald, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Lake Macdonald: a median of $1.31 million, against $1.1 million in Cooroy. On these figures, Cooroy tends to suit people living alone, older residents, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Lake Macdonald suits couples.

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

Lake Macdonald

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 52/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (68% vs 55%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (98% vs 88%)
  • But Cooroy has more childcare (7 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Cooroy has cheaper houses ($1,100,000 vs $1,315,000)
  • Lake Macdonald leaves households under less mortgage stress (23% vs 31%)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Cooroy has a bigger rental market to choose from (20% vs 10%)
  • Lake Macdonald leaves renters under less rental stress (24% vs 33%)

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

Commuting to the city

Cooroy

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (29/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (95 min vs 101 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (126.6 km vs 129.7 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Cooroy

ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (29/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (12% vs 2%)
  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • But Lake Macdonald carries lower crime risk (23/100 vs 52/100)

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

Investors

Cooroy

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (26.6% vs -0.8%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Cooroy and Lake Macdonald drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
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.

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
Walkability 29 / 0
Cooroy — Walkability: 29/100 Lake Macdonald — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 48 / 77
Cooroy — Safety: 48/100 Lake Macdonald — Safety: 77/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Cooroy — Low fire risk: 100/100 Lake Macdonald — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Cooroy has more residents (4,801 vs 1,352); Lake Macdonald has higher household incomes ($92,092 vs $67,028).

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
Population 4,801
+72% vs other
 1,352
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +26.6% -0.8%
Median age 50 49
Median household income $67,028/yr $92,092/yr
+37% vs other
Median weekly rent $430/wk
+2% vs other
 $420/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
0-4 4.2% / 3.7%
Cooroy — 0-4: 4.2% Lake Macdonald — 0-4: 3.7%
5-14 11.2% / 13.1%
Cooroy — 5-14: 11.2% Lake Macdonald — 5-14: 13.1%
15-19 5.4% / 5.5%
Cooroy — 15-19: 5.4% Lake Macdonald — 15-19: 5.5%
20-24 3.9% / 3.3%
Cooroy — 20-24: 3.9% Lake Macdonald — 20-24: 3.3%
25-34 7.5% / 5.5%
Cooroy — 25-34: 7.5% Lake Macdonald — 25-34: 5.5%
35-44 10.8% / 11.4%
Cooroy — 35-44: 10.8% Lake Macdonald — 35-44: 11.4%
45-54 12.1% / 13.8%
Cooroy — 45-54: 12.1% Lake Macdonald — 45-54: 13.8%
55-64 13.0% / 20.3%
Cooroy — 55-64: 13.0% Lake Macdonald — 55-64: 20.3%
65-74 16.7% / 15.6%
Cooroy — 65-74: 16.7% Lake Macdonald — 65-74: 15.6%
75-84 10.7% / 5.6%
Cooroy — 75-84: 10.7% Lake Macdonald — 75-84: 5.6%
85+ 4.4% / 1.6%
Cooroy — 85+: 4.4% Lake Macdonald — 85+: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Cooroy 37.1% couple families
Cooroy — Couple Families: 37.1% Cooroy — Lone Person: 40.4% Cooroy — One Parent Families: 17.6% Cooroy — Group Household: 3.7% Cooroy — Other Families: 1.1%
Lake Macdonald 53.6% couple families
Lake Macdonald — Couple Families: 53.6% Lake Macdonald — Lone Person: 28.6% Lake Macdonald — One Parent Families: 14.5% Lake Macdonald — Group Household: 3.3% Lake Macdonald — 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.

Cooroy 20.5% renting
Cooroy — Owned Outright: 47.4% Cooroy — Mortgage: 32.1% Cooroy — Renting: 20.5%
Lake Macdonald 10.4% renting
Lake Macdonald — Owned Outright: 47.5% Lake Macdonald — Mortgage: 42.0% Lake Macdonald — Renting: 10.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
Certificate III & IV 18.7% / 19.4%
Cooroy — Certificate III & IV: 18.7% Lake Macdonald — Certificate III & IV: 19.4%
Bachelor Degree 8.7% / 12.4%
Cooroy — Bachelor Degree: 8.7% Lake Macdonald — Bachelor Degree: 12.4%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.8% / 10.6%
Cooroy — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.8% Lake Macdonald — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.6%
Postgraduate Degree 2.2% / 3.1%
Cooroy — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2% Lake Macdonald — Postgraduate Degree: 3.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.8% / 2.3%
Cooroy — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8% Lake Macdonald — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.4%).

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.

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
England 6.4% / 5.8%
Cooroy — England: 6.4% Lake Macdonald — England: 5.8%
New Zealand 3.5% / 4.3%
Cooroy — New Zealand: 3.5% Lake Macdonald — New Zealand: 4.3%
South Africa 0.8% / 0.7%
Cooroy — South Africa: 0.8% Lake Macdonald — South Africa: 0.7%
Germany 0.6% / 0.4%
Cooroy — Germany: 0.6% Lake Macdonald — Germany: 0.4%
Netherlands 0.6% / —
Cooroy — Netherlands: 0.6% Lake Macdonald — Netherlands: not among its largest
Italy — / 0.4%
Cooroy — Italy: not among its largest Lake Macdonald — Italy: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.4%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Cooroy 87.8% houses
Cooroy — Houses: 87.8% Cooroy — Flats / Apartments: 10.6% Cooroy — Townhouses: 1.6%
Lake Macdonald 97.9% houses
Lake Macdonald — Houses: 97.9% Lake Macdonald — Flats / Apartments: 2.1% Lake Macdonald — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
Median house price $1,100,000 $1,315,000
Median unit price $870,000 —
Median land price $1,100,000 $1,235,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 35 days
from 77 sales
 100 days
from 6 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
3 bed $1.04M / $1.14M
Cooroy — 3 bed: $1.04M (55 sales) Lake Macdonald — 3 bed: $1.14M (14 sales)

55 vs 14 sales

4 bed $1.2M / $1.75M
Cooroy — 4 bed: $1.2M (69 sales) Lake Macdonald — 4 bed: $1.75M (10 sales)

69 vs 10 sales

Development activity

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
New dwellings approved 239
across Noosa
same for both
Approvals change year on year -9%
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.

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
Houses 3.4%
$808/wk on $1.25M
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within QLD

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 33% of QLD Higher than 65% of QLD
Schools Higher than 35% of QLD —
Walkability Higher than 82% of QLD Higher than 54% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 82% of QLD
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 75% of QLD Higher than 70% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 19% of QLD —

Liveability

Cooroy is more walkable (29 vs 0); Lake Macdonald scores higher overall (61 vs 46).

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
Grade C B
Score 46/100 61/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Cooroy carries more crime risk (52 vs 23).

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
52/100
 Low
23/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
Inside the suburb 3 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Cooroy

  • Noosa Christian College Independent · Combined at peers
  • Noosa District State High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Cooroy State School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Lake Macdonald

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 5 0
Parks & reserves 4 3
Childcare 7 0
GPs 3 0
Pharmacies 2 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 3 0
Fuel stations 2 0
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 4 3

Mobility

Lake Macdonald sits further from the CBD (129.7 km vs 126.6 km).

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
Walkability score 29/100 0/100
Distance to Brisbane 126.6 km 129.7 km
+2% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 95 min 101 min
Electric vehicle share 1.0%
postcode 4563
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 96
postcode 4563
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.

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
Car (driver) 75.5% / 77.0%
Cooroy — Car (driver): 75.5% Lake Macdonald — Car (driver): 77.0%
Worked from Home 14.5% / 17.4%
Cooroy — Worked from Home: 14.5% Lake Macdonald — Worked from Home: 17.4%
Car (passenger) 5.4% / 3.5%
Cooroy — Car (passenger): 5.4% Lake Macdonald — Car (passenger): 3.5%
Walked Only 4.0% / 1.4%
Cooroy — Walked Only: 4.0% Lake Macdonald — Walked Only: 1.4%
Bus 0.7% / 0.8%
Cooroy — Bus: 0.7% Lake Macdonald — Bus: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (77.0%).

Setting

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
Elevation 115 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 95 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 17.0 km 13.0 km

NBN connectivity

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
Connectivity score 64/100 52/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 39%
2,272 premises
 23%
583 premises

Climate

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
Annual rainfall 1,045 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.9°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 7.7°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
PM2.5 4.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 12.3 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
Average residential rate $1,614/yr
same for both
Council Noosa
same for both

Federal electorate

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
Division Wide Bay
same for both
Member Llew O'Brien
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Cooroy Lake Macdonald
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Cooroy

Acreage Retirees River

Lake Macdonald

Acreage

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Cooroy

Cooroy vs Pomona Cooroy vs Eumundi Cooroy vs Black Mountain Cooroy vs Belli Park Cooroy vs Eerwah Vale Cooroy vs Ridgewood

Other comparisons with Lake Macdonald

Lake Macdonald vs Pomona Lake Macdonald vs Cooroibah Lake Macdonald vs Tinbeerwah Lake Macdonald vs Ringtail Creek Lake Macdonald vs Cooroy Mountain
Full data on Cooroy Full data on Lake Macdonald
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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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