Coral Sea vs Rockingham

Coral Sea is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 48 in Rockingham. In both, most households own their home. In Coral Sea, the large majority of homes are flats or apartments and the large majority of households are people living alone. In Rockingham, the large majority of homes are detached houses. On these figures, Coral Sea tends to suit 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

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Coral Sea has more parks and reserves (10 vs 2)
  • Rockingham has more separate houses rather than flats (102% vs 0%)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, and childcare.

Renters

Coral Sea

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (43% vs 17%)
  • has cheaper rent ($130/wk vs $160/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Coral Sea

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (1135.9 km vs 1561.3 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (780 min vs 1069 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Rockingham

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (-2.8% vs -29.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Coral Sea Rockingham
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.

Coral Sea Rockingham
Walkability 0 / 0
Coral Sea — Walkability: 0/100 Rockingham — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 49 / 48
Coral Sea — Safety: 49/100 Rockingham — Safety: 48/100
Low fire risk 64 / 47
Coral Sea — Low fire risk: 64/100 Rockingham — Low fire risk: 47/100

Demographics

Rockingham skews older (48 vs 36); Rockingham has more residents (104 vs 78).

Coral Sea Rockingham
Population 78 104
+33% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -29.7% -2.8%
Median age 36 48
Median household income $71,448/yr $94,224/yr
+32% vs other
Median weekly rent $130/wk $160/wk
+23% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Coral Sea Rockingham
0-4 — / —
Coral Sea — 0-4: not among its largest Rockingham — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 6.4% / 8.7%
Coral Sea — 5-14: 6.4% Rockingham — 5-14: 8.7%
15-19 — / 6.7%
Coral Sea — 15-19: not among its largest Rockingham — 15-19: 6.7%
20-24 — / 14.4%
Coral Sea — 20-24: not among its largest Rockingham — 20-24: 14.4%
25-34 37.2% / 12.5%
Coral Sea — 25-34: 37.2% Rockingham — 25-34: 12.5%
35-44 21.8% / 8.7%
Coral Sea — 35-44: 21.8% Rockingham — 35-44: 8.7%
45-54 16.7% / 12.5%
Coral Sea — 45-54: 16.7% Rockingham — 45-54: 12.5%
55-64 17.9% / 22.1%
Coral Sea — 55-64: 17.9% Rockingham — 55-64: 22.1%
65-74 — / 10.6%
Coral Sea — 65-74: not among its largest Rockingham — 65-74: 10.6%
75-84 — / 3.8%
Coral Sea — 75-84: not among its largest Rockingham — 75-84: 3.8%
85+ — / —
Coral Sea — 85+: not among its largest Rockingham — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (37.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Coral Sea 100.0% lone person
Coral Sea — Lone Person: 100.0% Coral Sea — Couple Families: 0.0% Coral Sea — One Parent Families: 0.0% Coral Sea — Group Household: 0.0%
Rockingham 29.2% lone person
Rockingham — Lone Person: 29.2% Rockingham — Couple Families: 33.3% Rockingham — One Parent Families: 25.0% Rockingham — Group Household: 12.5%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Coral Sea 42.9% renting
Coral Sea — Owned Outright: 57.1% Coral Sea — Mortgage: 0.0% Coral Sea — Renting: 42.9%
Rockingham 17.1% renting
Rockingham — Owned Outright: 61.0% Rockingham — Mortgage: 22.0% Rockingham — Renting: 17.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Coral Sea 0.0% houses
Coral Sea — Houses: 0.0% Coral Sea — Flats / Apartments: 100.0%
Rockingham 102.4% houses
Rockingham — Houses: 102.4% Rockingham — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Coral Sea Rockingham
Certificate III & IV 25.6% / 21.2%
Coral Sea — Certificate III & IV: 25.6% Rockingham — Certificate III & IV: 21.2%
Bachelor Degree 23.1% / 6.7%
Coral Sea — Bachelor Degree: 23.1% Rockingham — Bachelor Degree: 6.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.3% / 7.7%
Coral Sea — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.3% Rockingham — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.7%
Postgraduate Degree 9.0% / —
Coral Sea — Postgraduate Degree: 9.0% Rockingham — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.6%).

Development activity

Coral Sea Rockingham
New dwellings approved 190
across Whitsunday
 186
across Cassowary Coast
Approvals change year on year +70% +68%

Ranking within QLD

Coral Sea Rockingham
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 38% of QLD Higher than 67% of QLD
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 45% of QLD Higher than 12% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 41% of QLD Higher than 15% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 16% of QLD Higher than 42% of QLD

Liveability

Coral Sea Rockingham
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Rockingham carries more bushfire risk (53 vs 36).

Coral Sea Rockingham
Bushfire Low
36/100
 Moderate
53/100
Crime Moderate
51/100
 Moderate
52/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion High
98/100
 High
72/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Coral Sea Rockingham
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

Coral Sea Rockingham
Cafes & restaurants 2 0
Parks & reserves 10 2
Beaches 3 0
Waterways 0 6

Mobility

Rockingham sits further from the CBD (1561.3 km vs 1135.9 km).

Coral Sea Rockingham
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Brisbane 1135.9 km 1561.3 km
+37% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 780 min 1069 min
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 4740
 0.1%
postcode 4854
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 56
postcode 4740
 48
postcode 4854

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.

Coral Sea Rockingham
Walked Only 83.7% / 10.5%
Coral Sea — Walked Only: 83.7% Rockingham — Walked Only: 10.5%
Car (driver) 7.0% / 78.9%
Coral Sea — Car (driver): 7.0% Rockingham — Car (driver): 78.9%
Worked from Home 9.3% / 10.5%
Coral Sea — Worked from Home: 9.3% Rockingham — Worked from Home: 10.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (83.7%).

Setting

Coral Sea Rockingham
Elevation 499 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 6 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.7 km 4.7 km

NBN connectivity

Coral Sea Rockingham
Connectivity score 15/100 29/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
102 premises
 0%
46 premises

Climate

Coral Sea Rockingham
Annual rainfall — 2,150 mm
Summer max (Jan) — 31.0°C
Winter min (Jul) — 16.0°C

Council rates

Coral Sea Rockingham
Average residential rate $1,412/yr $1,829/yr
Council Whitsunday Cassowary Coast

Federal electorate

Coral Sea Rockingham
Division Dawson Kennedy
Member Andrew Willcox Bob Katter
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland Katter's Australian Party (KAP)

First Home Owner Grant

Coral Sea Rockingham
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Coral Sea

Coastal Rural

Rockingham

Rural Students

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Coral Sea

Coral Sea vs Bowen Coral Sea vs Bargara Coral Sea vs South Mackay Coral Sea vs Bushland Beach Coral Sea vs Trinity Beach Coral Sea vs Kewarra Beach

Other comparisons with Rockingham

Rockingham vs Tully Heads Rockingham vs Bilyana Rockingham vs Silky Oak Rockingham vs Euramo Rockingham vs Murrigal Rockingham vs Lower Tully
Full data on Coral Sea Full data on Rockingham
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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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