Freshwater Point vs Sarina Beach
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Freshwater Point, most households are couple families. In Sarina Beach, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Sarina 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
Freshwater Point
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (32/100 vs 47/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Freshwater Point
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 26%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Freshwater Point
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (12% vs 18%)
- has cheaper rent ($270/wk vs $300/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Freshwater Point
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (937.6 km vs 940.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Freshwater Point carries lower crime risk (32/100 vs 47/100)
- Sarina Beach has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 15%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Freshwater Point
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (28.9% vs 8.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Freshwater Point and Sarina 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
Sarina Beach has more residents (661 vs 174); Freshwater Point has higher household incomes ($117,000 vs $88,504).
| Freshwater Point | Sarina Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 174 | 661 +280% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +28.9% | +8.9% |
| Median age | 48 | 46 |
| Median household income | $117,000/yr +24% vs other | $88,504/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $270/wk | $300/wk +11% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.6%).
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 (3.4%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Freshwater Point | Sarina Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $695,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $285,000 |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 105 days from 6 sales |
Development activity
| Freshwater Point | Sarina Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 574 across Mackay same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -6% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Freshwater Point | Sarina Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 87% of QLD | Higher than 62% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 15% of QLD | Higher than 12% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 5% of QLD same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 52% of QLD | Higher than 51% of QLD |
Liveability
| Freshwater Point | Sarina Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | B |
| Score | — | 49/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Sarina Beach carries more crime risk (47 vs 32).
| Freshwater Point | Sarina Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Crime | Low 32/100 | Moderate 47/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | High 81/100 | Moderate 68/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Freshwater Point | Sarina 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
| Freshwater Point | Sarina Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Beaches | 0 | 2 |
| Waterways | 0 | 4 |
Mobility
Sarina Beach sits further from the CBD (940.4 km vs 937.6 km).
| Freshwater Point | Sarina Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 937.6 km | 940.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 638 min | 641 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 4737 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 66 postcode 4737 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 (87.5%).
Setting
| Freshwater Point | Sarina Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 0 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 5 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 32 m 2.6 km to a named beach | 463 m 2.1 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Freshwater Point | Sarina Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 68 premises | 0% 319 premises |
Climate
| Freshwater Point | Sarina Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,517 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 12.4°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Freshwater Point | Sarina Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,873/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mackay same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Freshwater Point | Sarina Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Capricornia same for both | |
| Member | Michelle Landry same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Freshwater Point | Sarina 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 Freshwater Point
Other comparisons with Sarina 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.