Gregory River vs Bowen

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Gregory River, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Gregory River: a median of $1.12 million, against $550,000 in Bowen, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Gregory River tends to suit families with children and couples, while Bowen suits people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget.

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

  • Gregory River carries lower crime risk (48/100 vs 77/100)
  • Bowen has more parks and reserves (18 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

Bowen

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($550,000 vs $1,122,500)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Bowen

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (39% vs 5%)
  • has cheaper rent ($270/wk vs $350/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Gregory River

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (755 min vs 801 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (1108.6 km vs 1172.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Gregory River carries lower crime risk (48/100 vs 77/100)
  • Bowen has more GPs (2 vs 0)

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

Investors

Gregory River

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (39.1% vs 8.0%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Gregory River Bowen
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.

Gregory River Bowen
Walkability 0 / 0
Gregory River — Walkability: 0/100 Bowen — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 52 / 23
Gregory River — Safety: 52/100 Bowen — Safety: 23/100
Low fire risk 100 / 67
Gregory River — Low fire risk: 100/100 Bowen — Low fire risk: 67/100

Demographics

Bowen has more residents (11,205 vs 427); Gregory River has higher household incomes ($92,300 vs $69,836).

Gregory River Bowen
Population 427 11,205
+2524% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +39.1% +8.0%
Median age 40 42
Median household income $92,300/yr
+24% vs other
 $69,836/yr
Median weekly rent $350/wk
+23% vs other
 $270/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Gregory River Bowen
0-4 7.3% / 5.1%
Gregory River — 0-4: 7.3% Bowen — 0-4: 5.1%
5-14 17.8% / 13.1%
Gregory River — 5-14: 17.8% Bowen — 5-14: 13.1%
15-19 5.4% / 5.1%
Gregory River — 15-19: 5.4% Bowen — 15-19: 5.1%
20-24 1.4% / 5.0%
Gregory River — 20-24: 1.4% Bowen — 20-24: 5.0%
25-34 11.5% / 12.8%
Gregory River — 25-34: 11.5% Bowen — 25-34: 12.8%
35-44 13.3% / 11.6%
Gregory River — 35-44: 13.3% Bowen — 35-44: 11.6%
45-54 11.0% / 12.4%
Gregory River — 45-54: 11.0% Bowen — 45-54: 12.4%
55-64 14.1% / 14.7%
Gregory River — 55-64: 14.1% Bowen — 55-64: 14.7%
65-74 15.0% / 11.9%
Gregory River — 65-74: 15.0% Bowen — 65-74: 11.9%
75-84 3.5% / 6.4%
Gregory River — 75-84: 3.5% Bowen — 75-84: 6.4%
85+ 0.9% / 2.1%
Gregory River — 85+: 0.9% Bowen — 85+: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Gregory River 54.7% couple families
Gregory River — Couple Families: 54.7% Gregory River — Lone Person: 25.6% Gregory River — One Parent Families: 15.1% Gregory River — Group Household: 4.7% Gregory River — Other Families: 0.0%
Bowen 35.5% couple families
Bowen — Couple Families: 35.5% Bowen — Lone Person: 42.0% Bowen — One Parent Families: 14.6% Bowen — Group Household: 6.2% Bowen — Other Families: 1.6%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Gregory River 5.0% renting
Gregory River — Owned Outright: 44.6% Gregory River — Mortgage: 50.4% Gregory River — Renting: 5.0%
Bowen 39.3% renting
Bowen — Owned Outright: 34.7% Bowen — Mortgage: 26.1% Bowen — Renting: 39.3%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Gregory River Bowen
New Zealand 2.3% / 2.4%
Gregory River — New Zealand: 2.3% Bowen — New Zealand: 2.4%
England 0.7% / 2.1%
Gregory River — England: 0.7% Bowen — England: 2.1%
Philippines — / 1.1%
Gregory River — Philippines: not among its largest Bowen — Philippines: 1.1%
Taiwan — / 0.6%
Gregory River — Taiwan: not among its largest Bowen — Taiwan: 0.6%
Germany — / 0.5%
Gregory River — Germany: not among its largest Bowen — Germany: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.4%).

Qualifications

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

Gregory River Bowen
Certificate III & IV 18.7% / 17.3%
Gregory River — Certificate III & IV: 18.7% Bowen — Certificate III & IV: 17.3%
Bachelor Degree 6.1% / 5.6%
Gregory River — Bachelor Degree: 6.1% Bowen — Bachelor Degree: 5.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 3.5% / 4.9%
Gregory River — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.5% Bowen — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.9%
Postgraduate Degree 1.6% / 1.0%
Gregory River — Postgraduate Degree: 1.6% Bowen — Postgraduate Degree: 1.0%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.7% / 0.8%
Gregory River — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.7% Bowen — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.7%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Gregory River 100.0% houses
Gregory River — Houses: 100.0% Gregory River — Townhouses: 0.0% Gregory River — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Bowen 83.2% houses
Bowen — Houses: 83.2% Bowen — Townhouses: 13.1% Bowen — Flats / Apartments: 3.6%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Gregory River Bowen
Median house price $1,122,500 $550,000
Median unit price — $325,000
Median land price — $205,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 46 days
from 146 sales

Development activity

Gregory River Bowen
New dwellings approved 190
across Whitsunday
same for both
Approvals change year on year +70%
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.

Gregory River Bowen
Houses — 4.8%
$600/wk on $648K
Units — 4.9%
$400/wk on $428K

Ranking within QLD

Gregory River Bowen
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 65% of QLD Higher than 37% of QLD
Schools — Higher than 5% of QLD
Walkability Higher than 16% of QLD Higher than 3% of QLD
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 31% of QLD Higher than 16% of QLD
NBN connectivity Higher than 38% of QLD Higher than 70% of QLD
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 87% of QLD
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 70% of QLD

Liveability

Gregory River Bowen
Grade — D
Score — 16/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
 below-average income
decile 2/10

Risk profile

Bowen carries more bushfire risk (33 vs 0); Bowen carries more crime risk (77 vs 48).

Gregory River Bowen
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
33/100
Crime Moderate
48/100
 High
77/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
 High
94/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Gregory River Bowen
Inside the suburb 0 6
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 4
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Gregory River

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

Schools in Bowen

  • Bowen State High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Bowen State School Government · Primary at peers
  • Merinda State School Government · Primary at peers
  • Queens Beach State School Government · Primary at peers
  • St Mary's Catholic School Catholic · Primary below peers
  • Townsville Flexible School - Bowen Campus Catholic · Secondary

Amenities in the suburb

Gregory River Bowen
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 0 5
Parks & reserves 2 18
Childcare 0 7
GPs 0 2
Pharmacies 0 1
Hospitals 0 2
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 6
Fuel stations 0 8
EV chargers 0 1
Beaches 0 7
Waterways 19 140

Mobility

Bowen sits further from the CBD (1172.9 km vs 1108.6 km).

Gregory River Bowen
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Brisbane 1108.6 km 1172.9 km
+6% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 755 min 801 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 4800
 0.2%
postcode 4805
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 85
postcode 4800
 63
postcode 4805

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.

Gregory River Bowen
Car (driver) 74.8% / 76.3%
Gregory River — Car (driver): 74.8% Bowen — Car (driver): 76.3%
Worked from Home 17.7% / 5.5%
Gregory River — Worked from Home: 17.7% Bowen — Worked from Home: 5.5%
Car (passenger) 2.7% / 10.2%
Gregory River — Car (passenger): 2.7% Bowen — Car (passenger): 10.2%
Bus 4.8% / 2.9%
Gregory River — Bus: 4.8% Bowen — Bus: 2.9%
Walked Only — / 4.4%
Gregory River — Walked Only: not among its largest Bowen — Walked Only: 4.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (76.3%).

Setting

Gregory River Bowen
Elevation 11 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 44 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 10.2 km 15.8 km

NBN connectivity

Gregory River Bowen
Connectivity score 28/100 54/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
108 premises
 25%
5,688 premises

Council rates

Gregory River Bowen
Average residential rate $1,412/yr
same for both
Council Whitsunday
same for both

Federal electorate

Gregory River Bowen
Division Dawson
same for both
Member Andrew Willcox
same for both
Party Liberal National Party of Queensland
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Gregory River Bowen
Grant amount $30,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Gregory River

Family Rural

Bowen

Affordable Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Gregory River

Gregory River vs Strathdickie Gregory River vs Woodwark Gregory River vs Riordanvale Gregory River vs Sugarloaf Gregory River vs Myrtlevale Gregory River vs Foxdale

Other comparisons with Bowen

Bowen vs Bogie Bowen vs Guthalungra Bowen vs Coral Sea
Full data on Gregory River Full data on Bowen
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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