Kawungan vs Torquay
Kawungan is the younger of the two, with a median age of 50 against 55 in Torquay. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Torquay, about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Torquay tends to suit 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
Kawungan
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (58/100 vs 81/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (55% vs 40%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (84% vs 68%)
- But Torquay has more parks and reserves (8 vs 2)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Torquay
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (39% vs 24%)
- has cheaper rent ($300/wk vs $340/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Kawungan
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (206 min vs 212 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (285 km vs 288.8 km)
- But Torquay is more walkable (68/100 vs 47/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Torquay
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (32% vs 16%)
- is more walkable (68/100 vs 47/100)
- But Kawungan carries lower crime risk (58/100 vs 81/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Kawungan
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (13.4% vs 3.4%)
Weighs house yield and population growth.
Where they sit
Kawungan and Torquay 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
Kawungan has higher household incomes ($59,696 vs $47,684); Kawungan rents higher ($340/wk vs $300/wk).
| Kawungan | Torquay | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,460 | 6,533 +20% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +13.4% | +3.4% |
| Median age | 50 | 55 |
| Median household income | $59,696/yr +20% vs other | $47,684/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $340/wk +12% vs other | $300/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.6%).
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 (5.2%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Kawungan | Torquay | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $795,000 | $762,000 |
| Median unit price | — | $545,000 |
| Median land price | $410,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 29 days from 79 sales | 36 days from 62 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.
51 vs 77 sales
128 vs 50 sales
10 vs 9 sales
Development activity
| Kawungan | Torquay | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,578 across Fraser Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -8% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Kawungan | Torquay | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.0% $680/wk on $880K | 3.8% $590/wk on $800K |
| Units | — | 4.0% $470/wk on $612K |
Ranking within QLD
| Kawungan | Torquay | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 24% of QLD | Higher than 10% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 86% of QLD | Higher than 91% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 60% of QLD | Higher than 59% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 90% of QLD | Higher than 76% of QLD |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 56% of QLD | Higher than 43% of QLD |
| Rental yield (units) | — | Higher than 31% of QLD |
Liveability
Kawungan scores higher overall (47 vs 27); Torquay is more walkable (68 vs 47).
| Kawungan | Torquay | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | C | D |
| Score | 47/100 | 27/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
Torquay carries more bushfire risk (22 vs 0); Torquay carries more crime risk (81 vs 58).
| Kawungan | Torquay | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 22/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 58/100 | High 81/100 |
| 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 | 3 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Kawungan | Torquay | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Kawungan
- Kawungan State School Government · Primary at peers
- Hervey Bay Special School Government · Combined · Special school
Schools in Torquay
- Torquay State School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Kawungan | Torquay | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 13 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 8 |
| Childcare | 5 | 4 |
| GPs | 1 same for both | |
| Pharmacies | 1 same for both | |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 1 same for both | |
| Waterways | 5 | 4 |
Mobility
Torquay sits further from the CBD (288.8 km vs 285 km).
| Kawungan | Torquay | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 47/100 | 68/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 285 km | 288.8 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 206 min | 212 min |
| Public transport score | 17/100 Bus | 65/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 0.0 7-9am + 5-7pm | 21.2 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | — scheduled, not actual | 1 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 4655 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 81 postcode 4655 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 (83.8%).
Setting
| Kawungan | Torquay | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 28 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 11 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 2.7 km 3.1 km to a named beach | 808 m 914 m to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Kawungan | Torquay | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 78/100 | 66/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 54% 2,704 premises | 31% 3,924 premises |
Climate
| Kawungan | Torquay | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,074 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 9.7°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Kawungan | Torquay | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,576/yr same for both | |
| Council | Fraser Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Kawungan | Torquay | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Hinkler same for both | |
| Member | David Batt same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Kawungan | Torquay | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Kawungan
Other comparisons with Torquay
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.