Mourilyan Harbour vs Cowley Beach
Mourilyan Harbour is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 59 in Cowley Beach. In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are people living alone. On these figures, Cowley Beach tends to suit people living alone and 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
Mourilyan Harbour
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 78/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (44% vs 21%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Cowley Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (12% vs 24%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Cowley Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (26% vs 11%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Mourilyan Harbour has a shorter drive in (1100 min vs 1108 min)
- Cowley Beach sits closer to the CBD (1602.3 km vs 1611.1 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Mourilyan Harbour carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 78/100)
- Cowley Beach has more residents already 65 and over (48% vs 25%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Mourilyan Harbour
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-9.0% vs -16.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Mourilyan Harbour and Cowley 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
Mourilyan Harbour has more residents (142 vs 65); Cowley Beach skews older (59 vs 48).
| Mourilyan Harbour | Cowley Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 142 +54% vs other | 65 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -9.0% | -16.7% |
| Median age | 48 | 59 |
| Median household income | $66,300/yr +18% vs other | $54,184/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.2%).
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 (10.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.2%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Mourilyan Harbour | Cowley Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $520,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Development activity
| Mourilyan Harbour | Cowley Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 186 across Cassowary Coast same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +68% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Mourilyan Harbour | Cowley Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 32% of QLD | Higher than 16% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 70% of QLD | Higher than 22% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 43% of QLD | Higher than 25% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 55% of QLD | Higher than 54% of QLD |
Liveability
| Mourilyan Harbour | Cowley Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Mourilyan Harbour carries more bushfire risk (32 vs 0); Cowley Beach carries more crime risk (78 vs 35).
| Mourilyan Harbour | Cowley Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 32/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Low 35/100 | High 78/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | High 82/100 | High 78/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Mourilyan Harbour | Cowley 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
| Mourilyan Harbour | Cowley Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 8 | 4 |
Mobility
Mourilyan Harbour sits further from the CBD (1611.1 km vs 1602.3 km).
| Mourilyan Harbour | Cowley Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 7/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 1611.1 km | 1602.3 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 1100 min | 1108 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 4858 | 0.2% postcode 4871 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 57 postcode 4858 | 51 postcode 4871 |
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 (100.0%).
Setting
| Mourilyan Harbour | Cowley Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 2 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 6 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 1.6 km 4.0 km to a named beach | 617 m |
NBN connectivity
| Mourilyan Harbour | Cowley Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 77 premises | 0% 62 premises |
Climate
| Mourilyan Harbour | Cowley Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 3,531 mm | 3,534 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.2°C | 31.4°C |
| Winter min (Jul) | 17.0°C | 16.5°C |
Council rates
| Mourilyan Harbour | Cowley Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,829/yr same for both | |
| Council | Cassowary Coast same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Mourilyan Harbour | Cowley Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Kennedy same for both | |
| Member | Bob Katter same for both | |
| Party | Katter's Australian Party (KAP) same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Mourilyan Harbour | Cowley 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 Mourilyan Harbour
Other comparisons with Cowley 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.