Sarina vs Sunnyside
Sunnyside is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 40 in Sarina. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Sunnyside, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Sunnyside tends to suit families with children.
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
Sarina
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (10 vs 1)
- has more childcare (5 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 0)
- But Sunnyside carries lower crime risk (57/100 vs 79/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Sunnyside
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($275/wk vs $300/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Sarina
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (15/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (635 min vs 644 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (933.4 km vs 946.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Sarina
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (15/100 vs 0/100)
- has more GPs (3 vs 0)
- has more residents already 65 and over (18% vs 11%)
- But Sunnyside carries lower crime risk (57/100 vs 79/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Sarina
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (1.8% vs -12.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Sarina and Sunnyside 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 has more residents (5,619 vs 127); Sunnyside has higher household incomes ($97,500 vs $83,460).
| Sarina | Sunnyside | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,619 +98% vs other | 127 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +1.8% | -12.4% |
| Median age | 40 | 37 |
| Median household income | $83,460/yr | $97,500/yr +17% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk +8% vs other | $275/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 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 (28.3%).
Property market
| Sarina | Sunnyside | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $543,000 | — |
| Median unit price | $490,000 | — |
| Median land price | $372,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 26 days from 51 sales | — |
Development activity
| Sarina | Sunnyside | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 574 across Mackay same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -6% same for both | |
Gross rental yield
| Sarina | Sunnyside | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4.8% $650/wk on $699K | — |
| Units | — same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Sarina | Sunnyside | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 55% of QLD | — |
| Schools | Higher than 30% of QLD | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 76% of QLD | Higher than 33% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 5% of QLD same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 70% of QLD | Higher than 57% of QLD |
| Rental yield (houses) | Higher than 87% of QLD | — |
Liveability
Sarina is more walkable (15 vs 0).
| Sarina | Sunnyside | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 23/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Sarina carries more bushfire risk (14 vs 0); Sarina carries more crime risk (79 vs 57).
| Sarina | Sunnyside | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 14/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | High 79/100 | Moderate 57/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | High 80/100 | None 0/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 2 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Sarina | Sunnyside | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 4 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 3 | 0 |
Schools in Sarina
- Sarina State High School Government · Secondary at peers
- Sarina State School Government · Primary below peers
- St Anne's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary below peers
- Swayneville State School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Sunnyside
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Sarina | Sunnyside | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 2 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 3 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 10 | 1 |
| Childcare | 5 | 0 |
| GPs | 3 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 3 | 0 |
| Hospitals | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 3 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 44 | 5 |
Mobility
Sunnyside sits further from the CBD (946.4 km vs 933.4 km).
| Sarina | Sunnyside | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 15/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 933.4 km | 946.4 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 635 min | 644 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 (81.4%).
Setting
| Sarina | Sunnyside | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 111 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 36 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 9.7 km | 12.5 km |
NBN connectivity
| Sarina | Sunnyside | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 52/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 23% 2,568 premises | 0% 67 premises |
Climate
| Sarina | Sunnyside | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Sarina | Sunnyside | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,873/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mackay same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Sarina | Sunnyside | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Capricornia same for both | |
| Member | Michelle Landry same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Sarina | Sunnyside | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Sarina
Sunnyside
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Sarina
Other comparisons with Sunnyside
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.