Wilson Beach vs Whitsundays
Whitsundays is the younger of the two, with a median age of 29 against 58 in Wilson Beach. In both, most households are people living alone. In Wilson Beach, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Whitsundays, most households rent and most homes are flats or apartments. On these figures, Wilson Beach tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Whitsundays suits renters and young adults.
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
Whitsundays
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (3 vs 0)
- has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
- carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 85/100)
- But Wilson Beach has more separate houses rather than flats (88% vs 21%)
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
Wilson Beach
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($178/wk vs $356/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 19%)
- But Whitsundays has a bigger rental market to choose from (66% vs 12%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Wilson Beach
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (764 min vs 830 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (1114.5 km vs 1144.5 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Whitsundays
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (79% vs 12%)
- carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 85/100)
- But Wilson Beach has more residents already 65 and over (31% vs 6%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Wilson Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (15.3% vs 0.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Wilson Beach and Whitsundays 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
Whitsundays has more residents (2,281 vs 68); Wilson Beach skews older (58 vs 29).
| Wilson Beach | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 68 | 2,281 +3254% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +15.3% | +0.5% |
| Median age | 58 | 29 |
| Median household income | $68,224/yr | $98,904/yr +45% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $178/wk | $356/wk +100% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (35.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (32.4%).
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 (4.4%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Development activity
| Wilson Beach | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 190 across Whitsunday same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +70% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Wilson Beach | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 35% of QLD | Higher than 73% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 48% of QLD | Higher than 18% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 31% of QLD | Higher than 50% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 61% of QLD | Higher than 7% of QLD |
Liveability
| Wilson Beach | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | B |
| Score | — | 50/100 |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | very advantaged area decile 10/10 |
Risk profile
Whitsundays carries more bushfire risk (41 vs 0); Wilson Beach carries more crime risk (85 vs 35).
| Wilson Beach | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Moderate 41/100 |
| Crime | High 85/100 | Low 35/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | High 73/100 | High 87/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Wilson Beach | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 2 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in Wilson Beach
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Whitsundays
- Hamilton Island State School Government · Primary below peers
- Hayman Island State School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Wilson Beach | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 14 |
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 3 |
| GPs | 0 | 1 |
| Pharmacies | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Beaches | 0 | 9 |
| Waterways | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
Whitsundays sits further from the CBD (1144.5 km vs 1114.5 km).
| Wilson Beach | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 1114.5 km | 1144.5 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 764 min | 830 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 4800 | 0.3% postcode 4802 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 85 postcode 4800 | 56 postcode 4802 |
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
| Wilson Beach | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | -3 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 105 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 84 m | 1.5 km 4.4 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Wilson Beach | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 49 premises | 0% 26 premises |
Climate
| Wilson Beach | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,502 mm | 1,708 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.7°C | — |
| Winter min (Jul) | 11.9°C | — |
Council rates
| Wilson Beach | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,412/yr same for both | |
| Council | Whitsunday same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Wilson Beach | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Dawson same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Willcox same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Wilson Beach | Whitsundays | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Wilson Beach
Other comparisons with Whitsundays
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.