Cooya Beach QLD 4873
Cooya Beach is a rural locality in Queensland, 1,772 km from Brisbane CBD, around 20 hours 45 minutes by car. Population is 523; the median age is 48 and the median household income is $60,008 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The locality fell 4.2% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $265 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,325. Cooya Beach is characterised by no recorded bushfire exposure. Walkability is low.
Is Cooya Beach a good place to live?
Cooya Beach scores a C (49/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on safety, weaker on transit and community.
Car-dependent
Walkability 25/100 · 1772 km · 1246 min drive to Brisbane
Median available
Median $640K
Low all-round risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 25/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 2/10 · median age 48 · 523 residents
Liveability Rating
49 / 100 · Ranked #552 in QLDEach bar is Cooya Beach's rank among QLD suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
Flood data for Queensland covers only the areas mapped there — a blank here is not an all-clear.
How do you rate the liveability in Cooya Beach?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
49 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataCooya Beach's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $640,000, roughly 23% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$640,000
Based on 19 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 9 sales $580K
- 4 bed 6 sales $708K
Land
$277,500
Based on only 4 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Is Cooya Beach safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Cooya Beach sits in the low band, with 4 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 64% on the prior year.
4 offences
63.6% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2020–2024No crash in Cooya Beach killed anyone or put anyone in hospital in 2020–2024.
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the locality carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Coastal Erosion
Shoreline Change Summary
1988–2025Nearest Eroding Coastline
- Distance
- 1.1 km
- Rate
- -0.21 m/yr
- Net Movement
- -20.2 m
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
Walkability
Cooya Beach is car-dependent on foot — at 25/100, most errands require a car.
We hold no public transport timetable data for this area, so public transport is not rated here and the score is spread across the remaining components. It is not counted as zero.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Cooya Beach.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 49%
- Premises covered
- 260
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Douglas: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this locality alone — this locality's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
Cooya Beach is home to 523 residents, with a median age of 48, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $60,000 a year, with unemployment at 1.2%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
523
Median Age
48
Median Household Income
$60,008/yr
Census Median Rent
$265/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,325/mo
Avg Household Size
2.2
Median Personal Income
$37,284/yr
Unemployment Rate
1.2%
Unoccupied Dwellings
10.1%
Total Dwellings
217
Owner-Occupier Rate
68.2%
Houses
83.4%
Rental Stress
23.0%
Mortgage Stress
26.5%
Work From Home
11.1%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
0 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 12 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 67 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 73.0%
- English Spoken at Home
- 81.5%
- Employment Rate
- 55.6%
- Completed Year 12
- 38.0%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
3 residents (0.6%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,417 a year through Douglas based on 2025 figures.
Building Approvals: Douglas
In the year to August 2026, 48 new dwellings were approved across Douglas. That mix is 42 houses and 6 units. Approvals are down 18.2% on the same period a year earlier.
New Homes Planned
New homes planned in this locality: 30 to 85 homes
- In 5 to 10 years 29 to 80 homes
- No timeframe set 1 to 5 homes
Land the Queensland Government's residential land supply study identifies for future housing (5 parcels), by when it expects lots to be registered. Yields are published in ranges, so these are too.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
No native title party is registered for this area. Under the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 the Aboriginal party is then whoever is recognised under tradition or custom as responsible for the area — which a native title register cannot show.
Climate & Setting
from Port Douglas - Warner St, 7.4 kmHigh rainfall.
- Elevation
- 0 m
- above sea level, at the locality centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 20 m
- 2.5 km to a named beach
- Annual rainfall
- 2,155 mm
- 113 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- —
- Winter min (Jul)
- —
Elevation is the ground at the locality centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
EV adoption
In postcode 4873, 20 of 6,229 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.8% (113 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.1%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 4873, 1,900 rooftop-solar systems totalling 14.0 MW have been installed since 2001, against 3,022 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 153 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$30,000 for new homes priced up to $750,000.
$30,000 for contracts signed on or after 20 November 2023, with no end date. IT DID NOT REVERT TO $15,000: the tier was due to end 30 June 2026 and the 2026-27 Queensland Budget (23 June 2026) continued it for contracts signed from 1 July 2026. This file carried a "due to revert" note until 2026-09-18 — it was never true, and a note predicting a change is not the same as a change. Cap is "less than $750,000" including land and contract variations — less than, not up to. New homes only: "There are no home owner grants for established homes."
Mortgage repayments
1 mortgage broker is registered in postcode 4873.
Transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with Queensland Revenue Office
The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $750,000 may qualify for $30,000 — see what qualifies with Queensland Revenue Office.
At $640,000 this is under the $750,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $30,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with Queensland Revenue Office.
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Matt Smith Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Matt Smith | 56.1% | 43.9% | +9.5 |
| 2022 | Warren Entsch | 46.6% | 53.4% | -0.7 |
| 2019 | Warren Entsch | 45.8% | 54.2% | +0.2 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact locality's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by David Kempton Liberal National Party of Queensland
Next state election: 28 October 2028.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | David Kempton LNP | 55.0% |
| 2020 | Cynthia Lui ALP | 56.3% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2017, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this locality's voters. Results: Electoral Commission of Queensland.
Looking at a specific address in Cooya Beach?
Every figure above is a locality average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 523 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Nearby suburbs
Compare Cooya Beach to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other QLD suburb — type a name and pick one.
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Common questions about Cooya Beach
Is Cooya Beach a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Cooya Beach is low (25/100, ranked against other QLD suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Cooya Beach?
Cooya Beach has no recorded bushfire history. These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Cooya Beach a good place to live?
Cooya Beach has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (49/100), ranked against other QLD suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Cooya Beach?
Cooya Beach, QLD had a population of 523 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Cooya Beach, QLD?
The postcode for Cooya Beach, QLD is 4873.
How far is Cooya Beach from Brisbane?
Cooya Beach is 1,772 km from Brisbane CBD by road, about 1246 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Cooya Beach?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Cooya Beach was $60,008 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Cooya Beach?
There are too few current rental listings in Cooya Beach for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $265, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Cooya Beach?
The median age of residents in Cooya Beach was 48 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Cooya Beach walkable?
Cooya Beach scores 25/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it car-dependent. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the weather like in Cooya Beach?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Cooya Beach, Port Douglas - Warner St (7.4 km away), 2,155 mm of rain a year over 113 rainy days over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Cooya Beach?
First-home buyers in QLD may be eligible for $30,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $750,000. The grant is administered by Queensland Revenue Office; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Cooya Beach belong to?
Cooya Beach sits within the Douglas local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Cooya Beach?
The average residential rates bill through Douglas is $1,417 a year (2025). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Cooya Beach?
Across Douglas, 48 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 18.2% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Cooya Beach in?
Cooya Beach sits within the federal Division of Leichhardt, currently held by Matt Smith (Australian Labor Party).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2025–26
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Road crashes · 2020–2024
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2024
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.