Dolphin Heads QLD 4740
Located in Queensland, Dolphin Heads sits 980 km from Brisbane CBD, around 11 hours 20 minutes by car. The suburb has 413 residents, a median age of 48, and a median household income of $147,316 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 20% nationally. The suburb grew 6.4% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $360 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,600. Dolphin Heads is characterised by no recorded bushfire exposure. Walkability is low.
This suburb is too small to rate.
The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 413. Below that the school, census and safety figures behind the score cover too few people to rank fairly against the rest of the state. The individual measures further down this page are still shown.
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Median Unit Price
Public listings dataDolphin Heads's unit market is moving lower: the median sale price reached $207,000, roughly 17% below where it sat a year earlier.
Units
$207,000
Based on 25 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 18 days — median across 4 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 1 bed 21 sales $175K
Houses
$960,000
Based on 14 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 78 days — median across 8 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 5 sales $920K
Rental Market
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025105 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 29% of its income on the median rent in postcode 4740.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Serious Road Crashes
2020–20241 crash
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb 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
- 370 m
- Rate
- -0.22 m/yr
- Net Movement
- -1.7 m
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
Walkability
Dolphin Heads is very car-dependent on foot — at 16/100, nearly all errands require a car.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Dolphin Heads.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 33%
- Premises covered
- 215
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
Mackay: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
Dolphin Heads is home to 413 residents, with a median age of 48, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $147,000 a year, with unemployment at 2.1%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
413
Median Age
48
Median Household Income
$147,316/yr
Census Median Rent
$360/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$2,600/mo
Avg Household Size
2.4
Median Personal Income
$73,736/yr
Unemployment Rate
2.1%
Unoccupied Dwellings
16.4%
Total Dwellings
152
Owner-Occupier Rate
60.4%
Houses
62.5%
Rental Stress
12.7%
Mortgage Stress
21.2%
Work From Home
18.4%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 66.3%
- English Spoken at Home
- 83.3%
- Employment Rate
- 66.8%
- Completed Year 12
- 46.0%
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.
8 residents (1.9%) 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.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
1% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (3 of 238).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,873 a year through Mackay based on 2025 figures.
Building Approvals: Mackay
In the year to August 2026, 574 new dwellings were approved across Mackay. That mix is 508 houses and 66 units. Approvals are down 5.8% on the same period a year earlier.
New Homes Planned
New homes planned in this suburb: 18 to 60 homes
- In 10 years or more 18 to 60 homes
Land the Queensland Government's residential land supply study identifies for future housing (3 parcels), by when it expects lots to be registered. Yields are published in ranges, so these are too.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
The Aboriginal party for this area is Yuwibara People.
Under Queensland's Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 the Aboriginal party for an area follows native title. Native title over this area has been determined.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 6.6 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 2 days exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
PM10 averaged 17.9 µg/m³. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 2.
From the West Mackay (Mackay, Central Queensland) monitoring station, 13.6 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Mackay M.o, 9.2 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- -2 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 365 m
- 855 m to a named beach
- Annual rainfall
- 1,633 mm
- 101 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 30.6°C
- 2 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 14.5°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the suburb 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.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
1 facility within 5 km- 4.1 kmSewerage and Drainage ServicesTop reported: Total Nitrogen · Ammonia (total) · Total Phosphorus
EV adoption
In postcode 4740, 236 of 79,509 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.1% (1,679 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.4%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 4740, 19,193 rooftop-solar systems totalling 153.0 MW have been installed since 2001, against 34,171 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 1,487 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
34 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 4740.
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 $207,000 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 Andrew Willcox Liberal National Party of Queensland
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Andrew Willcox | 38.2% | 61.8% | -1.4 |
| 2022 | Andrew Willcox | 39.6% | 60.4% | -4.2 |
| 2019 | George Christensen | 35.4% | 64.6% | +11.2 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Amanda Camm Liberal National Party of Queensland
Next state election: 28 October 2028.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Amanda Camm LNP | 68.5% |
| 2020 | Amanda Camm LNP | 53.3% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2017, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: Electoral Commission of Queensland.
Looking at a specific address in Dolphin Heads?
Every figure above is a suburb 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 413 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 Dolphin Heads 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 Dolphin Heads
Is Dolphin Heads a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Dolphin Heads is moderate (59/100, ranked against other QLD suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Dolphin Heads?
Dolphin Heads has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
What is the population of Dolphin Heads?
Dolphin Heads, QLD had a population of 413 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Dolphin Heads, QLD?
The postcode for Dolphin Heads, QLD is 4740.
How far is Dolphin Heads from Brisbane?
Dolphin Heads is 980 km from Brisbane CBD by road, about 678 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Dolphin Heads?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Dolphin Heads was $147,316 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 Dolphin Heads?
There are too few current rental listings in Dolphin Heads for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $360, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Dolphin Heads?
The median age of residents in Dolphin Heads was 48 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Dolphin Heads walkable?
Dolphin Heads scores 16/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very 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 air quality in Dolphin Heads?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Dolphin Heads (West Mackay (Mackay, Central Queensland)) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.6 µg/m³ and PM10 of 17.9 µg/m³. That puts Dolphin Heads below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Dolphin Heads?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Dolphin Heads, Mackay M.o (9.2 km away), summer days average 30.6°C, winter nights 14.5°C, 1,633 mm of rain a year over 101 rainy days, and 2 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Dolphin Heads?
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 Dolphin Heads belong to?
Dolphin Heads sits within the Mackay local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Dolphin Heads?
The average residential rates bill through Mackay is $1,873 a year (2025). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Dolphin Heads?
Across Mackay, 574 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 5.8% 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 Dolphin Heads in?
Dolphin Heads sits within the federal Division of Dawson, currently held by Andrew Willcox (Liberal National Party of Queensland).
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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
- Air quality · 2025
- 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.