South Mission Beach is a rural locality in Queensland, 1,585 km from Brisbane CBD, around 18 hours 5 minutes by car. Population is 968; the median age is 51 and the median household income is $66,872 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the middle range nationally. Population grew 3.9% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $320 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,513. 2 schools sit within the locality boundary, and walkability is low.
Is South Mission Beach a good place to live?
South Mission Beach scores a C (44/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on safety, weaker on transit.
Mixed results
2 schools
Car-dependent
Walkability 0/100 · 1584.6 km · 1085 min drive to Brisbane
Median available
Median $675K
Low all-round risk
Fire 25/100 · Crime 26/100
Mid-range socio-economic
SEIFA decile 5/10 · median age 51 · 968 residents
Liveability Rating
44 / 100 · Ranked #648 in QLDEach bar is South Mission 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 South Mission Beach?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
44 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataSouth Mission Beach's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $675,000, roughly 20% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$675,000
Based on 58 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 76 days — median across 16 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 6 sales $630K
- 3 bed 26 sales $628K
- 4 bed 13 sales $720K
- 5 bed 8 sales $838K
Land
$230,000
Based on 31 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 84 days — median across 9 sales that recorded a listing period
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in South Mission Beach are currently listed at around $874,000 on average. Based on 26 houses listed in the past six months.
$874K
26 houses listed in the last 6 months.
28 of the suburb's 387 dwellings (7.2%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in South Mission Beach rent for around $862 a week on average, based on 4 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$862/wk
4 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
5 rentals advertised against an estimated 111 rented homes (4.5%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- All rentals
- $480/wk
- 11 bonds
- +45% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies. Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$862/week ($45,000 a year) on a $874,000 median
Based on a small sample (4 listings) — indicative only.
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Is South Mission Beach safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in South Mission Beach sits in the low band, with 2 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 50% on the prior year.
2 offences
50.0% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2020–2024No crash in South Mission 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
- 612 m
- Rate
- -0.08 m/yr
- Net Movement
- -3.6 m
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
Two schools serve South Mission Beach, but none have published comparable ratings yet.
- • 20 students in one school (avg 20)
- • Largest: The Rainforest School (20 students)
Primary
Walkability
South Mission Beach is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all 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 South Mission Beach.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 66%
- Premises covered
- 628
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
Cassowary Coast: 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
South Mission Beach is home to 968 residents, with a median age of 51 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $67,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.6%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
968
Median Age
51
Median Household Income
$66,872/yr
Census Median Rent
$320/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,513/mo
Avg Household Size
2.2
Median Personal Income
$37,440/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.6%
Unoccupied Dwellings
28.9%
Total Dwellings
387
Owner-Occupier Rate
71.4%
Houses
81.4%
Rental Stress
24.9%
Mortgage Stress
27.2%
Work From Home
9.1%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 73.7%
- English Spoken at Home
- 87.0%
- Employment Rate
- 53.1%
- Completed Year 12
- 41.1%
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.
14 residents (1.4%) 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.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
4.3% of residents (40) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Brisbane (25).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 929 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
1% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (4 of 430).
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 $1,829 a year through Cassowary Coast based on 2025 figures.
Building Approvals: Cassowary Coast
In the year to August 2026, 186 new dwellings were approved across Cassowary Coast. That mix is 128 houses and 58 units. Approvals are up 68.4% on the same period a year earlier.
New Homes Planned
New homes planned in this locality: 85 to 230 homes
- Within 2 years 14 to 50 homes
- In 5 to 10 years 2 to 10 homes
- In 10 years or more 63 to 150 homes
- No timeframe set 6 to 20 homes
Land the Queensland Government's residential land supply study identifies for future housing (10 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 Djiru People #2.
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.
Climate & Setting
from Cardwell Marine Pde, 33.7 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 16 m
- above sea level, at the locality centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 609 m
- 703 m to a named beach
- Annual rainfall
- 2,150 mm
- 118 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 31.0°C
- 2 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 16.0°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
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 4852, 23 of 3,694 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.6% (97 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 3.2%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 4852, 1,282 rooftop-solar systems totalling 10.8 MW have been installed since 2001, against 2,015 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 108 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
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 $675,000 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 Bob Katter Katter's Australian Party (KAP)
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Bob Katter | 40.7% | 59.3% | +0.8 |
| 2022 | Bob Katter | 39.8% | 60.2% | -4.3 |
| 2019 | Bob Katter | 35.5% | 64.5% | +7.8 |
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 Shane Knuth Katter's Australian Party (KAP)
Next state election: 28 October 2028.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Shane Knuth KAP | 63.7% |
| 2020 | Shane Knuth KAP | 72.5% |
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 South Mission 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 968 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 South Mission Beach to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other QLD suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about South Mission Beach
Is South Mission Beach a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in South Mission Beach is low (26/100, ranked against other QLD suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect South Mission Beach?
South Mission Beach has a low recorded bushfire history (25/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is South Mission Beach a good place to live?
South Mission Beach has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (44/100), 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 South Mission Beach?
South Mission Beach, QLD had a population of 968 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for South Mission Beach, QLD?
The postcode for South Mission Beach, QLD is 4852.
How far is South Mission Beach from Brisbane?
South Mission Beach is 1,585 km from Brisbane CBD by road, about 1085 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in South Mission Beach?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in South Mission Beach was $66,872 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 South Mission Beach?
The median advertised rent in South Mission Beach is $862 a week for houses (4 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in South Mission Beach?
The median age of residents in South Mission Beach was 51 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is South Mission Beach at risk of bushfire?
South Mission Beach has a low recorded bushfire history (25/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the locality relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.
How are the schools in South Mission Beach?
There are 2 schools inside the South Mission Beach boundary, none of which has enough NAPLAN and ICSEA data for a quality band.
What is the weather like in South Mission Beach?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to South Mission Beach, Cardwell Marine Pde (33.7 km away), summer days average 31°C, winter nights 16°C, 2,150 mm of rain a year over 118 rainy days, and 2 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in South Mission 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 South Mission Beach belong to?
South Mission Beach sits within the Cassowary Coast local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in South Mission Beach?
The average residential rates bill through Cassowary Coast is $1,829 a year (2025). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near South Mission Beach?
Across Cassowary Coast, 186 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 68.4% 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 South Mission Beach in?
South Mission Beach sits within the federal Division of Kennedy, currently held by Bob Katter (Katter's Australian Party (KAP)).
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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.