West Mackay QLD 4740
West Mackay sits 964 km from Brisbane CBD in Queensland, around 11 hours by car. Census data records 6,536 residents with a median age of 42 and a median household income of $88,192 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. The suburb grew 5.2% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $320 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,595. West Mackay is characterised by high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. Of 3 schools within the suburb boundary, 1 ranks above the state average, and walkability is high.
Is West Mackay a good suburb?
West Mackay scores a B (52/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on schools and transit, weaker on safety.
Above the state average
3 schools · 1 above peer schools · Top 25% in QLD
Very walkable
Walkability 81/100 · 964.2 km · 660 min drive to Brisbane
Median available
Median $630K
High crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 85/100
Below-average income
SEIFA decile 4/10 · median age 42 · 6,536 residents
Liveability Rating
52 / 100 · Ranked #487 in QLDEach bar is West Mackay's rank among QLD suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).
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 West Mackay?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
52 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataWest Mackay's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $630,000, about 8% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$630,250
4% above its 6 neighbours (median $605,000)
Based on 180 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 29 days — median across 65 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 29 sales $520K
- 3 bed 85 sales $620K
- 4 bed 43 sales $720K
- 5 bed 11 sales $860K
Units
$442,500
11% above its 4 neighbours (median $400,000)
Based on 38 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 24 days — median across 14 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 1 bed 6 sales $357K
- 2 bed 19 sales $435K
- 3 bed 11 sales $490K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in West Mackay are currently listed at around $675,000 on average. Based on 20 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$675K
20 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$399K
3 units listed in the last 6 months.
23 of the suburb's 2,423 dwellings (0.9%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in West Mackay rent for around $720 a week on average, based on 28 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$720/wk
11% above its 5 neighbours (median $650/wk)
28 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$548/wk
6 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
34 rentals advertised against an estimated 863 rented homes (3.9%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $660/wk
- 14 bonds
- +66% 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.
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.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$720/week ($37,000 a year) on a $675,000 median
$548/week ($28,000 a year) on a $399,000 median
Based on a small sample (3 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 West Mackay safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in West Mackay sits in the high band, with 246 incidents recorded in 2025 — down about 9% on the prior year.
246 offences
8.6% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2020–202461 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Where they happened
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.
Schools
Three schools serve West Mackay, and performance is broadly at peer-suburb levels with one standout. Catherine McAuley College leads the pack.
- • 1,945 students across 3 schools (avg 648)
- • Sectors: 2 Catholic, 1 Government
- • ICSEA 980-1031, median 1026 (above the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Mackay West State School (770 students)
Primary
Secondary
Walkability
West Mackay is very walkable on foot — at 81/100, most daily errands can be done on foot. Within the suburb there are 2 supermarkets, 7 parks and 3 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside West Mackay.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 17.2 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 13.1 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 5.9 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 12.8 hours
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in West Mackay.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 93%
- Premises covered
- 3,303
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
The ABS scores 17 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 6 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
West Mackay is home to about 6,500 residents, with a median age of 42, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $88,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.9%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
6,536
Median Age
42
Median Household Income
$88,192/yr
Census Median Rent
$320/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,595/mo
Avg Household Size
2.3
Median Personal Income
$43,576/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.9%
Unoccupied Dwellings
11.0%
Total Dwellings
2,423
Owner-Occupier Rate
64.4%
Houses
77.5%
Rental Stress
18.9%
Mortgage Stress
21.7%
Work From Home
4.7%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
103 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 16 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 832 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 76.6%
- English Spoken at Home
- 81.8%
- Employment Rate
- 57%
- Completed Year 12
- 38.2%
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.
223 residents (3.4%) 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.
3.9% of residents (239) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Brisbane (128).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 6,193 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
Local Jobs
People who work in this suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 4,336 people work here; 3,098 employed residents live here.
Roughly as many jobs as working residents (1.4 per resident). At least 28% of the people who work here must live elsewhere.
Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
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: 102 to 250 homes
- In 2 to 5 years 12 to 40 homes
- In 5 to 10 years 21 to 50 homes
- In 10 years or more 69 to 160 homes
Land the Queensland Government's residential land supply study identifies for future housing (7 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, 1.2 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Mackay Aero, 2.8 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 11 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 4.1 km
- 4.1 km to a named beach
- Near high-voltage lines
- 0.4% of addresses
- 14 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
- Annual rainfall
- 1,517 mm
- 95 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 30.8°C
- 3 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 12.4°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
4 facilities within 5 km- 2.5 kmRail Freight TransportTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Cumene (1-methylethylbenzene)
- 2.8 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds
- 3.3 kmSugar ManufacturingTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
- 4.6 km
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 $630,250 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 Nigel Dalton Liberal National Party of Queensland
Next state election: 28 October 2028.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Nigel Dalton LNP | 60.2% |
| 2020 | Julieanne Gilbert ALP | 56.7% |
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 West Mackay?
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 6,536 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.
Featured in
- #1 in Mackay suburbs with the biggest house blocks
- #1 in Highest-yielding Mackay suburbs (houses)
- #2 in Mackay suburbs where 3-bedroom house rents rose most
- #2 in Mackay suburbs where seniors live
- #2 in Sportiest Mackay suburbs
- #3 in Mackay suburbs where the most Filipino is spoken at home
- #3 in Best Mackay suburbs for first-home buyers (houses)
- #3 in Most walkable suburbs in Mackay
- #3 in Mackay suburbs that suit young professionals
- #4 in Where the Indian community lives in Mackay
- #4 in Mackay's most educated suburbs
- #4 in Mackay suburbs with the best NBN connectivity
- #5 in Mackay suburbs with the most apartments
- #5 in Mackay suburbs with the most parkland nearby
- #5 in Mackay suburbs where the most homes are owned outright
- #6 in Mackay suburbs with the largest Hindu community
- #6 in Mackay suburbs with the best public transport
- #7 in Mackay suburbs that added the most residents, 2016-2021
- #8 in Best Mackay suburbs to rent in
- #8 in Mackay suburbs with the deepest rental markets
- #8 in The most liveable suburbs in Mackay
- #9 in Mackay suburbs where the most residents moved from a capital city
- #10 in Mackay's highest-income suburbs
- #11 in Mackay's most owner-occupied suburbs
- #13 in Mackay suburbs that grew fastest, 2016-2021
- #14 in Mackay suburbs where young families live
- #15 in Mackay suburbs with the largest non-religious population
Nearby suburbs
South Mackay QLD 4740
North Mackay QLD 4740
Mount Pleasant QLD 4740
Mackay QLD 4740
Ooralea QLD 4740
Paget QLD 4740
Compare West Mackay 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 West Mackay
Is West Mackay a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in West Mackay is high (85/100, ranked against other QLD suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect West Mackay?
West Mackay has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is West Mackay a good place to live?
West Mackay has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (52/100), 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 West Mackay?
West Mackay, QLD had a population of 6,536 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for West Mackay, QLD?
The postcode for West Mackay, QLD is 4740.
How far is West Mackay from Brisbane?
West Mackay is 964 km from Brisbane CBD by road, about 660 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in West Mackay?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in West Mackay was $88,192 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 West Mackay?
The median advertised rent in West Mackay is $720 a week for houses (28 listings) and $548 a week for units (6 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in West Mackay?
The median age of residents in West Mackay was 42 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in West Mackay?
There are 3 schools inside the West Mackay boundary: 1 above and 2 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is West Mackay walkable?
West Mackay scores 81/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very walkable. 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 West Mackay?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to West Mackay (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 West Mackay 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 West Mackay?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to West Mackay, Mackay Aero (2.8 km away), summer days average 30.8°C, winter nights 12.4°C, 1,517 mm of rain a year over 95 rainy days, and 3 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in West Mackay?
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 West Mackay belong to?
West Mackay sits within the Mackay local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in West Mackay?
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 West Mackay?
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 West Mackay in?
West Mackay sits within the federal Division of Dawson, currently held by Andrew Willcox (Liberal National Party of Queensland).
Search another suburb or address
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
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- 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.