Yarrabah QLD 4871
Located in Queensland, Yarrabah sits 1,723 km from Brisbane CBD, around 20 hours 15 minutes by car. The town has 2,505 residents, a median age of 25, and a median household income of $65,208 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The town fell 2.1% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $150 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,392. Yarrabah is characterised by high crime risk and high coastal erosion risk. 4 schools sit within the town boundary, and walkability is low.
Is Yarrabah a good town?
Yarrabah scores a D (10/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on schools, transit, safety, and community.
Below the state average
4 schools · Bottom 21% in QLD
Car-dependent
Walkability 7/100 · 1723.2 km · 1213 min drive to Brisbane
High crime risk
Fire 62/100 · Crime 94/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 1/10 · median age 25 · 2,505 residents
Liveability Rating
10 / 100 · Ranked #1073 in QLDEach bar is Yarrabah'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 Yarrabah?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
10 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Is Yarrabah safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Yarrabah sits in the high band, with 261 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 26% on the prior year.
261 offences
25.6% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2020–202414 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 1 of them fatal
Where they happened
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the town 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
1989–2025Nearest Eroding Coastline
- Distance
- 345 m
- Rate
- -0.10 m/yr
- Net Movement
- -1.7 m
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
Four schools serve Yarrabah, but none have published comparable ratings yet.
- • 405 students in one school (avg 405)
- • Largest: Yarrabah State School (405 students)
Primary
Secondary
Combined
Walkability
Yarrabah is very car-dependent on foot — at 7/100, 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 Yarrabah.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 162
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
Yarrabah: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this town alone — this town's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
Yarrabah is home to about 2,500 residents, and skews young, with a median age of 25 against the national 38. Median household income runs at $65,000 a year, with unemployment at 37.2%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
2,505
Median Age
25
Median Household Income
$65,208/yr
Census Median Rent
$150/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,392/mo
Avg Household Size
4.5
Median Personal Income
$17,524/yr
Unemployment Rate
37.2%
Unoccupied Dwellings
2.9%
Total Dwellings
486
Owner-Occupier Rate
12.4%
Houses
71.0%
Rental Stress
12.0%
Mortgage Stress
25.6%
Work From Home
3.0%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
60 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 313 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 382 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 97.1%
- English Spoken at Home
- 17.6%
- Employment Rate
- 22.7%
- Completed Year 12
- 19.2%
Occupations
Religion
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
Local Jobs
People who work in this town against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 414 people work here; 398 employed residents live here.
Roughly as many jobs as working residents (1.0 per resident). At least 4% 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
Building Approvals: Yarrabah
In the year to August 2026, 31 new dwellings were approved across Yarrabah. Almost all of the pipeline is detached houses.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
The Aboriginal party for this area is Combined Mandingalbay Yidinji - Gunggandji.
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 5.6 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 18.6 µg/m³. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 4.
From the Woree (Cairns, Far North Queensland) monitoring station, 16.6 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Cairns Aero, 21.2 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 116 m
- above sea level, at the town centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 340 m
- Annual rainfall
- 2,121 mm
- 120 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 31.9°C
- 4 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 18.1°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the town 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 4871, 17 of 9,333 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.5% (143 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.7%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 4871, 2,069 rooftop-solar systems totalling 17.8 MW have been installed since 2001, against 4,068 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 150 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."
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 town's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Terry James Liberal National Party of Queensland
Next state election: 28 October 2028.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Terry James LNP | 52.7% |
| 2020 | Curtis Pitt ALP | 62.2% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2017, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this town's voters. Results: Electoral Commission of Queensland.
Looking at a specific address in Yarrabah?
Every figure above is a town 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 2,505 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 Yarrabah 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 Yarrabah
Is Yarrabah a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Yarrabah is high (94/100, 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 Yarrabah?
Yarrabah has a moderate recorded bushfire history (62/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are town-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Yarrabah a good place to live?
Yarrabah has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (10/100), 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 Yarrabah?
Yarrabah, QLD had a population of 2,505 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Yarrabah, QLD?
The postcode for Yarrabah, QLD is 4871.
How far is Yarrabah from Brisbane?
Yarrabah is 1,723 km from Brisbane CBD by road, about 1213 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Yarrabah?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Yarrabah was $65,208 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 Yarrabah?
There are too few current rental listings in Yarrabah for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $150, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Yarrabah?
The median age of residents in Yarrabah was 25 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Yarrabah at risk of bushfire?
Yarrabah has a moderate recorded bushfire history (62/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the town 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 Yarrabah?
There are 4 schools inside the Yarrabah boundary, none of which has enough NAPLAN and ICSEA data for a quality band.
Is Yarrabah walkable?
Yarrabah scores 7/100 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 Yarrabah?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Yarrabah (Woree (Cairns, Far North Queensland)) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 5.6 µg/m³ and PM10 of 18.6 µg/m³. That puts Yarrabah 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 Yarrabah?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Yarrabah, Cairns Aero (21.2 km away), summer days average 31.9°C, winter nights 18.1°C, 2,121 mm of rain a year over 120 rainy days, and 4 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Yarrabah?
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 Yarrabah belong to?
Yarrabah sits within the Yarrabah local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much is being built near Yarrabah?
Across Yarrabah, 31 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Yarrabah in?
Yarrabah 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
- 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.