Douglas

Queensland · Cairns · 12,146 people · 38 suburbs · 4 postcodes

Douglas at a glance

12,146
Population
#35 of 69 in QLD
1,726
km² area
7/km² density
45.5
Median age
+6.2 vs QLD
$1,332
Median HH income/wk
#44 of 69 in QLD
943
SEIFA IRSAD
#27 of 69 in QLD
8
Schools
7 gov, 1 Cath, 0 indep
21.5%
Born overseas
32.2%
Renting

Map shows the Douglas LGA boundary in blue with a marker per suburb. Hover for suburb name, click for details.

Marker colour reflects SEIFA IRSAD decile: ● 1-2 (most disadvantaged), ● 3-4, ● 5-6, ● 7-8, ● 9-10 (most advantaged).

Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021. Map tiles: OpenStreetMap contributors.

Douglas is a Local Government Area in Queensland, in the Brisbane region. It covers 38 suburbs across 4 postcodes and an area of 1,726 km². Douglas has a population of 12,146 , ranking #35 most populous in QLD. The most populous suburb is Port Douglas (3,650 residents), and the highest median household income is in Low Isles at $3,750/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,332/week and median age is 45.5. About 21.5% of residents were born overseas and 9.4% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (14.8%) 15–24 (8.5%) 25–44 (25.0%) 45–64 (30.9%) 65+ (20.8%)
Show counts
0–14 years1,794 (14.8%)
15–24 years1,028 (8.5%)
25–44 years3,035 (25.0%)
45–64 years3,753 (30.9%)
65+ years2,527 (20.8%)
21.5%
Born overseas
9.4%
Speak a language other than English at home
8.4%
First Nations
2.3
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (36.2%) Mortgaged (31.6%) Renting (32.2%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (80.6%) Semi/townhouse (10.5%) Flat/apartment (8.8%)
$309
Median weekly rent
$1,491
Median monthly mortgage
46.1%
Households with 0-1 cars
53.9%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

4.1%
Unemployment rate
2,935
In full-time work
2,362
In part-time work

Schools in Douglas

8 schools across Douglas: 87.5% Government, 12.5% Catholic, 0% Independent. The QLD average is 69.8% / 17.1% / 13.1%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 964 (range 879 to 1012). QLD median is 985; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

QLD average for comparison
Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

Primary (87.5%) Secondary (12.5%) Combined (0%) Special (0%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300
LGA median 964 QLD median 985LGA range 879 to 1012

ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) summarises the socio-economic background of each school's families. Higher values indicate more advantage. Source: ACARA 2025.

All 8 schools in Douglas, sorted by enrolment:

School Sector Type Suburb Students ICSEA
Mossman State High School Government Secondary Mossman 553 938
Mossman State School Government Primary Mossman 321 879
Port Douglas State School Government Primary Port Douglas 230 1012
Miallo State School Government Primary Miallo 176 996
St Augustine's School Catholic Primary Mossman 109 1002
Wonga Beach State School Government Primary Wonga Beach 79 907
Daintree State School Government Primary Daintree 13 964
Alexandra Bay State School Government Primary Diwan 8

Source: ACARA School Profiles 2025. ICSEA shown where reported; some schools (notably small primaries) do not publish ICSEA.

SEIFA socio-economic indexes

SEIFA 2021 ranks Australian areas across four dimensions. Scores are population-weighted averages of suburb-level SEIFA scores within Douglas. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

943
Ranked #27 of 69 QLD LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

978

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

967

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

935

Suburbs in Douglas

Douglas contains 38 suburbs and 4 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
Port Douglas 4877 3,650 $1,370/wk 44
Mossman 4873 1,935 $1,197/wk 43
Craiglie 4877 1,062 $1,668/wk 44
Wonga Beach 4873 1,042 $954/wk 49
Bonnie Doon 4873 563 $1,690/wk 39
Cooya Beach 4873 523 $1,154/wk 48
Miallo 4873 406 $1,386/wk 46
Mowbray 4877 362 $1,458/wk 43
Newell 4873 327 $1,182/wk 55
Mossman Gorge 4873 248 $991/wk 47
Cow Bay 4873 220 $752/wk 52
Shannonvale 4873 194 $1,944/wk 48
Oak Beach 4877 186 $1,687/wk 57
Whyanbeel 4873 172 $1,481/wk 50
Diwan 4873 169 $1,062/wk 51
Bamboo 4873 139 $1,833/wk 41
Forest Creek 4873 136 $1,125/wk 49
Killaloe 4877 124 $1,541/wk 54
Cape Tribulation 4873 123 $949/wk 46
Cassowary 4873 119 $2,229/wk 46
Daintree 4873 93 $933/wk 54
Lower Daintree 4873 83 $1,406/wk 44
Degarra 4895 80 $849/wk 51
Wangetti 4877 68 $900/wk 39
Finlayvale 4873 33 $1,874/wk 35
Kimberley 4873 28 $1,249/wk 52
Stewart Creek Valley 4873 24 $1,125/wk 57
Upper Daintree 4873 21 $1,687/wk 39
Low Isles 4873 8 $3,750/wk 54
Thornton Beach 4873 8 $2,499/wk 47
Ayton 4895
Bailey Creek 4873
Dagmar 4873
Dedin 4873
Finlay Vale 4873
Noah 4873
Spurgeon 4871
Syndicate 4873

Postcodes covered

4871, 4873, 4877, 4895

Compare Douglas with neighbouring LGAs

Side-by-side demographic and socio-economic snapshot of Douglas and its closest neighbouring LGAs.

LGA Population Median age Median HH income SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Douglas (QLD) 12,146 45.5 $1,332/wk 943 32.2% 21.5%
North Burnett 10,020 48.6 $1,118/wk 888 25.3% 10.2%
Weipa 4,103 29.9 $2,963/wk 1035 63.8% 9.9%
Carpentaria 2,087 36.1 $1,545/wk 863 58.2% 6.5%
Mareeba 22,866 43.2 $1,337/wk 923 26.8% 16.9%
Cook 5,365 40.4 $1,123/wk 877 47.3% 12.0%

Services and amenities

NDIS Providers NDIS provider directory for Douglas Climate & weather Climate data for Port Douglas

Frequently asked questions about Douglas

What is the population of Douglas?

The 2021 Census recorded 12,146 people living in Douglas, across 38 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Douglas?

Douglas contains 38 suburbs. The most populous are Port Douglas, Mossman, Craiglie, Wonga Beach, Bonnie Doon.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Douglas?

Douglas covers 4 postcodes: 4871, 4873, 4877, 4895.

What is the median household income in Douglas?

The population-weighted median household income across Douglas is $1,332 per week (2021 Census), ranking #44 of 69 QLD LGAs.

How many schools are in Douglas?

Douglas has 8 schools, including 7 government, 1 Catholic, and 0 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Douglas?

Douglas has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 943, where the national average is 1000. Higher scores indicate more relative advantage.

Page last reviewed . Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0), SEIFA 2021 (IRSD, IRSAD, IER, IEO), ACARA School Profiles 2025, ABS ASGS 2021 LGA boundaries. How this data is sourced.