Whitsunday

Queensland · Mackay - Isaac - Whitsunday · 36,805 people · 61 suburbs · 6 postcodes

Whitsunday at a glance

36,805

Population

#21 of 69 in QLD

23,749

km² area

2/km² density

40.6

Median age

+1.3 vs QLD

944

SEIFA IRSAD

#26 of 69 in QLD

Schools

12 gov, 3 Cath, 1 indep

16.4%

Born overseas

35.4%

Renting

Map shows the Whitsunday 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.

Federal electorate boundaries can be toggled on the map. Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021 CED boundaries.

Whitsunday is a Local Government Area in Queensland, in the Brisbane region. It covers 61 suburbs across 6 postcodes and an area of 23,749 km². Whitsunday has a population of 36,805 , ranking #21 most populous in QLD. The most populous suburb is Bowen (11,205 residents).About 16.4% of residents were born overseas and 6.9% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

17.1%

10.7%

27.7%

16.8%

0–14 (17.1%) 15–24 (10.7%) 25–44 (27.7%) 45–64 (27.7%) 65+ (16.8%)

Show counts

0–14 years	6,306 (17.1%)
15–24 years	3,947 (10.7%)
25–44 years	10,179 (27.7%)
45–64 years	10,184 (27.7%)
65+ years	6,178 (16.8%)

16.4%

Born overseas

6.9%

Speak a language other than English at home

5.8%

First Nations

2.4

Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

33.1%

31.5%

35.4%

Owned outright (33.1%) Mortgaged (31.5%) Renting (35.4%)

Dwelling type mix

85.8%

Separate house (85.8%) Semi/townhouse (7.0%) Flat/apartment (7.2%)

$310

Median weekly rent

$1,595

Median monthly mortgage

41.7%

Households with 0-1 cars

58.3%

Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

4.4%

Unemployment rate

11,100

In full-time work

5,483

In part-time work

Schools in Whitsunday

16 schools across Whitsunday: 75.0% Government, 18.8% Catholic, 6.2% Independent. The QLD average is 69.8% / 17.1% / 13.1%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 928 (range 868 to 1081). QLD median is 985; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

75.0%

18.8%

QLD average for comparison

69.8%

17.1%

13.1%

Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

68.8%

18.8%

12.5%

Primary (68.8%) Secondary (18.8%) Combined (12.5%) Special (0%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300

LGA median 928 QLD median 985LGA range 868 to 1081

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 16 schools in Whitsunday, sorted by enrolment:

School	Sector	Type	Suburb	Students	ICSEA
Proserpine State High School	Government	Secondary	Proserpine	1,116	974
Cannonvale State School	Government	Primary	Cannonvale	758	987
St Catherine's Catholic College The Whitsundays	Catholic	Combined	Proserpine	725	1017
Bowen State High School	Government	Secondary	Bowen	679	919
Proserpine State School	Government	Primary	Proserpine	577	968
Bowen State School	Government	Primary	Bowen	508	927
Whitsunday Christian College	Independent	Combined	Cannonvale	421	1015
Queens Beach State School	Government	Primary	Bowen	302	928
St Mary's Catholic School	Catholic	Primary	Bowen	146	967
Collinsville State High School	Government	Secondary	Collinsville	145	915
Collinsville State School	Government	Primary	Collinsville	84	868
St John Bosco Catholic School	Catholic	Primary	Collinsville	72	896
Scottville State School	Government	Primary	Scottville	47	876
Merinda State School	Government	Primary	Bowen	41	881
Hamilton Island State School	Government	Primary	Whitsundays	19	1081
Gumlu State School	Government	Primary	Gumlu	4

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 Whitsunday. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

944

Ranked #26 of 69 QLD LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

972

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

967

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

911

Suburbs in Whitsunday

Whitsunday contains 61 suburbs and 6 postcodes. Sorted by population.

Suburb	Postcode	Population	Median income	Median age
Bowen	4805	11,205	$1,343/wk	42
Cannonvale	4802	6,596	$1,639/wk	37
Proserpine	4800	3,614	$1,175/wk	42
Whitsundays	4802	2,281	$1,902/wk	29
Jubilee Pocket	4802	2,047	$1,474/wk	37
Collinsville	4804	1,496	$1,271/wk	43
Airlie Beach	4802	1,312	$1,562/wk	41
Cannon Valley	4800	1,131	$2,440/wk	39
Strathdickie	4800	1,003	$2,139/wk	43
Woodwark	4802	559	$2,031/wk	44
Mount Julian	4800	477	$1,645/wk	45
Gregory River	4660	427	$1,775/wk	40
Riordanvale	4800	386	$1,968/wk	43
Mandalay	4802	338	$1,575/wk	41
Sugarloaf	4380	310	$1,524/wk	44
Scottville	4804	279	$1,058/wk	46
Crystal Brook	4800	237	$1,424/wk	38
Hideaway Bay	4800	232	$1,125/wk	63
Bogie	4805	207	$1,474/wk	40
Myrtlevale	4800	205	$1,906/wk	48
Conway	4800	202	$1,399/wk	52
Mount Coolon	4804	172	$2,250/wk	43
Mount Marlow	4800	161	$2,083/wk	39
Dingo Beach	4800	159	$982/wk	61
Kelsey Creek	4800	157	$1,937/wk	42
Flametree	4802	143	$1,399/wk	45
Gumlu	4805	124	$1,062/wk	53
Brandy Creek	4800	114	$2,125/wk	46
Shute Harbour	4802	113	$1,812/wk	58
Guthalungra	4805	112	$1,375/wk	47
Foxdale	4800	99	$2,083/wk	41
Newlands	4804	99	$2,624/wk	40
Palm Grove	4800	86	$928/wk	52
Cape Gloucester	4800	85	$1,406/wk	49
Hamilton Plains	4800	80	$1,312/wk	46
Conway Beach	4800	75	$949/wk	62
Wilson Beach	4800	68	$1,312/wk	58
Dittmer	4800	52	$769/wk	49
Thoopara	4800	52	$1,812/wk	48
Lethebrook	4800	51	$1,187/wk	53
Glen Isla	4800	43	$1,375/wk	50
Springlands	4804	39	$2,125/wk	46
Pauls Pocket	4800	38	$1,562/wk	35
Mount Wyatt	4804	34	$1,437/wk	47
Gunyarra	4800	30	$2,166/wk	53
Breadalbane	4800	23	$2,374/wk	41
Silver Creek	4800	18	$2,250/wk	46
Andromache	4800	17	$1,024/wk	59
Mount Pluto	4800	8	$1,625/wk	32
Lake Proserpine	4800	6	$1,199/wk	64
Goorganga Plains	4800	3		59
Binbee	4805
Brisk Bay	4805
Cape Conway	4800
Delta	4805
Goorganga Creek	4800
Merinda	4805
Mount Rooper	4802
Queens Beach	4805
Rose Bay	4805
Shutehaven	4802

Postcodes covered

4380, 4660, 4800, 4802, 4804, 4805

Compare Whitsunday with neighbouring LGAs

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

LGA	Population	Median age	SEIFA IRSAD	% renting	% overseas-born
Whitsunday (QLD)	36,805	40.6	944	35.4%	16.4%
Isaac	22,035	34.0	972	60.4%	9.7%
Mackay	115,681	38.6	960	30.2%	11.9%
Burdekin	16,642	45.3	922	26.8%	8.9%
Southern Downs	36,097	47.3	909	26.3%	10.2%
Bundaberg	99,127	46.7	898	28.3%	13.0%

Services and amenities

NDIS Providers NDIS provider directory for Whitsunday Climate & weather Climate data for Bowen

Frequently asked questions about Whitsunday

What is the population of Whitsunday?

The 2021 Census recorded 36,805 people living in Whitsunday, across 61 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Whitsunday?

Whitsunday contains 61 suburbs. The most populous are Bowen, Cannonvale, Proserpine, Whitsundays, Jubilee Pocket.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Whitsunday?

Whitsunday covers 6 postcodes: 4380, 4660, 4800, 4802, 4804, 4805.

How many schools are in Whitsunday?

Whitsunday has 16 schools, including 12 government, 3 Catholic, and 1 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Whitsunday?

Whitsunday has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 944, where the national average is 1000. Higher scores indicate more relative advantage.

Page last reviewed June 2026. 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.