Boyne Island
Manufacturing employs 20.5% of the local workforce in Boyne Island, the single largest industry by a wide margin, which shapes nearly everything else about the suburb. The median house price sits at $428,000, well below most coastal Queensland markets, and 87.9% of dwellings are separate houses on a sprawling 45.99 km2 footprint. The median age of 37 runs 3.0 years below the national figure, and household income lands in the 67.5th percentile. University qualifications reach just 17.1%, which is 13.0 points below national, reflecting a trade and industrial labour base rather than a knowledge economy. The vacancy rate is unusually high at 10.4%.
Population
4,835
Median Age
37.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,870/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$428K
Estimated from rent (2025)
At a $428,000 median house price, Boyne Island is far cheaper than coastal Queensland averages, and the dwelling mix favours families: 87.9% of homes are separate houses, with only 6.5% apartments. Four-or-more-bedroom homes make up 48.8% of stock and three-bedroom homes another 41.0%, so smaller dwellings are scarce. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,733, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 21.4%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold despite household incomes only in the 67.5th percentile. That low ratio exists because purchase prices are modest relative to the industrial wages on offer. Owners with a mortgage (40.3%) outnumber outright owners (26.7%), pointing to a working-age population still paying down family homes rather than an established retiree base.
For Buyers
At a $428,000 median house price, Boyne Island is far cheaper than coastal Queensland averages, and the dwelling mix favours families: 87.9% of homes are separate houses, with only 6.5% apartments. Four-or-more-bedroom homes make up 48.8% of stock and three-bedroom homes another 41.0%, so smaller dwellings are scarce. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,733, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 21.4%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold despite household incomes only in the 67.5th percentile. That low ratio exists because purchase prices are modest relative to the industrial wages on offer. Owners with a mortgage (40.3%) outnumber outright owners (26.7%), pointing to a working-age population still paying down family homes rather than an established retiree base.
For Investors
A 33.0% renter share and weekly rent of $310 give landlords a moderate tenant pool, but two numbers warrant caution. The 10.4% vacancy rate is high and signals soft rental demand, and rent fell 18.9% over the measured period rather than rising. Against the $428,000 median, the $310 weekly rent implies a gross yield near 3.8%, healthier than premium metro suburbs but undercut by the vacancy risk. Demand support is thin and balanced: net overseas migration adds about 56 residents a year and net internal migration 38, with no clear single driver. Development activity is effectively zero, with no applications recorded in the past 12 months, so there is little new supply pressure. With annual population growth at 0.77%, the case rests on yield and affordability rather than capital growth or tenant scarcity.
Development Activity
Total DAs
14
Last 12 Months
0
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
—
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
Schools in Boyne Island iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Boyne Island State School
Prep-6 · 390 students
Demographics
The median age of 37 is 3.0 years below the national figure, a younger profile consistent with a family-and-trades town. Overseas-born residents reach only 13.9%, which is 7.7 points below national, so the population is markedly Anglo-leaning: English ancestry leads at 2,051, followed by Scottish (518), Irish (474) and German (329). Afrikaans (25 speakers) is the only notable non-English language recorded. University qualifications at 17.1% run 13.0 points below national, the clearest sign of a trade rather than professional workforce. Average household size is 2.5, equal to the national figure, and couples with children (1,776 families) outnumber couples without children (1,050), reinforcing the family orientation. The trajectory is aging, though, with the senior share up 5.8 points over the decade.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
87.9%
Houses
1.6%
Townhouse
6.5%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure leans toward working owners: 40.3% carry a mortgage, 26.7% own outright and 33.0% rent. Mortgage holders outnumbering outright owners points to a younger, debt-servicing population rather than established retirees. The stock is overwhelmingly detached at 87.9%, with apartments just 6.5% and semi-detached 1.6%, and it skews large: 48.8% of homes have four-plus bedrooms and 41.0% have three, leaving two-bedroom dwellings at only 6.4%. The $428,000 median house price keeps the mortgage-to-income ratio at 21.4% and rent-to-income at 16.6%, both well below the 30% stress threshold. Affordability has improved from 47.9% in 2011 to 35.1% in 2021, a rare easing driven by income gains outpacing price growth in an industrial-wage market.
Mortgage / mo
$1,733
Rent / wk
$310
HH Size
2.5
Personal Income / wk
$829
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
10.4%
Unoccupied
204
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
16.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.4%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
27.5%
Couples, no children
3,825
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce is anchored in industry rather than services: Manufacturing leads at 20.5% (300 workers), more than the next two sectors combined, with Healthcare at 13.7% (200), Education at 12.6% (185), Construction at 11.6% (170) and Transport at 6.4% (93). By occupation, Professionals (354) edge ahead of Machinery Operators and Drivers (290), an unusual pairing that reflects the technical-trade base around the local industrial plant. Unemployment is elevated at 6.1% and the participation rate is 60.1%, both pointing to a workforce exposed to a narrow industrial employer set. The SEIFA scores tell a layered story: IEO sits at decile 3 for education and occupation, yet economic resources (IER) reach decile 6, higher because solid industrial wages lift household income despite below-average qualifications.
Unemployment
2.7%
Labour Force
5,993
Unemployed
162
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
68.1%
Part-time
25.8%
Participation
60.1%
Employed
2,100
Occupations
Top Industries
University
17.1%
Postgraduate
2.7%
Born Overseas
13.9%
Dwellings
1,767
Transport to Work
Boyne Island is overwhelmingly car-dependent: 91.2% of residents drive to work, while only 0.8% use public transport and 2.6% walk or cycle, far above the national reliance on cars and consistent with a low-density layout at 105.1 people per km2. No schools are recorded inside the 45.99 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring Tannum Sands and Gladstone. On disadvantage, the suburb sits at decile 5 on IRSD and decile 4 on IRSAD, both around the national midpoint rather than disadvantaged. Volunteering runs at 18.3% and only 4.8% of residents (217 people) need daily assistance, both signs of an engaged, relatively healthy working-age community despite the aging trajectory.
Drive
91.2%
Public Transport
0.8%
Walk / Cycle
2.6%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.77%/yr
(+83 people/yr)
EstablishedBoyne Island grows slowly and steadily: annual population growth is 0.77%, about 83 people a year, and the 10-year change is just 4.2%, classifying it as an established suburb. Forecasts continue that trend, with the medium projection lifting the wider area from 10,768 in 2026 to 11,183 by 2031. Migration is balanced rather than driven by any single force, adding around 56 residents a year from overseas and 38 from internal movement. The profile is aging: the senior share rose 5.8 points while the working-age share fell 1.8 points and the young share fell 1.7 points over the decade. The gentrification score is zero, so no upgrading pressure is underway, and real incomes actually fell 10.0% over the period, a headwind for any rapid expansion.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Balanced
Net Overseas / yr
+56
Net Internal / yr
+38
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Boyne Island compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Boyne Island a good suburb to live in?
Boyne Island suits families and trades workers: 87.9% of homes are separate houses and the median age of 37 is 3.0 years below national. It sits at decile 5 on IRSD, around the national midpoint, with affordable housing and a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 21.4%. The main trade-offs are a narrow industrial job base and a 10.4% rental vacancy rate.
What is the median house price in Boyne Island?
The median house price is $428,000, well below most coastal Queensland markets. Weekly rent averages $310 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,733, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 21.4%, comfortably under the 30% stress threshold for households in the 67.5th income percentile.
What schools are in Boyne Island?
No schools are recorded inside the 45.99 km2 Boyne Island boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring Tannum Sands and Gladstone. The resident base is trade-oriented, with university qualifications at 17.1%, which is 13.0 points below the national figure.
Is Boyne Island safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Boyne Island in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 5 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, around the national midpoint, and only 4.8% of its residents (217 people) need daily assistance, both consistent with a stable working-age area.
Is Boyne Island good for property investment?
Rent of $310 a week against a $428,000 median gives a gross yield near 3.8%, higher than metro suburbs, but the 10.4% vacancy rate and an 18.9% fall in rents signal soft demand. Population growth of 0.77% a year is modest, so returns lean on yield and affordability rather than capital growth.
How is Boyne Island's population changing?
Population growth runs at 0.77% annually, about 83 people a year, with a 4.2% rise over 10 years. The profile is aging: the senior share rose 5.8 points while the working-age share fell 1.8 points and the young share fell 1.7 points over the decade, classifying it as an established suburb.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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