QLD 4500 Census 2021 + Live DA Data

Cashmere

Almost nothing here is small or shared: 98.8% of dwellings are separate houses and 87.7% carry four or more bedrooms, the kind of stock that pulls household income into the 96.9th percentile nationally at $2,950 a week. Spread across 34.62 km2 at just 143.5 residents per km2, Cashmere is a low-density, family-scale outer-Brisbane suburb where the average household runs to 3.2 people, 0.7 above the national figure. Owners dominate, with 63.4% still paying a mortgage and 31.0% holding their homes outright, leaving renters at only 5.6%. The result is a comfortable, settled population of 4,970 with a median age of 40, level with the national median.

Cashmere urban fabric map

Population

4,970

Median Age

40.0

Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)

$2,950/wk

DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year

27

Median House

$623K

Estimated from rent (2025)

34.62 km²· 143.5 people/km²· Family income $2,965/wk

At a $623,000 median house price, Cashmere sits well below Brisbane's premium markets while delivering a near-pure detached-house product: 98.8% of dwellings are separate houses and 87.7% have four or more bedrooms, so buyers chasing space rather than a unit find plenty of it. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,200, which against the 96.9th-percentile household income produces a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 17.2%, far below the 30% stress threshold. That affordability headroom is unusual for a high-income suburb and explains why 63.4% of households carry a mortgage rather than renting. With only 1.0% apartments and 0.2% semi-detached stock, the trade-off is clear: this is a market for owner-occupier families, not for buyers seeking a small or low-maintenance footprint.

For Buyers

At a $623,000 median house price, Cashmere sits well below Brisbane's premium markets while delivering a near-pure detached-house product: 98.8% of dwellings are separate houses and 87.7% have four or more bedrooms, so buyers chasing space rather than a unit find plenty of it. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,200, which against the 96.9th-percentile household income produces a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 17.2%, far below the 30% stress threshold. That affordability headroom is unusual for a high-income suburb and explains why 63.4% of households carry a mortgage rather than renting. With only 1.0% apartments and 0.2% semi-detached stock, the trade-off is clear: this is a market for owner-occupier families, not for buyers seeking a small or low-maintenance footprint.

For Investors

The investment case here is thin by design. Renters make up only 5.6% of households against 63.4% with a mortgage, so the tenant pool is shallow and competition for any rental is high, reflected in a 1.9% vacancy rate. Weekly rent of $500 against the $623,000 median implies a gross yield near 4.2%, healthier than inner-Brisbane premium suburbs, but the limited rental supply caps how many properties an investor can actually place. Demand support is real: overseas migration adds about 134 residents a year as the primary driver, ahead of 34 from internal movement, and 27 development applications were lodged over 12 months, mostly home-based business and domestic outbuilding works rather than new dwellings. With turnover at 16.6%, this is a buy-and-hold owner market more than a high-churn rental one.

Development Activity

Total DAs

43

Last 12 Months

27

YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements

+125.0%

Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year

N/A

Monthly DA Lodgements

DA Categories

Change of Use
10
Granny Flat / Secondary Dwelling
8
Garage / Carport / Shed
8
Swimming Pool / Spa
4
Driveway / Crossover
3
Renovation / Extension
2
Other
2
Landscaping / Retaining Wall
1

Demographics

The population skews to established families: average household size is 3.2, which is 0.7 above the national figure, and couples with children number 2,163 against 988 couples without. University qualifications reach 34.3%, running 4.2 points above national, while overseas-born residents sit at 19.9%, which is 1.7 points below national, marking this as an Anglo-leaning suburb. Ancestry confirms it, led by English (2,335), Scottish (626) and Irish (591), with Afrikaans (25) and German (13) the most common languages other than English. The median age of 40 matches the national median exactly, but the trajectory is aging: the senior share rose 4.9 points over the decade while the young share fell 3.4 points. Residential stability is high, with 83.4% of residents having stayed put and turnover at only 16.6%.

Age Distribution

0-14
20.3%
15-24
14.3%
25-44
21.6%
45-64
32.9%
65+
10.8%

Bedrooms

Studio/1br
0.4%
2 bed
1.3%
3 bed
10.6%
4+ bed
87.7%

Dwelling Structure

98.8%

Houses

0.2%

Townhouse

1.0%

Apartment

Tenure

Own 31.0% Mortgage 63.4% Rent 5.6%

Tenure is heavily owner-weighted: 63.4% of households carry a mortgage, 31.0% own outright and just 5.6% rent, an inversion of the renter-heavy profile common in denser suburbs. The stock is almost entirely detached, with separate houses at 98.8% and apartments at only 1.0%, and it runs large, as 87.7% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms versus 10.6% with three. Against a $623,000 median house price, monthly repayments of $2,200 keep the mortgage-to-income ratio at 17.2% and rent-to-income at 16.9%, both well under the 30% stress line, which is why neither stress flag is triggered despite the family-sized homes. Affordability has improved from 48.2% in 2011 to 41.9% in 2021, a gain driven by income growth outpacing prices in this outer-Brisbane corridor.

Mortgage / mo

$2,200

Rent / wk

$500

HH Size

3.2

Personal Income / wk

$1,020

Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)

1.9%

Unoccupied

29

Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress

16.9%

Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress

17.2%

Community Profile

Languages Spoken at Home

Afrikaans
25
German
13

Ancestry

English
2,335
Scottish
626
Irish
591
German
327
Other
303
Italian
152

Household Composition

21.5%

Couples, no children

4,595

Total families

Economy & Employment

Employment leans on essential and building sectors rather than finance: Healthcare leads at 17.3% (344 workers), Construction follows at 14.0% (278) and Education at 12.3% (244), with Professional/Tech at 10.7% and Public Admin at 8.5%. By occupation, Professionals (692) and Managers (478) dominate, consistent with the IEO decile 7 score for education and occupation. The labour market is tight, with unemployment at 3.7%, a full-time employment rate of 66.4% and participation at 68.2%. SEIFA readings are strong but uneven: IER sits at decile 10 for economic resources and IRSD at decile 9, yet IEO holds only decile 7, a gap that reflects high household wealth and home equity coexisting with a workforce weighted toward trades and care rather than the very highest-credentialed occupations.

Unemployment

2.9%

Labour Force

13,549

Unemployed

389

Quarterly Trend

Mar-24 Dec-25

Source: SALM Dec-25

Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)

Overall advantage
8
Disadvantage
9
Economic resources
10
Education & occupation
7

Full-time

66.4%

Part-time

29.9%

Participation

68.2%

Employed

2,600

Occupations

Professionals 692
Managers 478
Clerical/Admin 430
Community/Personal 285
Sales 239
Labourers 175
Machinery/Drivers 99

Top Industries

Healthcare 17.3%
Construction 14.0%
Education 12.3%
Professional/Tech 10.7%
Public Admin 8.5%

University

34.3%

Postgraduate

6.8%

Born Overseas

19.9%

Dwellings

1,514

Transport to Work

This is a car-dependent, low-density setting: 91.8% of residents drive to work and only 3.1% use public transport, with 0.8% walking or cycling, a reliance on cars far above national norms that follows directly from the 143.5 residents per km2 spread across 34.62 km2. The suburb scores decile 9 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage and decile 8 on IRSAD, both well into the advantaged tier, and only 3.6% of residents (173 people) need daily assistance. Volunteering runs at 17.9%, a sign of an engaged settled population. No schools are recorded inside the suburb boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring suburbs, a practical trade-off for the large-lot, detached-house lifestyle that 98.8% separate-house stock provides.

Drive

91.8%

Public Transport

3.1%

Walk / Cycle

0.8%

Work from Home

N/A

Population Forecast

+2.15%/yr

(+462 people/yr)

Established

Cashmere is expanding steadily, not transforming. Annual population growth runs at 2.15%, and the suburb has added 27.3% to its population over the past decade, classifying it as an established, growing area rather than a slow or stagnant one. Overseas migration is the primary driver at about 134 net arrivals a year, well ahead of 34 from internal movement, so demand is underpinned by inflows rather than churn. Despite the growth, the gentrification score reads just 12 on the not-gentrifying tier, because the suburb is already high-income at the 96.9th percentile with little room to shift its profile upward. The demographic shift is toward aging, with the senior share up 4.9 points and the young share down 3.4 points over the decade, even as overall numbers climb.

Historical + Forecast

Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025

Age Cohort Forecast

Primary Driver

Overseas Migration

Net Overseas / yr

+134

Net Internal / yr

+34

12

Gentrification Signal

Not gentrifying

Population +35% since 2011

National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs

How Cashmere compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

Population
Top 11%
Household Income
Top 3%
Rent Level
Top 6%
Apartments
Bottom 21%
Renters
Bottom 4%
Uni Educated
Top 26%
Public Transport
Bottom 48%
Born Overseas
Top 30%
Density
Top 25%

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Cashmere a good suburb to live in?

Cashmere scores decile 9 on IRSD and decile 8 on IRSAD, both in the advantaged tier, with household income in the 96.9th percentile nationally. It suits families: 98.8% of homes are separate houses, 87.7% have four or more bedrooms, and the average household size is 3.2, which is 0.7 above national.

What is the median house price in Cashmere?

The median house price is $623,000, below Brisbane's premium markets. Weekly rent averages $500 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $2,200, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 17.2%, well under the 30% stress threshold thanks to high local incomes.

What schools are in Cashmere?

No schools are recorded inside the Cashmere boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The local population is well educated, with university qualifications at 34.3%, which is 4.2 points above the national figure.

Is Cashmere safe?

Detailed crime statistics are not available for Cashmere in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 9 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, near the top tier, and only 3.6% of its residents (173 people) need daily assistance, both consistent with a low-disadvantage area.

Is Cashmere good for property investment?

Rent of $500 a week against a $623,000 median gives a gross yield near 4.2%, healthier than inner-Brisbane suburbs, and vacancy is tight at 1.9%. However renters are only 5.6% of households against 63.4% with a mortgage, so rental supply and tenant volume are limited.

How is Cashmere's population changing?

The population of 4,970 is growing at 2.15% a year and has risen 27.3% over the past decade. Overseas migration drives most of it at about 134 net arrivals annually versus 34 from internal movement. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 4.9 points over the decade.

How much development is happening in Cashmere?

There were 27 development applications lodged in the past 12 months. Most are home-based business approvals and domestic outbuilding works such as pool houses rather than new dwellings, consistent with an established detached-house suburb where 98.8% of stock is separate houses.

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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