Mountain Creek
Detached housing defines Mountain Creek: 77.9% of dwellings are separate houses and 55.1% have 4 or more bedrooms, giving it a family-scale profile compared with nearby Mooloolaba or Sippy Downs. The suburb holds 11,950 residents at a density of 1,621.9 people per sq km, while household income sits in the 71.4 percentile nationally. A median age of 37 is 3.0 years below the national benchmark, so demand is tied to working families rather than retirees alone.
Population
11,950
Median Age
37.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,911/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
8
Median House
$594K
Estimated from rent (2025)
Buyers are mainly assessing land, school access and carrying costs rather than apartment choice. Separate houses make up 77.9% of homes, far higher than the 15.3% apartment share, and 55.1% of dwellings have 4 or more bedrooms. The typical mortgage is $1,950 a month and mortgage payments take 23.6% of income, below stress levels. With 39.9% mortgaged and 23.0% owned outright, turnover may be thinner in established pockets.
For Buyers
Buyers are mainly assessing land, school access and carrying costs rather than apartment choice. Separate houses make up 77.9% of homes, far higher than the 15.3% apartment share, and 55.1% of dwellings have 4 or more bedrooms. The typical mortgage is $1,950 a month and mortgage payments take 23.6% of income, below stress levels. With 39.9% mortgaged and 23.0% owned outright, turnover may be thinner in established pockets.
For Investors
Rental demand is meaningful but not one-way. Renters make up 37.1% of households and the median rent is $500 a week, while rent absorbed 26.2% of income, below stress levels. Vacancy is 4.0%, so pricing discipline matters. Only 8 development applications were recorded over 12 months, limiting new stock pressure, and the forecast points to 190 net overseas migrants a year compared with -196 net internal migration.
Development Activity
Total DAs
20
Last 12 Months
8
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+33.3%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Mountain Creek iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Brightwater State School
Prep-6 · 733 students
Mountain Creek State High School
7-12 · 2091 students
Mountain Creek State School
Prep-6 · 778 students
Demographics
Mountain Creek is slightly younger and moderately educated: the median age is 37, which is 3.0 years below the national figure, and 30.8% hold university qualifications, 0.7 percentage points above national. Overseas-born residents are 25.5%, or 3.9 points higher than national, yet English, Scottish and Irish ancestry dominate the largest counts. Small Mandarin 41 and Punjabi 38 language groups add some diversity, while average household size of 2.8 is 0.3 above national.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
77.9%
Houses
6.8%
Townhouse
15.3%
Apartment
Tenure
Housing is detached-dominant rather than mixed-density. Separate houses account for 77.9% of dwellings, compared with 6.8% semi-detached homes and 15.3% apartments. Larger layouts are common, with 55.1% at 4 or more bedrooms and 35.3% at 3 bedrooms. Tenure is balanced: 23.0% own outright, 39.9% have a mortgage and 37.1% rent. Monthly mortgages average $1,950, with mortgage-to-income at 23.6%, below stress levels.
Mortgage / mo
$1,950
Rent / wk
$500
HH Size
2.8
Personal Income / wk
$857
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.0%
Unoccupied
172
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.2%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.6%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
21.8%
Couples, no children
10,004
Total families
Economy & Employment
Mountain Creek's workforce leans into services that fit the wider Sunshine Coast economy. Healthcare is the largest industry at 22.8% and 960 workers, followed by construction at 12.0%, education at 11.9%, retail at 8.3% and professional or tech roles at 7.9%. Professionals lead occupations with 1,315 people, ahead of 883 community and personal workers. Unemployment is 4.6% and participation is 64.1%. SEIFA is middle to above middle: IEO decile 6, IER decile 7, IRSD decile 6 and IRSAD decile 6.
Unemployment
2.3%
Labour Force
7,218
Unemployed
164
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
59.5%
Part-time
35.9%
Participation
64.1%
Employed
5,679
Occupations
Top Industries
University
30.8%
Postgraduate
6.1%
Born Overseas
25.5%
Dwellings
4,091
Transport to Work
Livability is car-led and school-led. Public transport commuting is only 0.9%, far below the 90.5% who drive, so daily convenience depends on road access and parking. The suburb has 3 government schools, with ICSEA scores from 1041 to 1055; Brightwater State School at 1055 and Mountain Creek State High School at 1043 anchor the local education draw. Walked or cycled commuting is 2.4%, lower than car use, reinforcing the suburban pattern.
Drive
90.5%
Public Transport
0.9%
Walk / Cycle
2.4%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+2.33%/yr
(+289 people/yr)
High GrowthMountain Creek is classified high growth, with trend growth of 2.33% a year, or about 289 people annually. The medium scenario lifts population from 13,260 in 2026 to 14,704 in 2031, well above the current 11,950 base. Migration is mixed: overseas migration adds 190 people a year, compared with net internal movement of -196. That pattern, plus a gentrification score of 0 and a Not gentrifying stage, suggests growth comes from population flow and household formation rather than rapid prestige repricing.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+190
Net Internal / yr
-196
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal outflow -196/yr
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Mountain Creek compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mountain Creek a good suburb to live in?
Yes, especially for households wanting larger homes and schools. Separate houses are 77.9% of dwellings, 55.1% have 4 or more bedrooms, and household income sits in the 71.4 percentile nationally.
What is the median house price in Mountain Creek?
A current median house price is not available for Mountain Creek. Use nearby sales evidence alongside local cost markers: the typical mortgage is $1,950 a month, rent is $500 a week, and 39.9% of households have a mortgage.
What schools are in Mountain Creek?
Mountain Creek has 3 local government schools: Brightwater State School, Mountain Creek State High School and Mountain Creek State School. ICSEA scores range from 1041 to 1055, with enrolments from 733 to 2,091.
Is Mountain Creek safe?
Safety is best assessed street by street because a suburb-level crime rate is not available. Livability indicators point to a family area, with 3 schools and 90.5% car commuting, but buyers should still check recent local crime maps.
Is Mountain Creek good for property investment?
Mountain Creek has investment appeal through family rental demand: 37.1% of households rent and weekly rent is $500. Vacancy at 4.0% is higher than very tight markets, so investors need yield discipline, but 2.33% annual population growth supports long-term demand.
How is Mountain Creek's population changing?
Population growth is strong: the trend adds 2.33% or 289 people a year. The medium scenario reaches 14,704 by 2031, while migration is led by 190 net overseas arrivals a year against -196 net internal movement.
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.
Explore Mountain Creek on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map