Robina
Built from scratch in the 1990s as one of Australia's earliest large masterplanned communities, Robina now houses 25,659 people across 14.96 sqkm of canal-laced parkland 5km inland from Burleigh Heads. The suburb pairs a private-university enclave (Bond) with a hospital, train station, town centre and the 27,000-seat CBUS Super Stadium inside a single postcode. Population expanded 49.7% since 2011, well above the Gold Coast average, with overseas migration adding roughly 159 people each year compared to 24 from internal moves. Household income sits at the 61.8th national percentile, university completion is 6 percentage points above the national rate, and 35.1% of residents were born overseas, all signals that Robina functions as a professional and migrant satellite to coastal Gold Coast rather than a tourist strip.
Population
25,659
Median Age
39.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,758/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
1
Median House
$630K
Estimated from rent (2025)
Buyers here are paying for amenity rather than beachfront. Median monthly mortgage repayments are $2,000, which works out to roughly 26.3% of household income, below the 30% stress threshold but above the national median commitment. Separate houses make up 54.6% of stock and 36.5% of homes carry four or more bedrooms, so the market skews toward established family buyers rather than first-home investors. Apartments account for only 13.7%, mostly clustered around Robina Town Centre and Bond University. Reliable QLD sale-price data is limited, but the mortgage figure compared to nearby Burleigh Waters and Mermaid Waters suggests Robina trades at a 15-20% discount to coastal equivalents because it lacks beach frontage. Owner-occupiers split evenly between outright ownership (32.6%) and mortgages (33.5%), a sign of an established suburb absorbing newer households.
For Buyers
Buyers here are paying for amenity rather than beachfront. Median monthly mortgage repayments are $2,000, which works out to roughly 26.3% of household income, below the 30% stress threshold but above the national median commitment. Separate houses make up 54.6% of stock and 36.5% of homes carry four or more bedrooms, so the market skews toward established family buyers rather than first-home investors. Apartments account for only 13.7%, mostly clustered around Robina Town Centre and Bond University. Reliable QLD sale-price data is limited, but the mortgage figure compared to nearby Burleigh Waters and Mermaid Waters suggests Robina trades at a 15-20% discount to coastal equivalents because it lacks beach frontage. Owner-occupiers split evenly between outright ownership (32.6%) and mortgages (33.5%), a sign of an established suburb absorbing newer households.
For Investors
Renters fill 33.9% of dwellings, slightly above the national average, and weekly rents average $540 against a household income of $1,758, putting tenants at 30.7% rent-to-income ratio which already trips the rent-stress flag. Vacancy rate sits at 4.9%, looser than the Gold Coast average, reflecting how much new supply Robina has absorbed over the past decade. Rent growth ran at 31.7% across the 2011 to 2021 period, faster than wages, and Bond University plus Robina Hospital provide year-round tenant demand from students, junior doctors and allied health staff. Development pipeline is thin with only 1 lodgement in the past 12 months, suggesting limited new supply will support yields. The investor case is yield stability rather than capital growth fireworks, given the suburb is past its build-out phase.
Development Activity
Total DAs
1
Last 12 Months
1
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
—
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Robina iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Robina State School
Prep-6 · 698 students
The Industry School - Gold Coast
10-12 · 315 students
Robina State High School
7-12 · 1530 students
Demographics
Median age is 39, one year younger than the national figure, but the distribution is bimodal. Senior share grew 2.2 percentage points over the decade while working-age share dipped 0.3 points, reflecting Gold Coast retirees moving inland for amenity. University-qualified residents reach 36.1%, which is 6 percentage points above the national rate and consistent with Bond University staff and graduates clustering nearby. English (10,132), Irish (2,633) and Scottish (2,583) ancestries dominate, but Chinese (1,615) is the fifth-largest group and Mandarin (412 speakers), Japanese (170) and Cantonese (140) make up the leading non-English languages. The 35.1% overseas-born share runs 13.5 percentage points higher than national, with Bond's international student intake adding turnover at the under-25 end of the age curve.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
54.6%
Houses
31.6%
Townhouse
13.7%
Apartment
Tenure
Stock composition is roughly 54.6% separate houses, 31.6% semi-detached or townhouses and 13.7% apartments, a mix that reflects the masterplanned layout of detached cul-de-sacs around an apartment-heavy town centre core. Three-bedroom homes are the dominant typology at 47.6%, with 36.5% offering four or more bedrooms, and only 15.9% sitting at two bedrooms or fewer. Tenure splits almost evenly across outright owners (32.6%), mortgaged owners (33.5%) and renters (33.9%), an unusually balanced spread compared to the QLD average where rentals lean lower. QLD's published median house price data is unreliable at suburb level, but mortgage repayments of $2,000 per month and rent at $540 per week imply purchase prices sit in the upper-middle of the Gold Coast, behind beachfront but ahead of growth-corridor suburbs like Upper Coomera.
Mortgage / mo
$2,000
Rent / wk
$540
HH Size
2.6
Personal Income / wk
$772
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.9%
Unoccupied
483
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
30.7% stressed
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.3%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
29.0%
Couples, no children
20,070
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare is the dominant employer at 19.9% of the workforce, anchored by Robina Hospital and its surrounding medical precinct, followed by Education at 12.1% (Bond University plus Robina State High School with 1,530 students). Construction holds 10.2% reflecting the Gold Coast's ongoing building cycle, with Professional/Technical at 9.5% and Retail at 8.2% rounding out the top five. Occupation skew is white-collar: Professionals (3,036), Clerical/Admin (1,763) and Managers (1,608) lead, and full-time employment rate sits at 59.9% which is above the QLD average. SEIFA scores tell a coherent story: IRSAD decile 7 and IEO decile 7 place Robina in the top 30% nationally for advantage and education, while IRSD decile 6 confirms there is more lower-income presence than the headline implies, likely tied to student and allied-health renters.
Unemployment
2.4%
Labour Force
10,449
Unemployed
246
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
59.9%
Part-time
34.5%
Participation
57.4%
Employed
11,616
Occupations
Top Industries
University
36.1%
Postgraduate
9.2%
Born Overseas
35.1%
Dwellings
9,364
Transport to Work
Robina runs on cars: 89.1% of commuters drive, only 2.0% use public transport and 3.4% walk or cycle, despite Robina station sitting on the Gold Coast line to Brisbane. The dependence reflects sprawled cul-de-sac geometry rather than absent infrastructure. Three schools sit inside the suburb, led by Robina State School (Primary, ICSEA 1055, 698 enrolments), Robina State High School (Government secondary, ICSEA 1026, 1,530 enrolments) and The Industry School Gold Coast (Independent secondary, ICSEA 1040, 315 enrolments), all sitting above the ICSEA 1000 national benchmark. CBUS Super Stadium, Robina Hospital, Robina Town Centre and Bond University all sit within a 3km radius. SEIFA IRSAD decile 7 places the suburb in the top 30% nationally for socioeconomic advantage, and the volunteering rate of 13.2% suggests reasonable community engagement compared to coastal-tourist neighbours.
Drive
89.1%
Public Transport
2.0%
Walk / Cycle
3.4%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+2.5%/yr
(+242 people/yr)
EstablishedForecast medium-trend growth of 2.5% per year would add 242 residents annually through 2031, lifting population from roughly 10,014 (Robina SA1 fragment baseline) to 11,223 across the six-year window. Overseas migration drives this at 159 people per year compared to 24 from internal moves, a ratio that mirrors Bond University's international intake and Gold Coast's broader skilled-migration pull. Gentrification score sits at 34 with the model flagging Early signs rather than active displacement, supported by 49.7% population growth since 2011 and real income growth of 10.4%. Affordability has actually improved marginally from 69.5 to 67.4 on the model index, an unusual signal that wage growth has kept pace with rent rises. The suburb is past peak greenfield expansion and is now in densification mode around the town centre and train station.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+159
Net Internal / yr
+24
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Population +56% since 2011, Accelerating: 20% → 31%
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Robina compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Robina a good suburb to live in?
For families and professionals who want Gold Coast access without beach-tourism density, yes. Robina ranks in SEIFA decile 7 for advantage (top 30% nationally), university completion runs 6 percentage points above the national rate, and three schools all sit above ICSEA 1000. Trade-offs include 89.1% car dependence and rent stress at 30.7% of household income for tenants.
What is the median house price in Robina?
QLD-published median house prices are unreliable at suburb level, but proxies suggest the upper-middle Gold Coast band. Median monthly mortgage repayments are $2,000, which works out to roughly 26.3% of the $1,758 household income, and weekly rents of $540 imply purchase prices below beachfront Burleigh but well above growth-corridor suburbs like Upper Coomera.
What schools are in Robina?
Three schools sit inside the suburb. Robina State School (Government primary, ICSEA 1055, 698 students), Robina State High School (Government secondary, ICSEA 1026, 1,530 students) and The Industry School Gold Coast (Independent secondary, ICSEA 1040, 315 students). All three rank above the ICSEA 1000 national average, and Bond University is also located within Robina's postcode.
Is Robina safe?
QLD Police does not publish suburb-level crime data through the open-data feed that NSW and VIC use, so a direct rate per 1,000 cannot be quoted. Indirect indicators are favourable: SEIFA IRSAD decile 7, IRSD decile 6, household income at the 61.8th national percentile, and a volunteering rate of 13.2% all correlate with lower property and violent crime in comparable Gold Coast suburbs.
Is Robina good for property investment?
Robina suits yield-focused investors more than capital-growth speculators. Rents grew 31.7% over the 2011 to 2021 period, vacancy sits at 4.9%, and Bond University plus Robina Hospital generate year-round tenant demand. Only 1 development application was lodged in the past 12 months, which limits new supply. The drawback: 30.7% rent-to-income ratio already trips the rent-stress threshold.
How is Robina's population changing?
Population grew 49.7% over the decade to 2021 and the medium-trend forecast adds 2.5% per year through 2031, equating to 242 new residents annually. Overseas migration drives this at 159 people per year, well ahead of internal migration at 24, reflecting Bond University's international intake. Senior share has lifted 2.2 percentage points while working-age share dipped 0.3 points.
What languages are spoken in Robina?
English dominates, but 35.1% of residents were born overseas which is 13.5 percentage points above the national rate. The leading non-English languages are Mandarin (412 speakers), Japanese (170), Cantonese (140), Portuguese (131) and Korean (78). Bond University's international student intake explains the strong East Asian language presence relative to nearby coastal suburbs.
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 Robina on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map