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Suburb profile ·Whitsunday LGA · QLD ·4805

Bowen QLD 4805

Bowen is in Whitsunday LGA, QLD, postcode 4805, with population 11,205.

The read

Growth-momentum

Price, rent, or affordability signals are lining up without a clear local red flag, and the broader demand backdrop is at least supportive. Treat this as a suburb worth comparing seriously, then stress-test it in the calculator before making a conviction call.

$500/wk
+0.0% YoY
Jun 2021 → Mar 2026 · 20 periods
Queensland RTA · suburb grain · Mar 2026
$540
$340
Jun 2021Mar 2026
Why it fits

Gross yield screens at about 6.0%. Entry price sits in the lower-cost range for a first-pass screen. Recent price movement shows visible market momentum.

Median house
$435K
House median, latest period
11.5%YoY D2 vs AU
Median rent
$500/wk
Income-stretched rent market
0.0%YoY D10 vs AU
Gross yield
6.0%
Strong yield band
D10 vs AU
Population
11,205
11K local footprint
D10 vs AU
Schools
5
Matched school context
D10 vs AU
Solar
2,949
229 added 12mo · 23MW

Price history

HousesUnits

Trend & investor depth

Indicative cashflow-$33/wk (-$1,728/yr) · interest-only @ 6.1%, 80% LVR

Indicative cashflow is interest-only and excludes tax — use the calculator for a full projection.

Affordability

Buying
6.2x
median home price as a multiple of annual household income
Moderate
Renting
37%
median weekly rent as a share of gross household income (the 30% rule)
Stretched

Owners with a mortgage repay a median of $1,500/mo, while renters pay about $2,167/mo — renting runs $667/mo higher on these medians.

Median price
$435K
Household income · yr
$70K
Median rent · wk
$500
Owner mortgage · mo
$1,500
Gross yield
6.0%

Household income

$70K household · yr-12.3% vs QLD suburb median
Personal
$37K
Family
$93K
Household
$70K

Schools

Total5
Avg ICSEA924
Students1,676
Catholic1
Government4
  • Bowen State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 927
  • Merinda State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 881
  • Queens Beach State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 928
  • Bowen State High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 919
  • St Mary's Catholic SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 967
Crime Year ending Apr 2026
6,148
6,148 per 100k
D7 vs AU

Crime

Rate · per 100k6,148
Total incidents6,148· Year ending Apr 2026
  • Assault1,44126%
  • Break And Enter58010%
  • Drug Offences3,14556%
  • Fraud4117%

Full data detail

Bowen QLD — Property Data and Demographics

Bowen (postcode 4805) is an established suburb in Queensland within the Whitsunday local government area. The area has roughly 11,205 residents and an established demographic, with a median age of 42. Households earn a median income of $70K per year, with an average household size of 2.4 people. Recent annual estimates show population movement into the broader catchment, with population growth running at +1.8% year-on-year at the LGA level. QLD employment has moved +0.9% year-on-year in the official Jobs and Skills Australia NERO series, which provides the broader jobs backdrop for this suburb. QLD also had 32 Commonwealth-backed major projects under construction, 12 underway, and 50 in planning as at 2 October 2024, which is useful as a broader delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project count. The most common occupations are labourers, technicians & trades, machinery operators & drivers. Employment in the area leans toward agriculture and healthcare. The top ancestries reported are Australian, English, Irish.

The median house price in Bowen is $435,000, having risen steeply by 11.5% over the past year. Units have a median price of $322,000 (+13.7% YoY). The current median weekly rent is $500. This gives a gross rental yield of approximately 6.0%. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $1,500.

Bowen is served by 5 schools, including 4 primary, 1 secondary. The average ICSEA score is 924, which is below the national average of 1,000. Healthcare facilities include 1 public hospital. The crime rate in the Whitsunday LGA is moderate at 6,148 incidents per 100,000 population.

Looking at the investment signals, Gross rental yield sits at around 6.0% (high yield). Property prices sit below the state median ($435K/$1.1M), which can point to relative value. The price-to-income ratio of 6.2x is considered moderate. House prices have moved +11.5% year-on-year. Population growth of +1.8% year-on-year points to stable demand fundamentals. Building approvals have changed +0% year-on-year, indicating steady development activity.

Market & money
Investment signalsHeuristics
Rental Yield6.0% High Yield
Price vs State$435K/$1.1M Below Median
Affordability6.2x· Moderate
Price Momentum+11.5% Rising
Pop. Growth+1.8%· Stable
Development+0%· Steady
InvestmentQLD
Mortgage · mth$1,500
Rent · wk(Census)$270
Market rent · wk(Q1 2026)$500
Gross yield3.2%
Price / income6.2x
Population growth · Whitsunday LGAABS ERP
Population (2025)41,374
5-year growth+2.2% CAGR
YoY change+1.8%
20012025
Development · Whitsunday LGAABS Approvals
Approvals (2026)144
Houses132
Units12
YoY change+0%
Employment · Whitsunday LGASALM
Unemployment (Dec-25)3.2%
YoY change+0.5pp
Dec-10Dec-25
Property investors · Postcode 4805ATO
Negatively geared334 (4.7% of filers)
Avg rental loss$4,584/yr
Landlords (rental income)739
Reported capital gains491
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 21
Population11,205
Median age42
Household size2.4
HH income · wk$1,343
Personal income · wk$710
Persons / bedroom0.8
IncomeATO 22-23
Median income$46,495
Mean income$61,126
Earners7,265
YoY change-1.5%
SEIFA indexABS
Advantage (IRSAD)2/10
Education (IEO)1/10
Economic (IER)2/10
Disadvantage (IRSD)2/10
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets2
Pharmacies0
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations9
Cafes & dining11
iga1
woolworths1
Hospitals · 1AIHW
Public1
Private0
Bowen Hospitalpublic
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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

There is enough direct local evidence on Bowen for a first-pass decision.

QuickProperty mixes release files, Census baselines, and matched local services on this page. Read the status panel before treating every metric as equally fresh.

PRICE POSTURE
Prices come from release-based suburb series.

Direct state price coverage is used where present; missing house or unit anchors fall back to annual ABS SA2 matches

RENT POSTURE
Rent is using a state market dataset when available.

Use current rent as a starting signal, not as a fixed underwriting truth.

SERVICE POSTURE
Service coverage is matched locally, not inferred nationally.

Schools, transport, and hospitals are useful as presence signals, but they still have different source cadences.

Data status
Property prices
QGSO Housing Profiles / ABS Data by Region · 2024 · Direct state price coverage is used where present; missing house or unit anchors fall back to annual ABS SA2 matches
medium stability · automated · every update · quarterly
Verify
Market rent
Queensland RTA · Q1 2026 · State market dataset
medium stability · automated · every update · quarterly
Available
Crime
State crime dataset · Year ending Apr 2026 · Area-level release dataset
Available
Schools
ACARA 2025 · 5 schools matched
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Available
Hospitals
AIHW · 1 hospitals matched
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Available
Transport
GTFS feeds · No matched local transport stops
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Population growth
ABS ERP · 2025 · Annual estimate series
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Available
Building approvals
ABS Building Approvals · 2026 · Annual release series
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Available means a direct local dataset is linked. Verify means coverage exists but freshness or precision is weaker, such as ABS price fallback, Census rent fallback, or low-confidence hospital matching.

Bowen FAQ

Common questions
  1. What LGA is Bowen in?

    Bowen is in the Whitsunday Local Government Area, QLD, postcode 4805. Council-level context for Whitsunday LGA (suburb mix, population, rent, and price coverage) is available on the QuickProperty LGA page.

  2. What is the median house price in Bowen?

    The current median house price in Bowen, QLD is $435K, based on the latest available sales data from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region.

  3. What is the typical weekly rent in Bowen?

    The median weekly rent in Bowen is $500/wk, based on the current market rent dataset. The current rent signal is income-stretched rent market.

  4. What does the rent signal say about Bowen?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 56% of annual income. Use this as a suburb screening signal before comparing candidates or modelling a purchase; the matching rent ranking can provide broader market context.

  5. Is Bowen a good investment?

    QuickProperty's investment signals for Bowen show: High Yield, Below Median, Moderate. These are computed from price, rent, income, and population data — not an opaque score.

  6. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Bowen?

    Property prices come from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region. Demographics are from ABS Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA. Crime statistics are from state police agencies. Transport data is sourced from GTFS feeds.

  7. How often is the Bowen data updated?

    Property prices update quarterly. RBA macro indicators update with each deploy. Demographics are from Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA 2025.