Whitsunday Coast, QLD
mangoes · murals · fringing-reef · beachy
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Move Regional compares towns across QLD, NSW and WA on price, work, schools and lifestyle, so you can find the one that fits.
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Drive to the coast
3 min
By road
Nearest major hospital
2 min
By road
Airport access
1h 5m
By road
Schools access
Good
Average daytime temp
26.4°C
Rainfall
Dry
Bowen is a substantial north Queensland coastal town where beaches and industry sit alongside one another rather than one replacing the other. Around 11,200 people live here, the median age is 42 and population has grown strongly, up roughly 22% since 2016. Housing remains relatively affordable, with a median around $580,000 and three-bedroom rents near $615 a week.
Healthcare is close and school access is reasonable, while shopping is more limited than in Mackay or Townsville. Horseshoe Bay, Cape Edgecumbe and nearby snorkelling spots make the coast easy to use, while the town’s mango identity and murals add a recognisable local character. Summers are warm and winters mild.
The nearest major airport is about 1 hour 5 minutes away, and Brisbane is more than 13 hours by road, so air travel matters for longer trips. Bowen suits people who want a working coastal town with lower housing costs and useful local services. The trade-offs are much less attractive to households needing a large retail base or a deep professional job market, and the distance from south-east Queensland is a genuine lifestyle factor rather than a minor inconvenience.
9 photos
Families, tradespeople, agricultural workers, port and resources workers, retirees and remote workers who want warm coastal living are good fits. It particularly suits people who value beaches and space but would rather live in a working community than in the more visitor-heavy centre of Airlie Beach.
Shopping is limited and the nearest major airport is about 65 minutes away. Brisbane is about 13 hours 40 minutes by road, so long-distance travel generally means flying. Summers are warm, and the local economy is narrower than in Mackay despite having several important industries.
Swim at Horseshoe Bay
Walk Cape Edgecumbe trails
See the Big Mango
Snorkel at Murray Bay
Median house price
$580,000
37% below the QLD median
Median attached price (townhouse/apartment)
$405,000
Median weekly rent (3-bed house)
$615
≈ $2,665/month
Sourced from Queensland Government Statistician's Office · 12 months ending 31 March 2026
Healthcare access
Excellent
Shopping & everyday services
Moderate
Supermarket within 10km, limited other retail
Internet connection
Fixed line
Job market by industry
Trades — 16.4%
Largest share of local jobs
Employment figures cover this town's wider statistical region, not the town alone — you'll see the same figures for Airlie Beach and Mackay.
The score ranks this region against other regions for the same occupation, not against other jobs here — a low score means it isn't a regional stronghold for that field, not that there are no vacancies. Counts online job advertisements, so trades and farm work hired by word of mouth are undercounted, and outside capital cities this is published at a regional level larger than one town.
Bowen (SAL 30342) · 2021 Census
The age profile is close to the national one, with 20.4% aged 65 or over against 17.2% and 18.2% children against 18.2%.
Population
11,205
Population growth
+21.8%
Bowen (SA2 312011337)
Median age
42 years
Labour force participation
56.1%
Growth is measured across the wider area named under the figure, which can be a different size to the town.
Share of total population in each band — rounding means these won't land on exactly 100%.
Couples are a share of total families; lone-person households are a share of total households — different bases, not one breakdown.
Median personal income
$710
Per week · ≈ $36,920/year
Median family income
$1,780
Per week
Median household income
$1,343
Per week
Personal is one person's income; family and household cover everyone living together — a single-income household will show a lower household figure than its highest earner's personal one. Personal income also covers every resident aged 15 and over, retirees included, so it reads low in a town with an older population even where household income is solid.
Owner-occupied
58.1%
Rented
37.5%
Born in Australia
75%
Born overseas
14.5%
Doesn't sum to 100% — people who didn't state a birthplace are excluded rather than redistributed.