Capricorn Coast, QLD
rainforest · crafty · nature-rich · adventurous
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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
48 min
By road
Nearest major hospital
54 min
By road
Airport access
1h 49m
By road
Schools access
Limited
Average daytime temp
27.2°C
Rainfall
Wet
Byfield is a very small community where rainforest, forest tracks and river country matter more to daily life than shops or a town centre. Only about 320 people live here, and although the population has grown by roughly 17% since 2016, the scale remains genuinely tiny.
There is no supermarket within 20 kilometres, schooling is limited to primary level and the nearest major hospital is close to an hour away. That changes the rhythm of ordinary errands: most households plan ahead, drive for supplies and rely heavily on their own routines.
The housing median is around $900,000, reflecting the appeal of space and setting rather than urban amenity. Upper Stony Creek, local forest and the area’s pottery and craft identity provide the kind of recreation people move here for, while the rare Byfield fern is a reminder of how distinctive the local environment is.
Fixed wireless internet rather than fixed line is another practical point for remote workers to check carefully at property level. The coast is about 50 minutes away and the airport closer to two hours. Byfield suits people who deliberately want privacy, bush access and a small social world; it is a difficult fit for anyone expecting convenient schooling, frequent healthcare or a broad choice of everyday services.
5 photos
Anyone choosing Byfield needs to want rainforest, bush access and rural space badly enough to accept a lot of driving. Self-sufficient remote workers, horse or land-oriented households and outdoors-focused couples can make it work if shopping, secondary schooling, healthcare and most social activity are already expected to happen elsewhere. Convenience is not what the place is offering.
There is no supermarket within 20 kilometres, local schooling is primary only and the nearest hospital is around 54 minutes away. Walkability is very low, and the airport is about 1 hour 45 minutes away. This is a genuinely remote small-community lifestyle, not a convenient hinterland village.
Swim at Upper Stony Creek
Explore Byfield's rainforest parks and forests
Visit local pottery and look for the rare Byfield fern
Median house price
$900,000
3% below the QLD median
Median weekly rent (3-bed house)
$650
≈ $2,817/month
Sourced from Queensland Government Statistician's Office · 12 months ending 31 March 2026
Healthcare access
Moderate
Shopping & everyday services
Very limited
No supermarket within 20km
Internet connection
Fixed wireless
Job market by industry
Trades — 12.8%
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 Yeppoon, Agnes Water, Rockhampton and Gladstone.
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.
Byfield (SAL 30467) · 2021 Census
The age profile is close to the national one, with 21.7% aged 65 or over against 17.2% and 17.6% children against 18.2%. Among households, couples without children outnumber couples with them (53.3% of families against 30.7%), and home ownership is high at 85% of dwellings against 65.9% nationally.
Population
323
Population growth
+17.3%
Rockhampton Surrounds - North (SA2 308031219)
Median age
48 years
Labour force participation
46.4%
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
$487
Per week · ≈ $25,324/year
Median family income
$1,233
Per week
Median household income
$1,018
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
85%
Rented
11.2%
Born in Australia
68.7%
Born overseas
12.4%
Doesn't sum to 100% — people who didn't state a birthplace are excluded rather than redistributed.