Cassowary Coast, QLD
sleepy · tropical · barefoot · rainforest
Want to find out if you can afford to move?
Move Regional compares towns across QLD, NSW and WA on price, work, schools and lifestyle, so you can find the one that fits.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Drive to the coast
0 min
By road
Nearest major hospital
30 min
By road
Airport access
2h 12m
By road
Schools access
Limited
Average daytime temp
28.4°C
Rainfall
Very wet
Mission Beach is a small tropical community where rainforest and ocean dominate the setting and tourism plays a major role in how the town feels. About 1,000 people live here, the median age is 49 and population has grown by roughly 9% since 2016.
The beach stretches for kilometres and the surrounding environment gives residents immediate access to rainforest, cassowary habitat and island trips, but the practical infrastructure remains limited. Schooling is primary level locally, shopping is modest and the nearest major hospital is about 30 minutes away.
The airport is more than two hours away, which adds friction to regular travel. Compared with many peer locations, housing remains affordable for a tropical beach location, with a median around $549,000. The climate is hot and extremely wet, so humidity, heavy rain and tropical weather are not occasional inconveniences but part of the year.
Tourism swells the population at certain times, yet the permanent community remains tiny. Mission Beach suits people who want a low-key tropical coast and are prepared for limited services, weather and travel to shape the week. It is much less suited to households needing broad schooling options, frequent flying or city-level healthcare close at hand.
7 photos
Rainforest, wildlife and the beach need to outweigh almost everything else for Mission Beach to feel right. Remote workers, retirees, tourism workers and outdoors-focused couples can enjoy the tropical setting if a small service base is workable. Broad secondary-school choice, extensive healthcare and large-scale shopping are limited, so the natural environment needs to be the main reason for moving.
Local schooling is primary only, shopping is limited and the hospital is around 30 minutes away. The climate is hot and very wet, and tourism is high. The airport is more than two hours away, so frequent flying adds another layer of travel.
Enjoy 14 kilometres of beach where rainforest reaches the coast
Look for southern cassowaries
Head to Dunk Island or reef adventures
More from Londoner in Sydney
Looking for things to do in Mission Beach in Queensland? This Australian beach town is well known for being home to the famous cassowaries, which can only be found in Tropical North Queensland.
Read the guideMedian house price
$548,750
41% below the QLD median
Median attached price (townhouse/apartment)
$350,000
Sourced from Queensland Government Statistician's Office · 12 months ending 31 March 2026
Healthcare access
Good
Shopping & everyday services
Moderate
Supermarket within 10km, limited other retail
Internet connection
Fixed line
Job market by industry
Healthcare — 16%
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 Cairns, Cape Tribulation, Palm Cove, Port Douglas, Herberton, Kuranda, Yungaburra and Atherton.
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.
Mission Beach (SAL 31863) · 2021 Census
The age profile is close to the national one, with 20.7% aged 65 or over against 17.2% and 13.5% children against 18.2%. Among households, couples without children outnumber couples with them (58.2% of families against 27.3%).
Population
1,014
Population growth
+9.2%
Tully (SA2 306031161)
Median age
49 years
Labour force participation
57.1%
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
$711
Per week · ≈ $36,972/year
Median family income
$1,597
Per week
Median household income
$1,326
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
59.6%
Rented
35%
Born in Australia
71.3%
Born overseas
17.9%
Doesn't sum to 100% — people who didn't state a birthplace are excluded rather than redistributed.