Canungra, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Canungra is a town in the Scenic Rim region of south-east Queensland, in the Gold Coast hinterland about 77 kilometres south of Brisbane, on Canungra Creek. The origin of its name is uncertain: some link it to an Aboriginal word for the small owls that gave rise to its nickname, the 'Valley of the Owls', while others trace it to the Yugambeh word gungunga, meaning a long flat or clearing. The town owes its beginnings to the timber industry, and the historic Lahey's sawmill and tramway tunnel survive from that era. Today Canungra is a gateway to Lamington National Park, Tamborine Mountain and the mountain retreats of Binna Burra and O'Reilly's, with a small but growing wine industry.
Around the national middle
Canungra is more socio-economically advantaged than about 56% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 997, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Canungra at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,436
- Median age
- 41
- Median weekly household income
- $1,883
- SEIFA score
- 997
- Coordinates
- -28.0382, 153.1423
Canungra demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Canungra using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is mid-life (45–64) at 30%, 19% of homes are rented, and 20% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 300 | 21% |
| Youth (15–24) | 125 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 372 | 26% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 426 | 30% |
| Seniors (65+) | 211 | 15% |
Share of the 1,434 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 141 | 29% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 243 | 50% |
| Rented | 93 | 19% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 462 | 93% |
| Townhouses & semis | 16 | 3% |
| Flats & apartments | 8 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 496 occupied private dwellings in Canungra.
- Median weekly rent
- $420
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,950
- Average household size
- 2.7 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,087
- Median weekly personal income
- $865
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 262 (20%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 41 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 25 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 549 (50%)
- Labour-force participation
- 64.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 2.9%
- Employed full-time
- 398
- Employed part-time
- 218
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Canungra
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Canungra is January (average daytime high around 28.6°C) and the coolest is July (around 20.5°C). The area receives roughly 1052 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28.6°C | 21.4°C | 109 mm |
| Feb | 28.3°C | 21.3°C | 164 mm |
| Mar | 27.5°C | 20.7°C | 159 mm |
| Apr | 25.1°C | 17.9°C | 55 mm |
| May | 22.8°C | 15.2°C | 85 mm |
| Jun | 20.8°C | 12.8°C | 58 mm |
| Jul | 20.5°C | 11.8°C | 43 mm |
| Aug | 21.9°C | 12.4°C | 42 mm |
| Sep | 23.9°C | 14.4°C | 42 mm |
| Oct | 25.5°C | 16.8°C | 93 mm |
| Nov | 27.2°C | 18.6°C | 75 mm |
| Dec | 28.3°C | 20.4°C | 127 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Canungra
Where is Canungra?
Canungra is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Canungra?
At the 2021 Census, Canungra had a population of about 1,436.
Is Canungra an advantaged area?
Canungra has an ABS SEIFA score of 997, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 56 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 56% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Canungra?
Canungra has average daytime highs of about 25°C and overnight lows of about 17°C, with roughly 1,052 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
Nearby suburbs in Queensland
More suburb guides in Queensland
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.