Capalaba, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Capalaba is a busy commercial and residential suburb in the City of Redland, on Brisbane's south-eastern fringe, where Tingalpa Creek divides it from the City of Brisbane and forms a gateway to the coastal Redlands. Its name is believed to come from a Yugarabul word for the ringtail possum, a marsupial native to the area. European settlement began in the 1850s with farmers, sawmillers and timber-getters, and a town surveyed as Tingalpa in 1863 was renamed Capalaba in 1927 to end confusion with another district of the same name. Queensland's first drive-in cinema opened here in 1955. The completion of the Leslie Harrison Dam on Tingalpa Creek in 1968 secured the area's water supply and triggered rapid suburban growth through the 1970s. Today Capalaba centres on large shopping precincts and a busy bus station, with the Redlands IndigiScapes environmental centre and a centuries-old tallowwood tree among its attractions.
Around the national middle
Capalaba is more socio-economically advantaged than about 45% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 979, 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.
Capalaba at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 18,002
- Median age
- 39
- Median weekly household income
- $1,747
- SEIFA score
- 979
- Coordinates
- -27.5390, 153.2035
Capalaba demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Capalaba 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 young adults (25–44) at 27%, 26% of homes are rented, and 23% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 3,306 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 2,030 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 4,854 | 27% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 4,639 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3,174 | 18% |
Share of the 18,003 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 2,011 | 30% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 2,847 | 42% |
| Rented | 1,742 | 26% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 5,216 | 78% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,251 | 19% |
| Flats & apartments | 169 | 3% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 6,717 occupied private dwellings in Capalaba.
- Median weekly rent
- $385
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,785
- Average household size
- 2.6 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,093
- Median weekly personal income
- $804
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 3,954 (23%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,789 (10%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 571 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 7,905 (56%)
- Labour-force participation
- 65%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.5%
- Employed full-time
- 5,459
- Employed part-time
- 2,863
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 Capalaba
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Capalaba is January (average daytime high around 27.6°C) and the coolest is July (around 20°C). The area receives roughly 981 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27.6°C | 22°C | 105 mm |
| Feb | 27.4°C | 21.7°C | 163 mm |
| Mar | 26.9°C | 21.1°C | 160 mm |
| Apr | 24.7°C | 18°C | 51 mm |
| May | 22.4°C | 15.1°C | 73 mm |
| Jun | 20.3°C | 12.7°C | 52 mm |
| Jul | 20°C | 11.6°C | 36 mm |
| Aug | 20.9°C | 12.2°C | 36 mm |
| Sep | 22.5°C | 14.6°C | 35 mm |
| Oct | 24.2°C | 17.2°C | 100 mm |
| Nov | 25.8°C | 19.3°C | 65 mm |
| Dec | 27.1°C | 21°C | 105 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Capalaba
Where is Capalaba?
Capalaba is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Capalaba?
At the 2021 Census, Capalaba had a population of about 18,002.
Is Capalaba an advantaged area?
Capalaba has an ABS SEIFA score of 979, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 45 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 45% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Capalaba?
Capalaba has average daytime highs of about 24.2°C and overnight lows of about 17.2°C, with roughly 981 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Capalaba?
Capalaba is one of the most populous suburbs in Queensland — the 23rd-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 18,002 usual residents).
Where Capalaba ranks
Capalaba appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
- Largest suburbs in Queensland#23 of 25
Nearby suburbs in Queensland
More suburb guides in Queensland
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.