Kuranda, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Kuranda is a rainforest village on the Atherton Tableland, about 27 kilometres north-west of Cairns and some 330 metres above the coast. The surrounding rainforest has been home to the Djabugay people for thousands of years, and the town's name is said to come from a Yidinji word. A tourist destination since the early 1900s, Kuranda reinvented itself from the 1970s as the village in the rainforest, drawing artists and travellers to its markets and galleries along Coondoo Street. It is best known for the two scenic routes that climb to it from the coast: the historic Kuranda Scenic Railway, which winds through the Barron Gorge, and the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, which glides for some seven kilometres above the forest canopy.
Less advantaged than the national average
Kuranda is more socio-economically advantaged than about 24% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 939, 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.
Kuranda at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 3,273
- Median age
- 46
- Median weekly household income
- $1,284
- SEIFA score
- 939
- Coordinates
- -16.8314, 145.6094
Kuranda demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Kuranda 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 32%, 25% of homes are rented, and 23% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 603 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 282 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 684 | 21% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,038 | 32% |
| Seniors (65+) | 661 | 20% |
Share of the 3,268 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 443 | 38% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 380 | 33% |
| Rented | 293 | 25% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,016 | 88% |
| Townhouses & semis | 28 | 2% |
| Flats & apartments | 43 | 4% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,153 occupied private dwellings in Kuranda.
- Median weekly rent
- $260
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,595
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,617
- Median weekly personal income
- $600
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 658 (23%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 259 (9%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 541 (17%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,298 (51%)
- Labour-force participation
- 50.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 8.2%
- Employed full-time
- 612
- Employed part-time
- 529
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.
Common questions about Kuranda
Where is Kuranda?
Kuranda is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Kuranda?
At the 2021 Census, Kuranda had a population of about 3,273.
Is Kuranda an advantaged area?
Kuranda has an ABS SEIFA score of 939, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 24 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 24% of Australian suburbs.
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