Macleay Island, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Macleay Island is more socio-economically advantaged than about 4% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 844, 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.
Macleay Island at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 3,193
- Median age
- 62
- Median weekly household income
- $755
- SEIFA score
- 844
- Coordinates
- -27.5918, 153.3615
Macleay Island demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Macleay Island 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 seniors (65+) at 43%, 22% of homes are rented, and 27% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 251 | 8% |
| Youth (15–24) | 155 | 5% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 355 | 11% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,058 | 33% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,371 | 43% |
Share of the 3,190 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 797 | 51% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 357 | 23% |
| Rented | 342 | 22% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,558 | 100% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,562 occupied private dwellings in Macleay Island.
- Median weekly rent
- $260
- Median monthly mortgage
- $900
- Average household size
- 1.9 people
- Median weekly family income
- $945
- Median weekly personal income
- $450
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 767 (27%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 136 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 127 (4%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,027 (35%)
- Labour-force participation
- 30.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 15%
- Employed full-time
- 301
- Employed part-time
- 365
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 Macleay Island
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Macleay Island 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 Macleay Island
Where is Macleay Island?
Macleay Island is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Macleay Island?
At the 2021 Census, Macleay Island had a population of about 3,193.
Is Macleay Island an advantaged area?
Macleay Island has an ABS SEIFA score of 844, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 4 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 4% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Macleay Island?
Macleay Island 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).
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