Maleny, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Maleny crowns the Blackall Range in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, roughly 450 metres up and around 90 kilometres north of Brisbane, with long views toward the Glass House Mountains. The district lies on the country of the Nalbo and Dallambara, peoples of the Gubbi Gubbi language group. The town's name is thought to have come, by way of a parish name, from the Scottish estate of Malleny. Cleared first for timber and then for dairying, Maleny opened its butter factory in 1904 and grew into a noted dairy district. Today it is known for its cheese, its galleries and its co-operative spirit, and for the rainforest preserved at the nearby Mary Cairncross reserve.
Around the national middle
Maleny is more socio-economically advantaged than about 51% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 990, 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.
Maleny at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 3,959
- Median age
- 59
- Median weekly household income
- $1,144
- SEIFA score
- 990
- Coordinates
- -26.7650, 152.8527
Maleny demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Maleny 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 40%, 18% of homes are rented, and 23% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 466 | 12% |
| Youth (15–24) | 271 | 7% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 547 | 14% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,104 | 28% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,567 | 40% |
Share of the 3,955 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 945 | 55% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 383 | 22% |
| Rented | 312 | 18% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,560 | 92% |
| Townhouses & semis | 111 | 7% |
| Flats & apartments | 23 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,704 occupied private dwellings in Maleny.
- Median weekly rent
- $390
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,625
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,426
- Median weekly personal income
- $618
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 867 (23%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 223 (6%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 71 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,999 (59%)
- Labour-force participation
- 43.2%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.9%
- Employed full-time
- 607
- Employed part-time
- 655
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 Maleny
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Maleny is January (average daytime high around 27.5°C) and the coolest is July (around 18.5°C). The area receives roughly 1153 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27.5°C | 19°C | 140 mm |
| Feb | 26.9°C | 19°C | 179 mm |
| Mar | 26°C | 18.4°C | 150 mm |
| Apr | 23.1°C | 15.2°C | 70 mm |
| May | 20.6°C | 12.3°C | 90 mm |
| Jun | 18.5°C | 10.1°C | 51 mm |
| Jul | 18.5°C | 9.2°C | 46 mm |
| Aug | 20.2°C | 9.9°C | 36 mm |
| Sep | 22.7°C | 12°C | 45 mm |
| Oct | 24.8°C | 14.4°C | 120 mm |
| Nov | 26.6°C | 16.3°C | 92 mm |
| Dec | 27.6°C | 18°C | 134 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Maleny
Where is Maleny?
Maleny is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Maleny?
At the 2021 Census, Maleny had a population of about 3,959.
Is Maleny an advantaged area?
Maleny has an ABS SEIFA score of 990, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 51 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 51% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Maleny?
Maleny has average daytime highs of about 23.6°C and overnight lows of about 14.5°C, with roughly 1,153 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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