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Suburb profile ·Whitsunday LGA · QLD ·4805

Bowen QLD 4805

Bowen is in Whitsunday LGA, QLD, postcode 4805, with population 11,205.

Median house $435K +11.5% YoY
Median rent $500/wk Income-stretched rent market
Gross yield 6.0% Strong yield band
Population 11,205 11K local footprint
Schools 5 Matched school context
Decision trust

Strong evidence

Bowen has enough direct local evidence for a first-pass decision.

Direct signals include Property prices, Market rent, Crime, and Schools. Missing or weaker areas are still shown so the page does not overstate precision.

7
Available
0
Verify
1
Missing
Income-stretched rent market

Weekly rent screens at about 56% of annual income. Income and rent use area-level data, so household-level affordability can differ.

Open matching rent ranking
Development momentum

144 latest-year approvals in Whitsunday, +0.0% YoY; population +1.8% YoY (2.2% 5yr).

Open development signals
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Current status
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Source & freshness

QuickProperty mixes release files, Census baselines, and matched local services on this page. Read the status panel before treating every metric as equally fresh.

PRICE POSTURE
Prices come from release-based suburb series.

Release-based suburb price series, not a live market feed

RENT POSTURE
Rent is using a state market dataset when available.

Use current rent as a starting signal, not as a fixed underwriting truth.

SERVICE POSTURE
Service coverage is matched locally, not inferred nationally.

Schools, transport, and hospitals are useful as presence signals, but they still have different source cadences.

Data status
Property prices
ABS Data by Region and processed state datasets · 2024 · Release-based series
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · release-based
Available
Market rent
Queensland RTA · Q1 2026 · State market dataset
medium stability · automated · every update · quarterly
Available
Crime
State crime dataset · Year ending Dec 2026 · Area-level release dataset
medium stability · mixed acquisition · mixed refresh · mixed
Available
Schools
ACARA 2025 · 5 schools matched
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · annual
Available
Hospitals
AIHW · 1 hospitals matched
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Available
Transport
GTFS feeds · No matched local transport stops
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Population growth
ABS ERP · 2025 · Annual estimate series
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Available
Building approvals
ABS Building Approvals · 2026 · Annual release series
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Available means a direct local dataset is linked. Verify means coverage exists but freshness or precision is weaker, such as Census rent fallback or low-confidence hospital matching.
Rent signal

Income-stretched rent market

Weekly rent screens at about 56% of annual income. Snapshot rent $500/wk.

Income and rent use area-level data, so household-level affordability can differ.

Source level Suburb Confidence Medium Period Q1 2026
$500/wk
+0.0% YoY
Jun 2021 → Mar 2026 · 20 periods
Queensland RTA · suburb grain · Mar 2026
$540
$340
Jun 2021Mar 2026
Evidence depth
Strong evidence

Bowen has enough direct local evidence for a first-pass decision.

Direct signals include Property prices, Market rent, Crime, and Schools. Missing or weaker areas are still shown so the page does not overstate precision.

Next step

Use compare to test the suburb against another candidate, then validate financial assumptions in the calculator where available.

Direct
7

Property prices, Market rent, Crime, Schools

Verify
0

No fallback or lower-precision signals flagged.

Missing
1

Transport

Decision intelligence
Growth-momentum

Bowen currently reads as a growth-momentum candidate with a income-first secondary angle.

Gross yield screens at about 6.0%. Entry price sits in the lower-cost range for a first-pass screen. Missing evidence to verify: Transport.

Recommended next step

Compare it against a contrasting suburb before turning it into a decision.

Why it fits

Gross yield screens at about 6.0%. Entry price sits in the lower-cost range for a first-pass screen. Recent price movement shows visible market momentum.

What to check

No major caution is visible beyond the normal source checks.

Decisive gaps

Transport

Compare status

Compare-ready

Why people look here Intent
  • Buyers want a quick sense of price, schools, and neighbourhood scale before getting lost in data.
  • Investors want to know whether rent, yield, and affordability broadly support the suburb story.
  • Researchers want one place that ties property, demographics, transport, and services together.
Local signals Mixed
Schools: 5 matched, including Bowen State High School, Bowen State School, Queens Beach State School.
Crime: 6,205 per 100k at the Whitsunday LGA level.
Transport: No matched local transport stops.

Price history

HousesUnits

Full data detail

Bowen QLD

Postcode 4805 · Whitsunday LGA

Bowen is a well-established suburb in Queensland within the Whitsunday local government area (postcode 4805). With a population of 11,205, the suburb has an established demographic with a median age of 42. Households earn a median income of $70K per year, with an average household size of 2.4 people. Recent annual estimates show population movement into the broader catchment, with population growth running at +1.8% year-on-year at the LGA level. QLD employment has moved +0.9% year-on-year in the official Jobs and Skills Australia NERO series, which provides the broader jobs backdrop for this suburb. QLD also had 32 Commonwealth-backed major projects under construction, 12 underway, and 50 in planning as at 2 October 2024, which is useful as a broader delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project count. The most common occupations are labourers, technicians & trades, machinery operators & drivers. Employment in the area leans toward agriculture and healthcare. The top ancestries reported are Australian, English, Irish.

The median house price in Bowen is $435,000, having surged 11.5% over the past year. Units have a median price of $322,000 (+13.7% YoY). The current median weekly rent is $500. This gives a gross rental yield of approximately 6.0%. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $1,500.

Bowen is served by 5 schools, including 4 primary, 1 secondary. The average ICSEA score is 924, which is below the national average of 1,000. Healthcare facilities include 1 public hospital. The crime rate in the Whitsunday LGA is moderate at 6,205 incidents per 100,000 population.

From an investment perspective, Bowen offers a gross rental yield of 6.0%, rated as high yield. Property prices sit below the state median ($435K/$1.1M), suggesting a potential value opportunity. The price-to-income ratio of 6.2x is considered moderate. House prices have moved +11.5% year-on-year. Population growth of +1.8% year-on-year indicates stable demand fundamentals. Building approvals have changed +0% year-on-year, indicating steady development activity.

Investment signals
Rental Yield6.0% High Yield
Price vs State$435K/$1.1M Below Median
Affordability6.2x Moderate
Price Momentum+11.5% Rising
Pop. Growth+1.8% Stable
Development+0% Steady
Income (ATO 2022-23)
Median income$46,495
Mean income$61,126
Earners7,265
YoY change-1.5%
SEIFA index (ABS) — 1 = most disadvantaged, 10 = most advantaged
Advantage2/10
Education1/10
Economic2/10
Disadvantage2/10
Latest prices (state valuers)
Median house
$435K
11.5% YoY
Median unit
$322K
13.7% YoY
Census 2021 (ABS)
Median rent /wk
$270
Population
11,205
Demographics
Median age42
Household size2.4
HH income /wk$1,343
Personal income /wk$710
Mortgage /mth$1,500
Crime (Whitsunday LGA)
Crime rate (per 100k)6,205
Total incidents6,205
Schools (5)
Avg ICSEA924
Total students1,676
Government4
Catholic1
Bowen State High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 919
Bowen State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 927
Queens Beach State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 928
St Mary's Catholic SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 967
Merinda State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 881
Hospitals (1)
Bowen Hospitalpublic
Population growth (Whitsunday LGA)
Population (2025)41,374
5-year growth+2.2% CAGR
YoY change+1.8%
Development (Whitsunday LGA)
Approvals (2026)144
Houses132
Units12
YoY change+0%
Data status
Property prices
Processed price datasets · 2024
Available
Market rent
State rent dataset · Q1 2026 · Market dataset
Available
Crime
State crime dataset · Year ending Dec 2026 · LGA-level dataset
Available
Schools
ACARA 2025 · 5 schools matched
Available
Hospitals
AIHW · 1 hospitals matched
Available
Transport
GTFS
Missing
Population growth
ABS ERP · 2025 · Annual estimate
Available
Building approvals
ABS Building Approvals · 2026 · Annual series
Available
Available means a local dataset is present. Verify means coverage exists but location confidence is limited.
Data: 2024
Sources: ABS Census 2021 · ABS dwelling prices · State Valuers General · ATO income · ACARA schools · AIHW hospitals · GTFS · state police

Bowen FAQ

Common questions
  1. What LGA is Bowen in?

    Bowen is in the Whitsunday Local Government Area, QLD, postcode 4805. Council-level context for Whitsunday LGA (suburb mix, population, rent, and price coverage) is available on the QuickProperty LGA page.

  2. What is the median house price in Bowen?

    The current median house price in Bowen, QLD is $435K, based on the latest available sales data from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region.

  3. What is the typical weekly rent in Bowen?

    The median weekly rent in Bowen is $500/wk, based on the current market rent dataset. The current rent signal is income-stretched rent market.

  4. What does the rent signal say about Bowen?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 56% of annual income. Use this as a suburb screening signal before comparing candidates or modelling a purchase; the matching rent ranking can provide broader market context.

  5. Is Bowen a good investment?

    QuickProperty's investment signals for Bowen show: High Yield, Below Median, Moderate. These are computed from price, rent, income, and population data — not an opaque score.

  6. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Bowen?

    Property prices come from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region. Demographics are from ABS Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA. Crime statistics are from state police agencies. Transport data is sourced from GTFS feeds.

  7. How often is the Bowen data updated?

    Property prices update quarterly. RBA macro indicators update with each deploy. Demographics are from Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA 2025.