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ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
McKinlay is a coastal suburb in Queensland, Australia, with a population of approximately 162, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 1373 km from the Brisbane CBD, McKinlay is a coastal area in Queensland. The median household income is $112,632 per year.
McKinlay benefits from a high-income resident base, supporting premium property pricing. Seaside positioning attracts both owner-occupiers and holiday rental demand.
Official Australia Post postcode for McKinlay. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.
Australia Post Postcode Finder →Usual resident population at the most recent census.
Weekly median rent for occupied homes. Live rental data integration coming soon.
Annual median household income (before tax) across all households.
Straight-line distance from the suburb centroid to the nearest capital city CBD. Actual driving distance will be longer.
Estimated 1 school within or near this suburb.
Find schools near McKinlay on My School →Estimated 1 park and green spaces near this suburb.
Monthly median mortgage repayment for households currently paying off a mortgage.
Proportion of separate houses versus units, townhouses, and other home types. Useful for investors assessing rental demand mix.
McKinlay is a smaller community of 162 — about 3% of the Queensland suburb median (5,474) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. Median household income of $112,632/year runs 25% above the Queensland suburb median of $90,298, indicating strong purchasing power and the type of demographic profile that tends to sustain premium property prices through market cycles. The median weekly rent of $285 translates to approximately $14,820/year in gross rental income, setting the upper bound on yield before vacancy, rates, insurance and maintenance. McKinlay is 1373 km from Brisbane, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand.
How McKinlay stacks up against the median of all Queensland suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean McKinlay sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | McKinlay | QLD median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 162 | 5,474 | -97% |
| Median household income | $112,632/yr | $90,298/yr | +25% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $285 | $385 | -26% |
| Distance to CBD | 1373 km | 62 km | +2115% |
| Separate houses | 77% | 77% | 0pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for McKinlay — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Limited buy-and-hold upside: a small population of 162 means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider Queensland market over full cycles.
Gross rent of $285/week (~$14,820/year) sets the yield ceiling. Cross-check against your purchase price to confirm whether this suburb hits the 4–5% gross yield most Australian investors target.
With 77% houses in a 162-person market, renovation margins depend on individual street and aspect rather than any suburb-wide story — do comparable-sales analysis before committing capital.
Run the numbers on a McKinlay property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Capital-growth expectations for McKinlay are modest for 2026 — incomes 25% above the QLD median of $90,298 and a population of 162 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rents sit around $285/week, setting the baseline gross rental income at roughly $14,820/year — refine this against current listings before running your numbers. The EquitySight investment score of 57/100 places McKinlay in the mid tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is balanced heading into the second half of 2026.
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McKinlay scores 57/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a moderate rating. That score is driven by a population of 162, median household income of $112,632/year and median weekly rent of $285. Whether it fits your portfolio depends on whether you are targeting cash flow, capital growth, or a value-add renovation — all three are scored with suburb-specific numbers elsewhere on this page.
The main demand drivers in McKinlay are an above-state-median household income of $112,632/year, a dwelling mix that is 77% separate houses, roughly 1 schools and 1 parks within the catchment. Together these shape both owner-occupier and tenant demand and are the factors we weight most heavily in the suburb's investment score.
McKinlay has a usual resident population of approximately 162, compared with a Queensland suburb median of 5,474 — placing it in the lower half of the state's suburbs by size. Population is the clearest proxy for market depth: more residents mean more transactions and typically a shorter average days-on-market on resale.
McKinlay sits 1373 km straight-line from the Brisbane CBD. This is a regional market where CBD distance is only indicative — local industry diversity and commute alternatives matter more.
The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $285 in McKinlay, equating to approximately $14,820/year in gross rental income (state median $385/week). Market rents have typically drifted above the recorded figure — verify against current listings on realestate.com.au and Domain before making an offer.
A reliable median mortgage figure was not captured for McKinlay. Use our loan serviceability calculator to estimate a realistic monthly repayment for your target purchase price and deposit.
Census data was not complete enough in McKinlay to compute a clean rent-to-mortgage coverage. Use current listings to benchmark weekly rent, then plug your expected purchase price into our rental yield calculator to see whether the investment runs cash-flow positive or negative.
The main risks are a thin buyer pool (162 residents), interest-rate sensitivity, the broader Queensland market cycle. Each of these is covered in the Risk Factors section above with suburb-specific numbers rather than generic warnings.
Every number on this page comes from the ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing, Australia Post postcode reference data, and OpenStreetMap amenity tiles. The investment score, strategy verdicts, and comparison table are computed deterministically from those inputs — no opinion, no estimation. See our full methodology and the data sources and licences for the formulas we use.