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ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
Merrimac is a coastal suburb in Queensland, Australia, with a population of approximately 7,212, making it a smaller community. Located approximately 73 km from the Brisbane CBD, Merrimac is a coastal area in Queensland. The median household income is $87,776 per year.
Moderate income levels in Merrimac indicate steady rental demand from working households. Seaside positioning attracts both owner-occupiers and holiday rental demand.
Official Australia Post postcode for Merrimac. 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 2 schools within or near this suburb.
Find schools near Merrimac on My School →Estimated 3 parks 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.
Merrimac's population of 7,212 sits 32% above the Queensland suburb median of 5,474, giving it a wider tenant and buyer catchment than the average QLD locality. At $87,776/year, household income in Merrimac is within 3% of the Queensland median ($90,298), placing the suburb firmly in the state's mainstream demographic band. Median weekly rent of $463 equates to $2,006/month — about 116% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,733/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. Merrimac is 73 km from Brisbane, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand. Only 46% of dwellings are separate houses (vs 77% state median), so this is a unit-heavy market where body-corporate decisions and strata supply meaningfully shape investor returns.
This suburb can suit investors targeting renter demand driven by lifestyle. Insurance, climate risk, and seasonal rental patterns all warrant a close look. Local rents consume roughly 27% of household income — a useful sanity check on tenant affordability.
How Merrimac stacks up against the median of all Queensland suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Merrimac sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | Merrimac | QLD median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 7,212 | 5,474 | +32% |
| Median household income | $87,776/yr | $90,298/yr | -3% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $463 | $385 | +20% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $1,733 | $1,733 | 0% |
| Distance to CBD | 73 km | 62 km | +18% |
| Separate houses | 46% | 77% | -31pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for Merrimac — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Solid buy-and-hold profile: a population of 7,212 and household income close to the QLD median ($87,776 vs $90,298) give the market enough depth for patient capital growth without the premium entry price of inner suburbs.
Strong rental coverage: $463/week (~$2,006/month) covers 116% of the $1,733/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $0/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.
Only 46% of dwellings are separate houses (vs 77% QLD median) — this is a unit and townhouse market, where cosmetic flips struggle against body-corporate restrictions, thinner after-reno uplift and competing new supply.
Run the numbers on a Merrimac property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Property values in Merrimac should track the wider Queensland market through 2026, with the $87,776/year median household income (close to the $90,298 state median) keeping the suburb firmly mid-pack. Rental coverage runs at ~116% of the typical mortgage ($2,006/month rent vs $1,733/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 55/100 places Merrimac 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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Merrimac scores 55/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a moderate rating. That score is driven by a population of 7,212, median household income of $87,776/year and median weekly rent of $463. 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 Merrimac are a median household income of $87,776/year, a dwelling mix that is 46% separate houses, roughly 2 schools and 3 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.
Merrimac has a usual resident population of approximately 7,212, compared with a Queensland suburb median of 5,474 — placing it in the upper 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.
Merrimac sits 73 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 $463 in Merrimac, equating to approximately $24,076/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.
The median monthly mortgage repayment in Merrimac is $1,733, or approximately $20,796/year (vs $1,733/month state median). Stress-test your own borrowing at rates 1–2 percentage points above today's to make sure you can still service the loan through an RBA tightening cycle.
A median weekly rent of $463 works out to $2,006/month, covering 116% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,733/month. That means rent exceeds the median repayment by roughly $273/month, so on these numbers Merrimac leans cash-flow-positive before accounting for strata, council rates, insurance and maintenance. Actual cash flow depends on your deposit, loan terms, ownership costs and marginal tax rate — run the full numbers in our rental yield calculator.
The main risks are interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,733 median mortgage, 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.