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This analysis uses ABS Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2) boundaries, which can materially differ from Suburbs and Localities (SAL) even when sharing similar names.
SA2 boundaries are defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and are designed to represent communities for statistical reporting (e.g., census and ERP).
Suburbs and Localities (SAL) represent commonly-used suburb/locality names (postal-style areas) and may use different geographic boundaries. For comprehensive analysis, consider reviewing both boundary types if available.
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ABS ERP | -- people | --
2021 Census | -- people
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Kuranda has an estimated 5,045 residents, up from 4,826 at the 2021 Census — a change of 219 people, or 4.5%. Growth has averaged 1.0% a year over five years. Fewer than ten people live on each square kilometre, across a boundary that takes in surrounding rural land. Population is estimated from ABS Estimated Resident Population releases and GNAF address data, re-based from the 2021 Census and updated annually.
Detail
As of Aug 2026, demographic analysis from AreaSearch indicates that the population of Kuranda sits at approximately 5,045. This represents an addition of 219 people (4.5%) compared with the 4,826 people recorded during the 2021 Census. Such growth is calculated using the June 2025 ABS estimated resident population figure of 5,033 combined with 37 validated new addresses identified following the Census. With 8.5 persons per square kilometer, the locality maintains a spacious density level. Overseas migration served as the primary growth contributor, accounting for roughly 60.0% of recent population additions, while natural increase and interstate arrivals also provided positive contributions.
Population projections for the SA2 are sourced from the ABS/Geoscience Australia dataset released in 2024 (using 2022 as a base), while Queensland State Government SA2 projections released in 2023 (based on 2021 figures) are referenced for any unlisted locations and timelines extending past 2032. Because state datasets omit specific age breakdowns, AreaSearch incorporates age-cohort growth weightings based on the 2023 Greater Capital Region ABS series (2022 baseline). Looking toward 2041, the area is projected to achieve population growth exceeding the median for non-metropolitan Australia, expanding by 826 persons according to the latest annual ERP statistics, which equals an overall rise of 16.1% across the 16 years.
Frequently Asked Questions - Population
60 new dwellings have been approved in Kuranda over the past five years, an average of 12 a year. That is 2.4 approvals per 1,000 residents. Figures come from ABS building approvals aggregated to this SA2 boundary and are updated monthly as the ABS releases them.
Detail
Residential building approvals in Kuranda have averaged approximately 12 dwellings per annum, resulting in 60 homes approved across the previous 5 financial years. Between FY-22 and FY-26, incoming population additions ran at 4.3 people per year for every dwelling constructed over the past 5 financial years, meaning demand outpaces new supply and puts upward pressure on prices and buyer competition. New dwelling construction costs average $397,000, which sits below regional benchmarks and offers comparatively affordable building options. Meanwhile, non-residential activity remains subdued, with commercial building approvals totaling $494,000 during this financial year.
Per capita building approval volume in Kuranda sits 53.0% below regional average per person, trailing Rest of Qld substantially and falling short of national levels due to established market conditions and local development constraints. This constrained addition of new dwellings generally bolsters demand and supports valuations across established homes. Detached houses constitute 92.0% of recent residential building activity, with townhouses or apartments making up 8.0%, preserving a low-density environment suited to family living. A ratio of 500 people in the area per dwelling approval highlights the restrained pace of local development. Based on the most recent quarterly estimate from AreaSearch, Kuranda is forecast to gain 814 residents by 2041. Should current construction volumes persist without accelerating, residential additions could lag behind population expansion, intensifying competition among prospective purchasers and reinforcing upward price momentum.
Frequently Asked Questions - Development
Development applications around Kuranda
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| Lodged | Address | Description | Type | Distance | Status |
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SOURCE: Planning portals and council registers, compiled by AreaSearch. Distance & bearing measured from the suburb midpoint.
AreaSearch tracks 2 current infrastructure and development projects inside Kuranda, worth an estimated $41 million. A further 51 sit in the immediately surrounding suburbs, taking the tracked pipeline within reach of the area to $2.96 billion. 16 are already under construction and 21 are due for completion within three years. The pipeline spans residential development, communities, precincts & urban renewal and transport & logistics. Records are compiled from Infrastructure Australia, state agencies, council planning portals and public announcements, reviewed and updated daily, then ranked by proximity, construction stage, completion horizon and project scale.
Detail
Local capital works, planning schemes, and regional infrastructure delivery play a central role in driving district growth. AreaSearch has pinpointed 34 projects positioned to influence the area, led by key initiatives such as Kuranda Subdivision Project, Northern Beaches Water Network Upgrade, The Palms, and Seascape Terraces, Trinity Park.
Professional plan users can use the search below to filter and access additional projects.
INFRASTRUCTURE SEARCH
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Frequently Asked Questions - Infrastructure
Barnwell Road Subdivision Project
A rural residential subdivision development on Barnwell Road in Kuranda, bordering Cain Creek. Initially proposed as a six-lot development, it was approved by the Mareeba Shire Council as a four-lot subdivision. The consolidation ensures land parcels are between 1.5 and 2.7 hectares to match the area's character and address community concerns regarding water supply and wildlife habitat.
Bayview Heights to Davies Creek Refit Project
Powerlink undertook refit works on 21 of the 37 transmission towers along a 16km section of the 275kV transmission line from Bayview Heights in Cairns to Davies Creek, east of Mareeba, in Far North Queensland. Some of the towers are among the tallest in Powerlink's network at 85 metres, designed to sit above the rainforest canopy. The three-year project was necessary to address structural corrosion caused by extreme climatic conditions in the wet tropics, including high ambient temperatures, high humidity, and regular rainfall outside the wet season.Works included checking and replacing corroded nuts, bolts and steelwork, upgrading tower earthing systems, replacing tower signs and anti-climbing barriers, foundation strengthening, and cleaning, surface preparation and hand painting of towers with zinc-rich paint. The maintenance works were completed in early December 2025, ensuring continued safe and reliable electricity supply to the Cairns region.
Northern Beaches Water Network Upgrade
Council's 10-year program (circa $31m) to install and replace trunk and distribution water mains across Cairns' Northern Beaches to improve flow, reduce breakages, and increase reliability for about 34,000 residents. Staged delivery: Stages 1-5 completed (2015-2020), Stage 6 Kamerunga Road underway, Stage 7 Trinity Beach mains and booster station planned by Dec 2026, Stage 8 Paradise Palms to Clifton Beach trunk main planned by Jun 2032.
Reefsedge Resort & Waterpark
A state-of-the-art $235 million waterpark and luxury resort development on the former Paradise Palms site. The project features 22 slides, including a three-level tower and the King Cobra slide, plus wave and lagoon pools. The masterplan includes 364 villas, 127 ensuited caravan sites, and a fully renovated clubhouse. Designed as a catalytic tourism project for Far North Queensland, it expects to attract 379,000 annual visitors and create over 400 operational jobs.
The Palms
The Palms is a major masterplanned redevelopment of the former Paradise Palms Golf Course into a mixed-use precinct. The project features approximately 330 residential lots and the $210 million Reefsedge Waterpark and Tourist Park, which includes over 20 water slides, resort pools, 364 villas, and 47 caravan sites. The site also incorporates a proposed Catholic primary school and a village hub with retail and dining. Civil works are ongoing, with the waterpark and resort components targeted for a mid-2026 opening.
Seascape Terraces, Trinity Park
Residential development featuring terraced housing and apartments in Trinity Park. Multiple building types proposed with contemporary tropical architecture and landscaped outdoor spaces.
The Palms Collection Masterplan
A $300 million-plus masterplanned community transforming the former Paradise Palms Golf Course into a mixed-use precinct. The development comprises 438 residential lots (including an estate and a 349-site land-lease retirement village), a Catholic primary school, EnviroDevelopment-certified open space with walking trails, and planned tourism accommodation. The Reefsedge Resort and Waterpark component ($210 million, 427 cabins, water slides and wave pool) was cancelled in May 2026 after civil works were largely completed, due to a significant escalation in project costs linked to global supply chain disruptions and the conflict in Iran.The residential subdivision and retirement village remain under active construction. Civil works contractor FGF Developments and builder Keir Queensland Design and Construct were engaged for the waterpark stage.
Northern Beaches Catholic Primary School
Proposed Catholic primary school within The Palms masterplanned community at the former Paradise Palms site in Kewarra Beach. The school is intended to service growing enrolments across the Cairns Northern Beaches. Cairns Catholic Education continues to identify the school as a future project subject to funding, statutory approvals and delivery scheduling. No construction commencement has been announced.
2,221 residents of Kuranda are employed, from a labour force of 2,468. Unemployment sits at 10.0%, with participation at 58.0%. Weighted for its industry mix, the area's sectors are forecast to grow about 6.5% nationally over five years. That reflects industry composition only and makes no allowance for local population growth. The working-day population is estimated at 4,374, about 87% of the resident population, so more people leave the area for work than travel in. Unemployment and labour force come from ABS Small Area Labour Markets, updated quarterly; the industry and occupation profile is from the 2021 Census.
Detail
Kuranda maintains a skilled local labor pool with solid representation across essential services, alongside an unemployment rate of 10.0%. As of March 2026, 2,221 residents are actively working, though local unemployment sits 6.1% higher than the Regional Qld figure of 3.9%, and the labor force participation rate of 58.0% falls behind the 64.2% recorded for Regional Qld. Census records indicate that 21.6% of working locals operated from home, taking into account the broader context of Covid-19 restrictions. Local workers are primarily concentrated within health care & social assistance, education & training, and construction.
The community exhibits a distinct specialization in public administration & safety, where the concentration of jobs is 1.4 times the regional level. Conversely, manufacturing employs only 3.9% of local workers compared to 5.6% across Regional Qld. The balance between Census working population and resident counts highlights limited internal employment opportunities within the immediate area. According to AreaSearch evaluations of ABS and SALM figures, over the 12-month period the local labor pool contracted by 2.0% as employment dropped by 5.9%, driving an unemployment rate increase of 3.7 percentage points. Over the same timeframe, Regional Qld saw employment rise by 0.1% and the labor force grow by 0.3%, accompanied by a 0.1 percentage point increase in joblessness. Looking forward, Jobs and Skills Australia projections from Mar-26 outline national employment expansions of 6.6% across five years and 13.7% across ten years, with performance varying by sector. Weighting these national trajectories against the local industry structure suggests Kuranda employment could rise by 6.5% over five years and 13.5% over ten years, serving as an illustrative structural baseline rather than a localized population forecast.
Frequently Asked Questions - Employment
Median household income in Kuranda is $1,352 a week (about $70,000 a year), with median personal income at $622 a week. ATO records put median taxable income at $45,018 a year against an average of $58,972. Household income is from the 2021 Census; taxable income is from ATO Taxation Statistics for the latest financial year available, indexed forward using the ABS Wage Price Index.
Detail
ATO taxation data for financial year 2023 compiled by AreaSearch indicates that earnings in the Kuranda SA2 sit below national norms, registering a median income of $45,018 and an average income of $58,972, compared to $53,146 (median) and $66,593 (average) in Regional Qld. Factoring in Wage Price Index growth of 11.36% since financial year 2023 generates updated March 2026 estimates of $50,132 for median earnings and $65,671 for average income. In the 2021 Census, local household, family, and individual incomes placed within the 14th to 24th percentiles across Australia. Within the community, 30.3% of individuals (1,528 individuals) fall into the $1,500 - 2,999 weekly earnings bracket, closely tracking the 31.7% seen across the broader region.
Residual income after housing costs is 85.1%, ranking at the 26th percentile nationally, with the district placed in the 4th decile on the SEIFA income index.
Frequently Asked Questions - Income
Kuranda had 1,735 occupied dwellings at the 2021 Census, 92% detached houses and 3% apartments. 38% are owned with a mortgage, 21% rented and 41% owned outright. At that Census the median rent was $270 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,647 a month. Rent absorbs 20.0% of household income here and mortgage repayments 28.1%. Dwelling stock, tenure and housing costs are 2021 Census measures — the only source that counts dwellings at this boundary size.
Detail
At the time of the latest Census, the housing landscape in Kuranda consisted of 91.9% houses alongside 8.1% other dwellings (incorporating semi-detached units, apartments, and other dwellings), whereas Regional Qld recorded 76.4% houses and 23.6% other dwellings. Outright home ownership reached 41.1%, considerably above regional levels, while mortgaged properties accounted for 37.9% and rental accommodation made up 21.1%. Typical monthly mortgage payments were $1,647, below the Regional Qld figure of $1,655, and median weekly rent was $270 versus $345 regionally. Compared nationally, local mortgage repayments remain well below the Australian average of $1,863, with weekly rent also tracking well beneath the national standard of $375.
Frequently Asked Questions - Housing
Kuranda counted 1,735 households at the 2021 Census, averaging 2.5 people each. 24% are couples with children, against 34% couples without children. 26% of households are people living alone, and families average 1.7 children. Household and family composition is measured only by the Census, so these are 2021 figures.
Detail
Family units constitute 70.0% of local households, consisting of 33.9% couples without children, 24.4% couples with children, and 10.6% single parent families. The remaining 30.0% are non-family arrangements, with lone person households representing 25.6% and group households accounting for 4.3%. The median household size of 2.5 people matches the Regional Qld average exactly.
Frequently Asked Questions - Households
25.1% of adults in Kuranda hold a university qualification, including 16.8% with a bachelor degree and 5.3% with postgraduate qualifications. A further 30.3% hold a vocational qualification. 2 schools serve the area, with 490 enrolment places and an average ICSEA of 971 against a national benchmark of 1,000. Qualifications come from the 2021 Census; school enrolments, ICSEA and results come from ACARA's current release.
Detail
Educational attainment in the district is elevated, with 25.1% of residents aged 15+ holding university credentials compared to the SA3 average of 17.9%. Bachelor degrees represent the largest tertiary cohort at 16.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 5.3% and graduate diplomas at 3.0%. In addition, technical and vocational training is held by 43.7% of residents aged 15+, comprising 13.4% with advanced diplomas and 30.3% holding certificates. Formal study engagement is substantial across the population, with 31.6% of residents attending an educational institution. This includes 11.4% enrolled in primary education, 10.9% attending secondary education, and 4.2% undertaking tertiary education courses.
Frequently Asked Questions - Education
Schools Detail
Getting around Kuranda means driving: households keep an average of 1.6 vehicles, and no scheduled public transport appears in the current timetable feeds. Service data is built from operators' published GTFS timetables; vehicle ownership is from the 2021 Census.
Frequently Asked Questions - Transport
Transport Stops Detail
70.6% of residents in Kuranda report no long-term health condition. 4.8% need daily assistance with core activities, and 48.4% hold private health cover. The standardised death rate runs at 5.6 per 1,000 residents. Health conditions, assistance needs and insurance are 2021 Census measures; the death rate comes from current ABS releases.
Detail
Health indicators across Kuranda remain generally favorable, with AreaSearch evaluations of mortality and health metrics aligning with nationwide standards and showing normal incidence of health conditions across all cohorts. Private health insurance participation is low, encompassing roughly 48% of the community (~2,441 people), compared against 52.5% in Regional Qld and a national rate of 55.7%. Among reported medical conditions, arthritis affects 8.7% of residents and mental health issues impact 7.2%, while 70.6% of the population indicated no medical ailments, outperforming the 67.6% recorded across Regional Qld. Health metrics are positive among residents under 65, and the senior cohort (aged 65 and over), which comprises 24.0% of the population (1,211 people) compared to 20.3% in Regional Qld, demonstrates particularly strong health outcomes relative to national standards.
Frequently Asked Questions - Health
Kuranda is largely Australian-born, at 75.9% of residents, with 8.5% speaking a language other than English at home. The largest reported ancestries are English (28.7%) and Australian (21.5%). 9.2% of residents identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Ancestry, language and country of birth are counted only by the Census, so these are 2021 figures.
Detail
Cultural diversity metrics in Kuranda closely track broader regional patterns, with Australian citizens making up 83.2% of the population, 75.9% of residents born in Australia, and 91.5% speaking solely English at home. Christianity forms the leading religious affiliation at 36.7% of the populace. Notably, the Other category shows higher relative representation, comprising 0.9% in Kuranda compared to 0.8% across Regional Qld. Regarding ancestral background, English ancestry is the most common at 28.7%, followed by Australian at 21.5% (below the 26.5% regional benchmark) and Australian Aboriginal at 9.2% (substantially higher than the 3.9% regional rate).
Other distinct ancestral groups include Dutch at 2.5% (against 1.1% regionally), French at 0.9% (versus 0.5%), and German at 5.1% (compared with 4.7% across the region).
Frequently Asked Questions - Diversity
The median resident of Kuranda is 47, older than 84% of areas nationally. 17.0% of residents are aged 15 to 34. Age cohorts are not raw Census counts: the Census split is re-based to the latest ABS population estimates and state projections.
Detail
The age profile of Kuranda is oriented toward mature residents. AreaSearch estimates for August 2026 place 32.1% of locals in the 45 - 64 age bracket compared to 24.6% in Regional Qld, while 25 - 44 year olds account for 18.4% versus 25.5% regionally. The estimated median age sits at 47 as at August 2026, identical to the 2021 Census figure and above both the Regional Qld median of 41 and the national Census median of 38. Residents aged 65+ have increased from 20.4% at the Census to 24.0%. By 2041, senior cohorts are forecast to record the largest numerical gain, rising by 320 (26%) to 1,531, while 25 - 44 year olds will experience the fastest rate of growth, increasing by 27% to 1,177.
Frequently Asked Questions - Age
Data & MethodBoundaries, Sources & Method for Kuranda
9 of 14 data sections on this page were updated within the last 12 months — the newest current to Sep 2026.
Everything is aggregated to the SA2 boundary shown above, on a 2021 Census baseline. Only 3 sections — housing, households and cultural diversity — still wait on the 2026 Census.
The ledger — source, cycle and currency by section
| Section | Source & update cycle | Currency |
|---|---|---|
| Updated within the last 12 months 9 sections | ||
| Population | ABS, GNAF, Geoscience Australia Annual (ABS ERP) | Aug 2026 last month headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Re-based to the ABS Estimated Resident Population (June 2025 release) and updated with new dwellings from GNAF address data. Current to Aug 2026, with the 2021 Census supplying the small-area baseline. | ||
| Age profile | ABS, Geoscience Australia, State governments Annual | Aug 2026 last month headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Age cohorts are re-based to the latest ABS population estimates and state projections, current to Aug 2026. Each cohort is held as a Census baseline and a current estimate. | ||
| Development & approvals | ABS, GNAF Monthly (ABS approvals) | Aug 2026 last month headline measures · Jul 2026 baseline |
| Property sales & rents | Valuer General, Rental Board, ABS Weekly sales, quarterly rents | Sep 2026 this month all 21 measures |
| Sales from the state Valuer General register, refreshed weekly, and rents from quarterly rental bond lodgements. Both are read live each time this page loads, current to Sep 2026. | ||
| Infrastructure projects | Infrastructure Australia, State agencies, Local governments Daily | Jul 2026 2 months ago all 2 projects tracked here |
| Project pipeline maintained continuously from Infrastructure Australia, state agencies, local government and public announcements. Records are added and revised daily; this area was last updated Jul 2026. | ||
| Employment | ABS, DEWR, JSA Quarterly (ABS SALM) | Mar 2026 6 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Unemployment and labour force from ABS Small Area Labour Markets, current to Mar 2026. The growth outlook applies Department of Employment (now Jobs and Skills Australia) forecasts for all 19 industry divisions to the local industry mix, so it measures sector composition rather than local expansion and makes no allowance for population growth. Job demand comes from the same agency via its Internet Vacancy Index; industry and occupation structure from the 2021 Census. | ||
| Education | ABS, ACARA Annual (ACARA) | Aug 2026 last month headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Transport | ABS, State Transport Departments Each timetable release | Jul 2026 2 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Services & amenities | Provider directories, ACECQA Continuous | Jul 2026 2 months ago all 14 measures |
| Annual and financial-year sources 2 sections | ||
| Income | ABS, ATO Annual (ATO) | FY 2023 3 years ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| ATO taxable income statistics for FY 2023, indexed forward using the Wage Price Index. Census household income provides the distribution detail. | ||
| Health | ABS, ATO Annual | 2024 2 years ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Census-measured — next update: 2026 Census 3 sections No more current small-area source exists for these, so they are labelled as Census-measured rather than implied to be current. | ||
| Housing | ABS 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 30 measures |
| Households | ABS 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 18 measures |
| Cultural diversity | ABS, Geoscience Australia 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 44 measures |
"Currency" is the most recent release feeding that section. Where the Census supplies the structural baseline underneath a current headline figure, the row says so.
How the numbers are built
Population
The Census provides the small-area baseline, aggregated from mesh blocks to this boundary. It is then re-based to the ABS Estimated Resident Population (June 2025 release), and new dwellings built since Census night are counted from address data — 37 validated new addresses here. The headline figure is therefore a current estimate for Aug 2026, not a 2021 count (4,826 at the 2021 Census → 5,045 now). Annual growth rates are compound (CAGR), not simple averages.
Age profile
Cohort shares are not raw Census counts. Every cohort is held as a pair — the Census baseline and a current estimate — and the split is re-based using ERP and state population projections, current to Aug 2026. Median age is the Census median plus modelled change since. Charts that show both are labelled "2021 Census vs Current Estimate".
Property sales
Sourced from the state valuation authority's sales register — current, not Census, and refreshed weekly. Medians are calculated from settled transactions in the period shown; periods with very low transaction counts are flagged or suppressed, because a handful of sales can move a median substantially.
Rents
Derived from state rental bond lodgement data, by dwelling type and bedroom count. Bonds are lodged at the start of a new tenancy, so this reflects new lettings, not the whole rented stock.
Development & infrastructure
Building approvals come from current ABS releases; development applications are collected from council and state planning portals; the infrastructure pipeline is compiled from Infrastructure Australia and local government sources. Applications are matched to this boundary by address or coordinates, so very recent lodgements may not yet appear.
Employment & income
Industry and occupation structure comes from the Census, but the headline labour-market indicators do not. Unemployment and labour force are derived from ABS Small Area Labour Markets (quarterly). The employment outlook applies Department of Employment forecasts for all 19 industry divisions to this area's own industry mix (the agency is now Jobs and Skills Australia), as does the Internet Vacancy Index used for job demand. Because it is weighted on industry composition alone, that outlook carries no allowance for local population growth — in fast-growing areas the real rise in local jobs will typically be higher. Income combines Census household income with ATO taxable-income statistics for FY 2023, indexed forward using the Wage Price Index.
Education, transport & amenities
School enrolments, ICSEA and performance come from ACARA's current release, not the Census. Public transport stops and service frequency are derived from GTFS timetable feeds published by state transport departments. Services and amenities are proximity and count scores built from provider directories, refreshed on their own cycle. The Census contributes only the travel-to-work and qualification measures.
Rankings and benchmarks. Where we rank this area, the comparison set is every area of the same boundary type — suburbs against suburbs, SA2s against SA2s. Benchmarks compare this area against its greater capital city region and the national figure for the same measure and period.
Limits worth knowing. Small areas carry larger error margins, and the ABS introduces small random adjustments to Census counts to protect confidentiality — so totals may not sum exactly. Estimates re-based from regional data describe the area's expected trajectory, not a direct count of it. Figures are indicative for research and are not financial, planning or valuation advice.
Cross-check us. The Census baseline for this boundary is at ABS 2021 Census QuickStats (306051168). QuickStats reports 2021 only — the figures on this page are more current wherever the ledger shows a later date.