Fraser Island

The population is far older than the national figure, with 28.9% being seniors aged 65 and over. In stark contrast to the rest of the state, there are no children under 15 in the area.

A high proportion of residents were born overseas, at 24.3%, which is much higher than in most similar areas. The most common ancestries are English, Australian, Scottish and Irish.

About 12.5% of people use a language other than English at home, which is much higher than in most similar areas. Hindi is the most common non-English language spoken.

The area has a high proportion of people with no religion at 44.7%, a figure well above both the Queensland and national figures.

The community is relatively well qualified, with 20.5% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Many of these qualifications are in management, commerce, and engineering.

Personal incomes are a little above the national figure, but typical household and family incomes are well below. Very few households earn $3,000 or more per week, which is far below the state average.

Residents are generally healthy, with a much lower rate of people needing help with daily activities (2.0%) and a much lower rate of mental health conditions (4.6%) than most areas.

Unpaid care for children and housework is far below the national average, consistent with the fact that there are no children in the community. However, volunteering is a little above the state figure at 15.9%.

The First Nations population is small, with a typical age of 47, which is far older than the national figure. Personal income for First Nations residents is far above the national average.

Most people live alone, accounting for 66% of households, which is far above the national figure. Because of this, the typical home has only 1.5 people, among the lowest in the country.

Housing is mostly small and affordable, with typical weekly rents far below the state figure at just $54. Only 34% of homes have three or more bedrooms, which is far below the national average.

Many residents live without a car—30.2% of homes have no vehicle, which is far above the national figure. This helps explain why 42.7% of people walk to work.

The population is highly mobile, with 55.6% having moved in the last five years. This is far above the national figure, driven by a very high number of recent arrivals from overseas (37.8%).

Full-time employment is far above the national average at 73%. Most people work in accommodation and food services, which make up 60.7% of all jobs.

The area is very car-dependent with a walkability score of 1.6, far below the state average. There are no schools or health services within a 15-minute walk for any resident.