Cloncurry, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Cloncurry is an outback town in north-west Queensland, on the Cloncurry River about 770 kilometres west of Townsville, in the Country of the Mitakoodi people. The explorer Robert O'Hara Burke passed through in 1860, and the river (and later the town) took its name from his relative Lady Elizabeth Cloncurry. Copper found nearby in the 1860s made the district a notable mining centre. Cloncurry holds a significant place in aviation and medical history as the base from which the Royal Flying Doctor Service flew its first mission on 15 May 1928, using a DH.50 aircraft leased from Qantas. The town is sometimes cited for an 1889 heat record of 53.1 degrees, though that reading was taken in non-standard conditions and its accuracy is disputed.
Less advantaged than the national average
Cloncurry is more socio-economically advantaged than about 27% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 944, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Cloncurry at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 3,167
- Median age
- 34
- Median weekly household income
- $1,953
- SEIFA score
- 944
- Coordinates
- -20.5089, 140.5498
Cloncurry demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Cloncurry using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is young adults (25–44) at 33%, 43% of homes are rented, and 11% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 630 | 20% |
| Youth (15–24) | 392 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,058 | 33% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 768 | 24% |
| Seniors (65+) | 321 | 10% |
Share of the 3,169 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 209 | 22% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 199 | 21% |
| Rented | 408 | 43% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 752 | 80% |
| Townhouses & semis | 24 | 3% |
| Flats & apartments | 104 | 11% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 940 occupied private dwellings in Cloncurry.
- Median weekly rent
- $240
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,200
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,380
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,246
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 281 (11%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 150 (6%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 751 (24%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,058 (43%)
- Labour-force participation
- 64.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.2%
- Employed full-time
- 1,120
- Employed part-time
- 290
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Common questions about Cloncurry
Where is Cloncurry?
Cloncurry is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Cloncurry?
At the 2021 Census, Cloncurry had a population of about 3,167.
Is Cloncurry an advantaged area?
Cloncurry has an ABS SEIFA score of 944, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 27 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 27% of Australian suburbs.
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