Malanda, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Malanda is a dairy town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, set about 732 metres above sea level and roughly 85km from Cairns. Its name comes from Malanda Creek and is believed to be an Aboriginal word for the upper Johnstone River, variously rendered as 'little stream with big stones' or 'running rivers'; the town formed part of Ngajanji country. Settlement began in 1908 when James English and James Emerson started the local dairy industry, and the railway arrived in 1911. Dairying and tourism still sustain the town, and visitors come for Malanda Falls, the swimming hole below it, and the Majestic Theatre, said to be one of Australia's oldest continuously running cinemas.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Malanda is more socio-economically advantaged than about 14% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 911, 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.
Malanda at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,000
- Median age
- 51
- Median weekly household income
- $1,120
- SEIFA score
- 911
- Coordinates
- -17.3734, 145.5916
Malanda demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Malanda 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 seniors (65+) at 30%, 28% of homes are rented, and 14% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 362 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 167 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 326 | 16% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 544 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 605 | 30% |
Share of the 2,004 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 316 | 41% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 212 | 27% |
| Rented | 216 | 28% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 707 | 92% |
| Townhouses & semis | 7 | 1% |
| Flats & apartments | 54 | 7% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 768 occupied private dwellings in Malanda.
- Median weekly rent
- $250
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,429
- Median weekly personal income
- $597
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 247 (14%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 84 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 127 (6%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 675 (43%)
- Labour-force participation
- 49.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.3%
- Employed full-time
- 394
- Employed part-time
- 297
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.
Weather and climate in Malanda
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Malanda is December (average daytime high around 28.1°C) and the coolest is July (around 20.6°C). The area receives roughly 1267 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27.3°C | 19.9°C | 262 mm |
| Feb | 27°C | 20°C | 221 mm |
| Mar | 26.2°C | 19.3°C | 188 mm |
| Apr | 24.7°C | 17.9°C | 107 mm |
| May | 22.5°C | 15.7°C | 50 mm |
| Jun | 20.8°C | 14.2°C | 45 mm |
| Jul | 20.6°C | 13°C | 33 mm |
| Aug | 21.8°C | 13°C | 23 mm |
| Sep | 23.8°C | 14.5°C | 18 mm |
| Oct | 26.6°C | 16.3°C | 37 mm |
| Nov | 28°C | 17.9°C | 58 mm |
| Dec | 28.1°C | 19.3°C | 225 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Malanda
Where is Malanda?
Malanda is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Malanda?
At the 2021 Census, Malanda had a population of about 2,000.
Is Malanda an advantaged area?
Malanda has an ABS SEIFA score of 911, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 14 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 14% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Malanda?
Malanda has average daytime highs of about 24.8°C and overnight lows of about 16.8°C, with roughly 1,267 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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