Mossman, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Mossman is a sugar town in Far North Queensland, about 75 kilometres north of Cairns and a little inland from Port Douglas. It lies in the country of the Kuku Yalanji people, whose language belongs to the Mossman and Daintree districts. The town takes its name from the Mossman River, named in 1873 after Hugh Mosman, who had found gold at Charters Towers. Cane has long been the mainstay: the Mossman Central Mill opened in 1897 and crushed the district's sugar until it closed in 2024. Just west of town, Mossman Gorge — part of Daintree National Park and the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area — draws visitors to its clear river and rainforest walks, making the town a gateway to the Daintree.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Mossman is more socio-economically advantaged than about 8% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 877, 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.
Mossman at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,935
- Median age
- 43
- Median weekly household income
- $1,197
- SEIFA score
- 877
- Coordinates
- -16.4555, 145.3721
Mossman demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Mossman 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 mid-life (45–64) at 26%, 39% of homes are rented, and 14% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 408 | 21% |
| Youth (15–24) | 209 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 398 | 21% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 507 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 408 | 21% |
Share of the 1,930 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 220 | 31% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 174 | 25% |
| Rented | 274 | 39% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 583 | 82% |
| Townhouses & semis | 44 | 6% |
| Flats & apartments | 68 | 10% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 714 occupied private dwellings in Mossman.
- Median weekly rent
- $250
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,450
- Median weekly personal income
- $625
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 246 (14%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 162 (9%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 392 (20%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 585 (40%)
- Labour-force participation
- 52.2%
- Unemployment rate
- 6%
- Employed full-time
- 403
- Employed part-time
- 283
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 Mossman
Where is Mossman?
Mossman is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Mossman?
At the 2021 Census, Mossman had a population of about 1,935.
Is Mossman an advantaged area?
Mossman has an ABS SEIFA score of 877, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 8 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 8% of Australian suburbs.
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