Sarina, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Sarina is a coastal town in the Mackay region of Queensland, about 34 kilometres south of Mackay and roughly 300 kilometres north of Rockhampton, set on Plane Creek not far from the Coral Sea. It lies on the country of the Yuwi people, who spoke the Yuwibara language. First known as Plane Creek, the town was renamed Sarina in 1907 after nearby Sarina Inlet, which a surveyor is said to have named after a figure from Greek mythology. Sugar has long been the mainstay, and the Plane Creek mill still processes local cane. Visitors stop at the Sarina Sugar Shed, a working miniature mill and distillery, and at the Buffy the Big Cane Toad statue, while Sarina Beach lies a short drive to the east.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Sarina is more socio-economically advantaged than about 14% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 908, 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.
Sarina at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 5,619
- Median age
- 40
- Median weekly household income
- $1,605
- SEIFA score
- 908
- Coordinates
- -21.4358, 149.1637
Sarina demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Sarina 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 27%, 26% of homes are rented, and 7% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,102 | 20% |
| Youth (15–24) | 689 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,299 | 23% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,529 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 998 | 18% |
Share of the 5,617 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 664 | 34% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 696 | 36% |
| Rented | 499 | 26% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,777 | 91% |
| Townhouses & semis | 127 | 7% |
| Flats & apartments | 20 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,949 occupied private dwellings in Sarina.
- Median weekly rent
- $300
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Average household size
- 2.6 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,917
- Median weekly personal income
- $710
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 370 (7%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 149 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 533 (9%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,585 (37%)
- Labour-force participation
- 56.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 5%
- Employed full-time
- 1,564
- Employed part-time
- 678
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 Sarina
Where is Sarina?
Sarina is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Sarina?
At the 2021 Census, Sarina had a population of about 5,619.
Is Sarina an advantaged area?
Sarina has an ABS SEIFA score of 908, 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.
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