Ooralea Growth Profile

Ooralea (formerly known as Planelands) is part of the traditional lands of the Yuwibara people.

Early European development included the establishment of the Mackay Turf Club in 1866 for a racecourse.

Until the 1970’s Ooralea was beyond Mackay’s built up area, characterised by cane farming. In 1992 the Mackay campus of Central Queensland University opened and housing was well established between the campus and the racecourse.

Further rapid housing development occurred due to the mining boom from 2002 to 2013, transforming Ooralea into the suburb we know today.

Outlook

Continuing as a suburban working families with children area of Mackay region. On current trends residents will work across skilled industries including health, mining and retail. Growth is driven by proximity to employment in Paget industrial area, Central Queensland University and within 5 1/2km of the city centre.

Total Residents

Main Industries of Employment for Residents 2018

	Mining	13.4%
	Health	10.8%
	Retail	9.7%

Population by Age

Dwelling Types

Demographic Profile

A population of 3,500 people representing 2.9% the population of Mackay region.

The age profile is characteristic of working families with children. 20.2% aged 0-14 years (Mackay region average 20.7%) and 68.8% aged 15-64 years (Mackay region averge 66.2%).

Of the population of Ooralea, 12.1% were born overseas. Above the Mackay region average of 11.7%.

77.5% are family oriented households. Reflective of the age structure with working families with children.

High home ownership in the area, with only 28.6% of dwellings rented. Below the Mackay region average of 31.5%.

Average household size of 2.7. Above the Mackay region average of 2.5. This is reflective of the family oriented nature of the area.

69.9% of residents hold some form of qualification. With 19.2% a bachelor degree or higher and 50.7% a certificate level qualification. This is similar to Mackay region averages.

92.7% of working age residents are employed, above the Mackay region average of 91.4%.