Moving to Cooktown QLD 4895
What the official numbers say about living in Cooktown — before you pack a box.
At a glance
Housing: buy or rent
Renting? The census median is $230 a week, against a median household income of $1,215 a week.
About 58% of homes are owner-occupied and 37% rented, and the most common dwelling type is the house.
Who you'll be living with
Cooktown grew 17% between the 2011 and 2021 censuses (2,339 → 2,746 people).
Around 63% of households are families, averaging 2.3 people per home.
Largest overseas birthplaces: New Zealand, England, Philippines; most spoken languages besides English: Australian Indigenous, German, French.
On the ABS advantage scale (SEIFA), Cooktown scores below the national average (decile 2 of 10).
The commute
The most common way to work is by car (80% of workers), while 10% work from home.
Nearest airport: Cooktown Airport, 5.8 km north-west.
The Brisbane CBD is roughly 1558 km away in a straight line.
Daily life
Mapped locally so far: 1 cafe or restaurant · 1 supermarket · 1 park — see them all on the Cooktown profile.
What's actually nearby
Groceries: Cornett's IGA 2.2 km
Parks and reserves: Anzac Memorial Park 2.2 km
What you'll see in the garden
Birds recorded around Cooktown, most often seen first: Bar-shouldered Dove · Yellow Oriole · Rainbow Lorikeet · Yellow-spotted Honeyeater · Australasian Figbird · Mistletoebird.
Before you move — quick checklist
- Your council will be Cook — bins, rates, pets and permits live there.
- You'll vote in the federal electorate of Leichhardt — update your enrolment address.
- The postcode is 4895 — handy for utility sign-ups and quotes.
- Check street-level details on the full Cooktown profile (map, streets, amenities, wildlife).
In short
Renters pay a median $230 a week, and about 37% of homes here are rented.
The population grew 17% between the 2011 and 2021 censuses, from 2,339 people to 2,746. It sits about 1558 km from the Brisbane CBD in a straight line. Local government is Cook council, and the federal seat is Leichhardt.
Keep an eye on Cooktown
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