Whitsundays Market Update 2 nd H a l f 2 0 2 6
OVERVIEW
In Q2 2026, Whitsundays* recorded a median house price of $910,000 and a median unit price of $560,000. This represents an annual (Q2 2025 – Q2 2026) price growth of 13.8% for houses and 16.7% for units. Thus, now remains an ideal time for owners to capitalise on their investments. In comparing Q2 2025 and Q2 2026, sales declined by -29.2% for houses (to 34 sales in Q2 2026) and -47.7% for units (to 57 sales in Q2 2026). There is an undersupply for both property types, which created a buffer against higher interest rates in 2026 and resulted in price growth. Further, without any new ready-to-sell houses planned for construction in 2026 and 2027, the current undersupply will persist. Thus. buyers need to act fast.
CHANGE FROM LAST
YEAR
FUTURE D E V E L O P M E N T S **
Whitsundays£ will see approximately $595.0M of new projects commencing construction in 2026 and 2027.
Residential
$8.2M
Commercial
$92.9M
HALF YEAR
HOUSE SALE S
Mixed-Use
$482.0M
HOUSE ME DIAN PRICE HOUSE RE NTAL PRICE
A key mixed-use project planned in 2026-2027 is the St Bees Boulevard Retirement Village & Residential Subdivision, a 46-hectare land that will be reconfigured into 199 residential lots delivered over 10 staged releases. The project has a retirement village, with 226 independent living units.
UNIT SALE S UNIT ME DIAN PRICE UNIT RE NTAL PRICE
$ MARKET CONDITIONS MEDIAN PRICE Q2 2026
$910K
$560K
MEDIAN PRICE Q2 2026
$800
SALES
AVERAGE DAYS ON MARKET Q2 2026
56
49
HOUSE
U N I T
RENTALS
$618
AVERAGE DAYS ON MARKET Q2 2026
20
21
HOUSE
U N I T
Another project is Edenvale Cannon Valley Master Planned Community, by Alder Developments. This will build a masterplan on a 102.2-hectare site, creating 500+ residential lots and over 900 homes, ranging from 1- and 2bedroom units to detached 2 storey homes on large blocks. This project is currently in early stages, including a consultation time with the community. There is only a limited number of new ready-to-sell stock planned (22 units), which is not enough; especially when compared to 2025 sales of 416 units. There are 805 land lots planned, but this will take time to develop. Thus, the current undersupply will continue, indicating higher property prices in the rest of 2026 is highly likely).
22 Units/ Apartments
805 Lots
%
AVERAGE VENDOR DISCOUNT*
Average vendor discount reflects the average percentage difference between the first list price and final sold price. A lower percentage difference (closer to 0.0%) suggests that buyers are willing to purchase close to the first asking price of a property.
1.0%
1.6%
2.4%
2.0%
-2.2%
-2.1%
-1.9%
-2.0%
-1.3%
-0.2%
-1.0%
-2.0%
-2.4%
-1.0%
-3.5%
0.0%
-3.8%
Change from Listing to Sale Price
3.0%
-3.0% -4.0% -5.0% Q1 2025
Q2 2025
Q3 2025
Q4 2025
House
Q1 2026
Q2 2026
Unit
Average vendor discounts between Q2 2025 and Q2 2026 have swung to a premium of 1.6% for houses while it has tightened slightly to a lesser discount of -2.2% for units. The unit market still favour buyers, with sellers accepting below the first listed price. In contrast, the house market has shifted to favor sellers, with buyers needing to offer above asking prices. With a limited number of new stock in the pipeline, buyers must act fast. The suburb of Whitsundays has outperformed the wider Whitsunday Local Government Area (LGA) for house prices for the past 5 years, and on-par for unit prices. This remains the case in 2026#, with both the suburb and LGA trending in the same direction. Most of the houses sold in Whitsundays* in 2026# were in the premium price point of $1,050,000 and above (25.6%), which is beneficial to homeowners. The most affordable price point of $749,999 records 23.6% house sales, which is beneficial for first home buyers. Further, unit sales were evenly distributed between the most affordable price point of less than $399,999 and more affordable price bracket between $400,000 and $499,999, both at 22.4%.
MARKET COMPARISON
$1,000,000
Whitsundays (4802) House
Whitsundays LGA House
Whitsundays (4802) Unit
Whitsundays LGA Unit
$800,000 $600,000 $400,000 $200,000 $0 2022
2023
2024
2025
2026#
The market comparison graph provides a comparative trend for median price of houses and units over the past 5 years. The main LGA chosen was based on their proximity to the main suburb analysed, which is Whitsundays.
$
PRICE BREAKDOWN 2026# UNITS SOLD
HOUSES SOLD
25.6%
23.6%
Less than $749,999
21.1%
22.4%
$400,000 to $499,999
$750,000 to $849,999 $850,000 to $949,999
10.1%
20.2% 20.5%
$950,000 to $1,049,999 $1,050,000 and above
Less than $399,999
$500,000 to $599,999
15.2%
22.4% 19.0%
$600,000 to $699,999 $700,000 and above
RENTAL GROWTH 2026 €
House rental yield in Whitsundays¥ was 4.4% as of June 2026, which is above the Queensland North Coast (4.0%). Median house rental price did decline slightly, by -2.4% in the past 12 months to Q2 2026, at $800 per week. That said the number of houses rented also declined, by -14.0% (to 43 houses in Q2 2026). This indicates a more affordable and appealing house rental market in Whitsundays¥, which is beneficial to renters.
2 BEDROOMS
+17.9%
3 BEDROOMS
2-Bedroom houses have provided investors with a significant +17.9% rental growth annually, achieving a median rent of $625 per week.
+4.0%
Whitsundays¥ recorded a vacancy rate of 0.8% in June 2026, which is below the Whitsunday LGA (1.0%) and QLD North Coast (2.3%). Vacancy rates have decreased in the past 12 months, indicating a tighter rental market. Moreover, a 0.8% vacancy rate is significantly below the Real Estate Institute of Australia’s healthy benchmark of 3.0%, indicating quicker occupancy of rental homes in Whitsundays¥. This creates a conducive environment for investors, even with a higher median house and unit sales price (thus, entry price) in the past 12 months to Q2 2026.
4 BEDROOMS
+3.5%
RENTAL VACANCY RATES 2026
3.5% 3.0% 2.5% 2.0% 1.5% 1.0% 0.5% 0.0%
Jun-26
Mar-26
Dec-25
QLD North Coast
Sep-25
Jun-25
Whitsundays LGA
Mar-25
Dec-24
Sep-24
Jun-24
Mar-24
Dec-23
Sep-23
Jun-23
Whitsundays (4802)
REIA 'Healthy' Benchmark
%
RENTAL YIELD 2026 §
4.4%
5.2%
4.0%
5.6%
5.2%
4.8%
Whitsundays¥
Whitsundays LGA
QLD North Coast
Whitsundays¥
Whitsundays LGA
QLD North Coast
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT MAP 2026–2027₳ LEGEND Commercial Infrastructure Industrial Mixed-Use Residential
WHITSUNDAYS
Estimated Commence Valueµ Dateψ
#
Project£
Type
1
Shute Harbour Resort Marina & Residential Development (52 Lots)
Mixed-Use
$252,000,000
16/07/2027
2
Edenvale Cannon Valley Master Planned Community (Commercial + Residential - Over 500 Lots)
Mixed-Use
TBC
TBC
3
St Bees Boulevard Retirement Village & Residential Subdivision (Commercial + Residential – 199 Lots)
Mixed-Use
$90,000,000
TBC
4
Whitsunday Skyway Project (Various Tenants)
Mixed-Use
$87,000,000
2/11/2027
5
18 Port Drive Resort Hotel
Commercial
$50,000,000
1/12/2026
Mixed-Use
$40,000,000
8/11/2027
6 (Not Hook Island Eco Resort (Various Tenants)
Mapped)
7
Jubilee Tavern Short Term Accommodation Units (40 Units)
Commercial
$15,000,000
29/01/2027
8
Bunnings Airlie Beach Extension
Commercial
$11,000,000
1/02/2027
9
Storage Choice Cannonvale Self Storage Facility Stages 1 & 2 (Industrial + Commercial)
Mixed-Use
$11,000,000
2/03/2026
10
NRMA Airlie Beach Holiday Park Redevelopment
Commercial
$10,000,000
31/03/2027
11
6-10 Carlo Drive Self Storage Facility & Warehouses
Industrial
$8,000,000
1/12/2027
12
2 Hermitage Drive Rooming Accommodation
Commercial
$4,500,000
29/10/2027
13
281 Shute Harbour Road Apartments (10 Apartments)
Residential
$3,000,000
15/06/2027
14
38-40 Carlo Drive Low Impact Industry
Commercial
$2,000,000
19/07/2027
Infrastructure
$2,000,000
13/10/2026
Mixed-Use
$2,000,000
13/04/2027
15 16
Mackay & Whitsunday District Roadworks - Microsurfacing Program 2026-2027 (State Government) 7 Mount Whitsunday Drive Units & Short-Term Accommodation (Residential – 6 Units + Commercial)
17
Mandara Rise Units Cannonvale (3 Units)
Residential
$1,800,000
26/02/2027
18
62 Eshelby Drive Residential Subdivision (30 Lots)
Residential
$1,350,000
14/08/2026
19
55 Valley Drive Residential Subdivision Stages 1A-2 (24 Lots)
Residential
$1,100,000
27/04/2026
Residential
$900,000
26/06/2026
20 8 Wambiri Street Units (3 Units)
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REFERENCES * Whitsundays sales market data and key indicators encapsulates aggregate property market conditions within the postcode of 4802. ** Estimated values are based on construction value provided by the relevant data authority and does not reflect commercial and/or re-sale value. # 2026 encapsulates sales transactions for the 1st half year (01/01/2026 – 30/06/2026) only, other years encapsulates sales transactions for the full year (i.e 01/01 to 31/12 of the relevant year). € Annual rental growth is a comparison between Q2 2025 (01/04/2025 – 30/06/2025) and Q2 2026 (01/04/2026 – 30/06/2026) house median rent figures. ¥ Whitsundays rental market data encapsulates aggregate property conditions within the postcode of 4802. § Rental yields shown are as reported as of June 2026. ₳ Project development map showcases a sample of upcoming projects only, due to accuracy of addresses provided by the data provider for geocoding purposes. £ Projects refers to the top developments within the postcode of 4802. µ Estimated value is the value of construction costs provided by relevant data authority; it does not reflect the project’s sale/commercial value. ψ Commencement date quoted for each project is an approximate only, as provided by the relevant data authority, PRD does not hold any liability to the exact date. Source: APM Pricefinder, Cordell Connect database, SQM Research, Esri ArcGIS. Disclaimer: PRD does not give any warranty in relation to the accuracy of the information contained in this report. If you intend to rely upon the information contained herein, you must take note that the information, figures and projections have been provided by various sources and have not been verified by us. We have no belief one way or the other in relation to the accuracy of such information, figures and projections. PRD will not be liable for any loss or damage resulting from any statement, figure, calculation or any other information that you rely upon that is contained in the material. Prepared by PRD Research. © All medians and volumes are calculated by PRD Research. Use with written permission only. All other responsibilities disclaimed. © Copyright PRD 2026.