Broadbeach Waters Liveability Snapshot
Broadbeach Waters, at a glance
Position: central Gold Coast canal suburb immediately west of Broadbeach and Mermaid Beach, bordered by Bundall and Mermaid Waters
Distance to Brisbane: approximately a 1-hour drive
Commute to Gold Coast Airport: approximately 30 minutes
Vibe: quiet, residential, established canal living with a suburban feel
Best for: families, upsizers and downsizers wanting space, water access and calm streets close to major amenities
Day-to-day: low-key and residential, with a strong neighbourhood routine rather than tourist activity
Walkability: low to moderate, better around parks and local pockets; most errands are car based
Transport: car-based, easy access to major roads, short drive to tram stops in Broadbeach and Bundall
Schools: catchment dependent, multiple state primary and secondary options depending on street
Hazards: property specific; flood overlays apply to some canal-adjacent and low-lying properties
If you want the investor view as well, including how the house, unit, and duplex market behaves and what drives price movement in different Broadbeach Waters pockets, email me and I can give you a quick, plain-English summary tailored to your budget and property type.
If you are moving over from NZ, start here, at my Moving from NZ hub, with checklists, early admin steps, and Gold Coast suburb guidance.
Overview
Broadbeach Waters is an established canal suburb on the central Gold Coast, located directly behind Broadbeach’s beachfront precinct. It offers a markedly different living experience from Broadbeach itself, prioritising space, quiet streets, and detached housing over walkability and high-density living.
The suburb is predominantly residential, with canal-front homes, renovated family houses, duplexes, and some townhouses. Unlike Broadbeach, Broadbeach Waters has no tourist strip or commercial core, and day-to-day life is shaped by neighbourhood streets, parks, and proximity to nearby shopping and dining precincts rather than in-suburb activity.
Who Broadbeach Waters suits best
Broadbeach Waters suits buyers who want central Gold Coast positioning without the density, noise, or visitor activity of beachfront suburbs. It is particularly popular with families, upsizers, and downsizers who want larger homes, outdoor space, and quiet streets while still being close to schools, shopping, and the beach.
Buyers seeking a walkable café culture, apartment living, or a lock-and-leave lifestyle may find Broadbeach Waters too car dependent and residential. Those buyers typically prefer Broadbeach, Mermaid Beach, or parts of Burleigh.
Why choose Broadbeach Waters
Broadbeach Waters is chosen for its balance. It offers space, privacy, and a settled residential feel, while sitting minutes from some of the Gold Coast’s strongest amenities, including Broadbeach dining, Pacific Fair, and major employment nodes.
For many buyers, the appeal is being close to the action without living in it. You can enjoy Broadbeach and Mermaid Beach when you want them, but come home to quiet streets and canal views.
Housing and streetscape feel
Broadbeach Waters is dominated by detached houses, many on generous blocks, with a strong concentration of canal-front properties. Housing stock ranges from original 1970s and 1980s homes through to extensively renovated family houses and contemporary rebuilds. Duplexes and townhouses exist in some pockets, particularly closer to major roads.
Street feel varies by pocket. Interior streets and canal cul-de-sacs are generally quiet and family oriented, while homes closer to main roads can feel busier. Liveability in Broadbeach Waters is strongly pocket dependent, and canal frontage, street width, and traffic patterns materially influence day-to-day experience.
Getting around and commute reality
Broadbeach Waters is primarily car-based. Most residents drive for work, school, and errands, although major destinations are close by. Broadbeach, Bundall, Mermaid Waters, and Robina are all within easy reach.
Tram access is available a short drive away in Broadbeach and Bundall, making north–south travel manageable for commuters, but this is not a suburb where public transport replaces car ownership for most households.
Schools and education
Queensland state school zoning is address-based, not suburb-name-based. The only reliable way to confirm eligibility is to check the exact address in EdMap for the relevant year level and enrolment year.
Using Queensland Government catchment boundary files and a suburb-wide grid check across Broadbeach Waters, the state school catchments that touch the suburb include the following.
Primary schools your Broadbeach Waters address may be zoned for:
Broadbeach State School
Miami State School
Mermaid Beach State School
Surfers Paradise State School
Secondary schools your Broadbeach Waters address may be zoned for:
Miami State High School
Merrimac State High School
When researching schools online, you will often see mixed reviews. That is common in large, central catchments with diverse student populations. Visiting the school, understanding catchment rules, and checking your exact address in EdMap will give you far more useful insight than review sites alone.
If you are relocating with kids and want help shortlisting schools and aligning catchments with your housing search, I offer a Family Relocation Concierge option; details are on my services page.
Parks, sports and lifestyle amenities
Broadbeach Waters has good access to local parks, canal walkways, and open green spaces that support everyday outdoor living. While it does not have a major destination park, the suburb offers multiple smaller parks suitable for families, dog walking, and casual recreation.
The beach, major sporting facilities, and larger recreational spaces are all a short drive away, allowing residents to enjoy a wide range of lifestyle options without living in a high-activity zone.
Convenience and day-to-day essentials
Day-to-day convenience is a strength. Pacific Fair, local shopping centres in Bundall and Mermaid Waters, medical services, and schools are all close by. Most errands are handled within a short drive.
This makes Broadbeach Waters particularly attractive to families and professionals who want central access without relying on foot traffic or public transport.
Dining and cafés
Broadbeach Waters itself has limited in-suburb dining. Most residents travel a few minutes to Broadbeach, Mermaid Beach, Bundall, or Robina for cafés and restaurants.
This lack of a local dining strip contributes to the suburb’s quieter residential feel and is a key difference from neighbouring Broadbeach.
Shopping and everyday services
Shopping access is excellent, with Pacific Fair immediately to the east and additional retail options in Bundall and Mermaid Waters. This provides comprehensive coverage for groceries, specialist retail, and services without needing to travel far.
Community profile
Broadbeach Waters has a stable, family-oriented community profile. You will find a high proportion of owner-occupiers, including long-term residents, families, and downsizers. Rental properties exist but are less dominant than in nearby apartment suburbs.
There is minimal short-stay or visitor accommodation, which contributes to a settled feel day to day.
Crime and safety, relative to the Gold Coast
Broadbeach Waters has a lower crime profile than nearby high-activity suburbs because it functions as a low-density residential area rather than an entertainment or commercial precinct. Based on 2024 data, Broadbeach Waters records lower crimes per capita than both Queensland and Australia overall, with property crime being the primary category of reported offences.
Crime rank – 21/100
Higher score indicates higher overall crime relative to populationTotal offences – 1,414 RedSuburbs
Crimes per 1,000 residents – 173.20
Queensland – lower
Australia – lowerViolent crimes – 29 total
Violent crime rate – 3.55 per 1,000 residents
Queensland – 8.10 per 1,000
Australia – 11.22 per 1,000Property crimes – 1,117 total
Property crime rate – 136.82 per 1,000 residents
Queensland – 44.75 per 1,000
Australia – 38.29 per 1,000
Most reported offence groups: The majority of crime in Broadbeach Waters is dominated by opportunistic property offences rather than public-order incidents and is more likely to relate to vehicle, street access, and property security factors than nighttime economy activity.
Top reported offence categories in 2024
Theft – 945 offences
Drug dealing and trafficking – 111 offences
Burglary/Break and enter – 73 offences
Likelihood of being affected:
Chance of being a victim of violent crime – 1 in 282
Queensland – 1 in 123
Australia – 1 in 89Chance of being a victim of property crime – 1 in 7
Queensland – 1 in 22
Australia – 1 in 26
This reinforces the pattern in the data: Broadbeach Waters’ higher risk is primarily linked to property crime rather than violent crime, with practical considerations focused on security, parking, and immediate pocket selection.
Trend direction:
Crime in Broadbeach Waters decreased by 1.81% from 2023 to 2024
Long-term trends show elevated property offence volumes that are more consistent with central location and access patterns than sharp spikes.
Bottom line: Broadbeach Waters is a premium, highly convenient canal suburb, but the 2024 data shows a crime profile driven mainly by property offences rather than violence. Buyers and renters should carefully choose their pocket, prioritise secure parking and lighting, and use street-level tools to thoroughly inspect the immediate area around any shortlisted address.
Data source: RedSuburbs, 2024. Based on Queensland Police Service offence data and ABS Census population figures. For street-level detail by offence type and time period, the Queensland Police Online Crime Map allows address-specific filtering.
Socioeconomic context, SEIFA
SEIFA provides area-level context rather than insight into individual households. A lower score indicates greater relative disadvantage, and a higher score indicates less disadvantage.
For Broadbeach Waters (SA2 Broadbeach Waters), the Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD) score is approximately 1064, placing it around decile 8 out of 10 nationally (higher decile indicates less disadvantage).
Broadbeach Waters trends more advantaged on SEIFA than many central high-density suburbs because it is dominated by detached housing and established owner-occupier streets, with a significant share of higher-value canal-front property. At the same time, the suburb still contains a mix of housing types and price points, and lived experience can vary by pocket, particularly between canal-front streets, interior streets, and edges near main roads.
Plain English takeaway: Broadbeach Waters trends relatively advantaged on SEIFA overall, but lived experience still varies by street, housing type and location within the suburb
Price and rental context
Broadbeach Waters sits in the mid-to-upper price range for central Gold Coast house markets, reflecting its canal access, proximity to Broadbeach, and predominance of detached homes.
Median house price, around $1.6–$1.7 million
Median unit price, limited data due to low volume
Median 4-bedroom house rent, around $1,000 per week
Median unit rent, limited data
Medians sourced from realestate.com.au for 12 months to December 2025.
Because Broadbeach Waters is dominated by detached housing, house sale and rental medians are generally more reliable than unit data. Units and townhouses exist only in small numbers and trade infrequently, which can result in missing or unstable medians in some years.
Pricing varies significantly by pocket, with canal-front homes, wider streets, and renovated properties attracting a premium over interior streets and original housing stock.
Plain English takeaway: Broadbeach Waters is a house-led market where location, frontage, and street selection drive price more than suburb-wide averages.
Flood, bushfire and natural hazard considerations
Parts of Broadbeach Waters are low-lying and canal-adjacent, so flood overlays apply to some properties. Flood risk is not suburb-wide and varies significantly by address, elevation, and dwelling type.
Bushfire overlays are generally limited. As with any canal suburb, insurance premiums can vary by property, so obtaining an insurance quote early is recommended.
Quick take: pros and trade-offs
Pros:
Quiet residential feel close to Broadbeach, strong family appeal, canal living options, larger homes and blocks, minimal tourist activity
Trade-offs:
Car dependent, limited in-suburb dining, pocket-dependent liveability, flood overlays apply to some properties
Helpful links
These tools are address-specific, so always check the exact property before relying on suburb-wide assumptions.
School catchments, EdMap
Queensland Police crime map
City of Gold Coast flood planning map
FloodCheck Queensland
City of Gold Coast bushfire overlay mapping RedSuburb crime statistics
Helpful note
Broadbeach Waters is a suburb where street and pocket selection really matter. Canal frontage, traffic patterns and proximity to main roads can materially change day-to-day experience.
If you want, I am happy to sanity-check a specific street, school catchment, or property against how you want to live day to day - Lets Talk
