Mackay · Buyer-side only
A buyers agent in Mackay.
The most coal-exposed and the most mortgaged city on this coast. Both of those facts belong in the decision. Coppick Property Advisory acts for buyers here — and only for buyers.
Yes, Coppick Property Advisory works in Mackay. Ryan Coppick is a Licensed Real Estate Agent in Queensland, licence 4961592, working on Queensland property including Mackay and the Bowen Basin service region.
We act for the buyer only — never sellers, never developers. No commission is accepted from any agent, seller, broker or developer, and no referral fee is paid or received in either direction. Fees are flat and agreed in writing before any work begins.
Mackay by the numbers.
Structural figures, not market snapshots. Census data does not move between quarters the way a median does, which is why it is what appears here.
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 121,691 | ABS Census 2021 |
| Median age | 38 years | ABS Census 2021 |
| Households owned with a mortgage | 38.2% | ABS Census 2021 |
| Households owned outright | 29.1% | ABS Census 2021 |
| Households renting | 28.6% | ABS Census 2021 |
| Largest employer sector | Coal mining — 9.5% of workers | ABS Census 2021 |
| Second largest | Hospitals — 4.6% of workers | ABS Census 2021 |
We do not publish current median prices, vacancy rates or yields on this page. Those figures move, they differ depending on whether the geography is a suburb, postcode or statistical area, and published sources frequently disagree with each other by a wide margin. Current numbers for a specific suburb are what the research work produces — the method is set out here.
What actually drives the Mackay market.
Coal, and more coal than the number shows.
Coal mining was the largest employer sector at 9.5% of the Mackay workforce at the 2021 Census — the highest coal share of any market we cover. But the Census counts people by the industry of their employer, and Mackay is the service city for the Bowen Basin. The engineering firms, machine shops, labour hire businesses, equipment dealers and transport operators that exist only because there are mines up the road are counted under other industries. The true exposure of this economy to the coal cycle is meaningfully larger than 9.5%, and everything else on this page follows from that.
The most mortgaged city on the coast.
38.2% of Mackay households carry a mortgage, the highest share of any regional city on this coast, against 29.1% owning outright and 28.6% renting. Put that next to the coal concentration and you have the combination that matters: a working population with debt, in an economy driven by a commodity cycle. Mackay is sensitive to interest rates and to coal prices at the same time, and the two do not always move in a helpful order.
What the last cycle actually did.
Mackay rose strongly through the resources boom to around 2012 and then fell substantially over the years that followed as the Bowen Basin shed jobs, before recovering later. Investors who bought near the top experienced a fall in value and a fall in rent at the same time. That is the difference between a concentrated market and a diversified one: in Brisbane the two risks are largely separate, and here they arrive together. None of this is an argument against buying in Mackay. It is an argument for buying at a price and on terms that survive the next turn of the cycle.
Health sits underneath, but it is not the anchor.
Hospitals were the second largest employer at 4.6%. That is a genuine stabiliser and Mackay Base Hospital is a significant employer, but it is a smaller share than in Townsville, Rockhampton or Bundaberg, and it is not large enough to carry the city on its own if coal turns down hard.
Cyclone, flood and the sugar coast.
This is a cyclone region with a serious flood history through the Pioneer River and the surrounding creek systems, and the cane country around the city floods on its own schedule. As everywhere on this coast, exposure varies street by street, insurance premiums are materially higher than in the south east, and both belong in the assessment before the offer rather than after it.
What we watch for in Mackay.
- Whether the purchase still works if rent falls at the same time as value. In a coal city those two things move together, and a plan that assumes only one of them is not a plan.
- Who the tenant works for. Mine, mining services, health or retail are four very different levels of exposure to the same downturn.
- Yields that look outstanding compared with the rest of the coast. They are usually pricing a risk rather than offering a free lunch.
- Pioneer River and creek flood mapping for the specific lot, then the insurance quote, then whether the lender accepts it.
- Cyclone rating and construction standard of the building itself.
- Buying unseen from interstate is common here and is where most of the avoidable mistakes happen.
What it costs.
Flat fees. Not a percentage of what you pay for the property, so there is no mechanism by which we benefit from you spending more.
Fifteen minutes. Whether we are the right fit, and whether you need us at all.
Where to buy and why, with the data behind it. You can act on it yourself afterwards.
Search, assess, inspect, negotiate and settle. End to end.
Where we work.
Coppick Property Advisory holds a Queensland real estate licence and works on Queensland property. Within that, these are the markets we know best.
Worth reading first.
Two short guides from our library that do the most for Mackay buyers: how to find what a property actually sold for (the list price is a marketing number), and who the agent at the open home really works for. When you are ready to cost a purchase, the Queensland stamp duty calculator has the full 2026 rate table. And before you sign with anyone — including us — run them through the ten questions to ask any buyers agent.
Common questions.
Does Coppick Property Advisory work in Mackay?
Yes. Coppick Property Advisory is a licensed Queensland buyers agency (QLD Real Estate Licence 4961592) and Mackay is within its service area.
What does a buyers agent cost in Mackay?
Coppick charges flat fees, not a percentage of the purchase price: a free 15-minute discovery call, a Strategy Session at $899, and Full Buyers Agency at $11,500. Fees are agreed in writing before work begins and do not change with the price you pay for the property.
How exposed is Mackay to coal?
More than the Census figure alone suggests. Coal mining was the largest employer sector at 9.5% of the Mackay workforce at the 2021 Census, higher than any other market we cover. But Mackay is also the service city for the Bowen Basin, and the engineering firms, machine shops, labour hire businesses and equipment suppliers that exist because of mining are counted under other industries. The real exposure of the local economy to the coal cycle is larger than 9.5%, and that is the single most important thing to understand before buying here.
What happened to Mackay property in the mining downturn?
Mackay rose strongly through the resources boom to around 2012 and then fell substantially over the following years as the Bowen Basin shed jobs, before recovering later. Investors who bought at the top on the yields available at the time experienced both a fall in value and a fall in rent at once, which is what makes a concentrated market different from a diversified one. It is not an argument against buying in Mackay. It is an argument for buying at a price and on terms that survive the next cycle.
Do you take commission from selling agents or developers?
No. Coppick accepts no commission, kickback or referral fee from sellers, developers, agents, brokers or any other party, in either direction. The buyer is the only party who pays, which is what keeps the advice independent.
Will you tell me not to buy?
Yes, and we will. A recommendation to walk away is a legitimate outcome of the work. An agency paid a percentage of the purchase price has a structural reason to find a reason to buy. A flat fee removes that.
Start with the free call.
Fifteen minutes, no obligation, and a genuine answer about whether you need a buyers agent at all. Sometimes the answer is no, and saying so is part of the job.