Median house price
—
No data available
QLD · Townsville Council
Balgal Beach, 4816
Est. population · Jun 2025
1,094
Growth (1 yr)
+2.2%
Growth (5 yr)
+9.9%
Median age
58
Median income
$936/wk
Employment rate
34.5%
Languages at home
1.8%non-English
Mostly English at home
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- High desirability
Suburb profile
In Townsville Council, Balgal Beach keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. Distance from Brisbane is unmistakable: this is well outside the capital's everyday orbit. An older demographic makes it especially popular with retirees, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life.
Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name. Local shops are sparse, so a fuller set of amenities usually means travelling to a neighbouring town or regional hub. A car helps for most daily errands, with fewer amenities clustered within an easy walk.
Housing is more affordable than in many parts of the state. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
Versus similar regional towns, the suburb reads below average on desirability, chiefly because community and employment, plus local dining and lifestyle amenities trail behind. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
At a glance
Balgal Beach snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
—
No data available
Population (ERP)
1,094
+2.2% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
25.0%
Census unoccupied dwellings
Livability profile
Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Desirability
#379
among Country & regional · Mature
Safety
84th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
81st
percentile in QLD
Advantage (IRSAD)
1/10
national SEIFA decile
Population growth
Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years
Housing mix
Dwelling types from the 2021 Census
Risks & flags
Quick scan — open a section below for full context
Living here
Desirability
Ranks & confidence
- Desirability score
- 25.9/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 6162nd in Australia
- State rank
- 1352nd in QLD
- Peer rank
- #379 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #837 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 58%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Population
Estimated resident population
1,094(June 2025)
+2.2% annual · +9.9% over 5 years · 81th percentile in QLD
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +2.2%
- 5-year growth
- +9.9%
- Change in 1 year
- +24
- Change in 5 years
- +99
- Growth rank in QLD
- 81th percentile
ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.
Methodology
Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.
The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~1,150), extrapolated at +1.0% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 998
- Median age
- 58
- Median household income / week
- $936
- Dwelling vacancy
- 25%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 142 of 569
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,192
- Employment rate
- 34.5%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 421 / 0 / 0
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
- Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries
Community & culture
No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Offence counts & rates
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Aug 2026)
- 85
- Against the person
- 32
- Against property
- 22
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 77.7
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 31 residents
- State safety percentile
- 84.3th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -11.6%
Most common offence types
- Assault188
- Drug Offences91
- Good Order Offences65
- Other Property Damage68
- Traffic And Related Offences99
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Aug 2026; Jan 2026 to Aug 2026 · Updated · Calendar-year aggregates
Family & Lifestyle
Amenities
7 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
1 food courts · 1 playgrounds
Local character & venue list
Local character
- Limited walkable amenities nearby
- Decent local green space — 1 parks in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
- Walkability proxy
- 2/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 1
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 1
Food & drink(1)
- restaurant du golfFood court
Community(1)
- Rollingstone Community CentreCommunity centre
Sport & outdoors(3)
- Mystic Sands Golf and Country ClubGolf course
- Park
- Playground
Other(1)
- Parking (2)
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 2
- Parks (OSM)
- 1
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Nearest hospital
- Joyce Palmer Health Service (38.4 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Public hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · current · Updated
NDIS participation
- NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
- 34
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 31.1
Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.
For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.
Data sources & freshness
- NDIS participants by SA2 — National Disability Insurance Agency · 2026-Q1 · Updated · Quarterly SA2 counts allocated to suburb boundaries
Weather
Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.
Summer (Dec–Feb)
- Usual max / min
- 29° / 20°
- Rainfall
- 602 mm · ~75 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 25° / 17°
- Rainfall
- 284 mm · ~36 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 21° / 11°
- Rainfall
- 60 mm · ~8 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 26° / 16°
- Rainfall
- 134 mm · ~17 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Temperature and humidity comfort
Data sources & freshness
- Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated
Future & Planning
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated
Politics & representation
- Federal electorate
- Kennedy
- Member of Parliament
- Bob KATTER (Katter's Australian Party (KAP))
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 123,696
- Turnout (2025)
- 83.8%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- +0.8 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 59.3%Labor 40.7%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 53.6 km away).
Coalition 60.8%Labor 39.2%
1.5 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: -2.1 pp toward Coalition
Nearest polling places
- RollingstoneLabor 39.2% · Coalition 60.8% TPP (2025)2.1 km away
- Forrest BeachLabor 43.0% · Coalition 57.0% TPP (2025)38.0 km away
- Alice River (Kennedy)Labor 38.8% · Coalition 61.2% TPP (2025)38.3 km away
- InghamLabor 38.6% · Coalition 61.4% TPP (2025)50.1 km away
- Ingham SouthLabor 35.0% · Coalition 65.0% TPP (2025)50.4 km away
Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.
Data sources & freshness
- Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated · 2025 election with by-election overlays
Socio-economic
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 1/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 1/10
ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).
What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?
IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.
IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.
A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
Compare with
Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.
More in Townsville Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.