QLD · Townsville Council

Belgian Gardens, 4810

Est. population · Jun 2025

2,009

Growth (1 yr)

-0.3%

Growth (5 yr)

-1.4%

Median age

40

Median income

$1,638/wk

Employment rate

63%

Languages at home

8.4%non-English

Most common: Italian, Mandarin, French

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

47.8/100
Average

Top 35% of Queensland's suburbs

Verified 71% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Coastal
  • High desirability
  • Education hub
  • Green suburb
  • Café precinct
What Belgian Gardens is known for: Coastal, High desirability, Education hub, Green suburb, Café precinct

Suburb profile

Life in Belgian Gardens revolves around the coast at a genuine remove from Brisbane. Regional towns and local services do more of the everyday heavy lifting than the city. Families and commuters make up much of the community, with a strong presence of young families throughout.

The town centre holds its own, with enough local flavour to make staying close to home appealing. Parks and open space are a real strength relative to many coastal suburbs, easy for walks, sport and weekend downtime. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here, with buses covering longer trips across the wider area.

Property prices run toward the upper end of the local market. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.

The overall desirability read is around average, pulled by softer safety compared with similar coastal suburbs, though schools and education, plus community and employment remain brighter spots. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Belgian Gardens snapshot

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

$530/wk

Population (ERP)

2,009

-0.3% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

11.4%

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

#22

among Coastal & beach · Established

Safety

96th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

1st

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

8/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

70th

percentile among schools with ICSEA

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
47.8/100 — Average
State standing
Top 35% of Queensland's suburbs
National rank
2463rd in Australia
State rank
524th in QLD
Peer rank
#22 among Coastal & beach · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#65 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Data confidence
71%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability indexSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Housing

All types (Mar 2026)
$530

Median weekly rent from Queensland RTA rental bond data. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.

Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)

Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum

Data sources & freshness

Population

Estimated resident population

2,009(June 2025)

-0.3% annual · -1.4% over 5 years · 1th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
-0.3%
5-year growth
-1.4%
Change in 1 year
-7
Change in 5 years
-29
Growth rank in QLD
1th 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 (~1,950), extrapolated at -0.7% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
2,073
Median age
40
Median household income / week
$1,638
Dwelling vacancy
11.4%
Unoccupied private dwellings
110 of 969
Median monthly mortgage
$1,733
Employment rate
63%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
451 / 116 / 277 (+ 5 other)

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • Estimated Resident PopulationAustralian 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 ProfileAustralian 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)
382
Against the person
130
Against property
128
Rate per 1,000 residents
190.1
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 16 residents
State safety percentile
96.3th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+3.6%

Most common offence types

  • Assault614
  • Drug Offences854
  • Good Order Offences789
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)559
  • Unlawful Entry367

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

  • QPS Online Crime MapQueensland Police Service · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Aug 2026; Jan 2026 to Aug 2026 · Updated · Calendar-year aggregates

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
3
Median school ICSEA (3 schools)
1,055
Median ICSEA percentile
70th
School list
  • Belgian Gardens State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1055 · 70th percentile · LBOTE 16% · 595 students · Top SEA quarter 28% · 0.4 km awayView on My School →
  • Cleveland Education and Training CentreSpecial · Government · ICSEA 720 · 2th percentile · LBOTE 54% · 98 students · Top SEA quarter 2% · 0.9 km awayView on My School →
  • Townsville Grammar SchoolCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1116 · 88th percentile · LBOTE 29% · 1,288 students · Top SEA quarter 50% · 1.5 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

82 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

1 restaurants · 2 cafes · 3 playgrounds · 5 swimming pools · 2 petrol stations

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life3 parks mapped in suburb, 3 playgrounds nearby
  • Strong local sport and recreation10 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
Walkability proxy
11/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0.96
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
1.45
Parks per 1,000 residents
1.45
Food & drink(3)
  • Kite CafeCafe
  • Sirens BaysideCafe
  • Mariam's Thai RestaurantRestaurant

    81 Bundock Street, Belgian Gardens

Shopping(1)
  • NightOwlConvenience store

    77 Bundock Street, Belgian Gardens

Community(1)
  • Belgian Gardens State SchoolSchool
Health & services(2)
  • Bayside Vet ClinicVeterinary
  • Palmsvets BaysideVeterinary
Sport & outdoors(13)
  • MADE Fitness StudioGym
  • Hooper Street ParkPark
  • National Servicemen's Memorial ParkPark
  • Soroptimist ParkPark
  • Playground (2)
  • Soroptimist ParkPlayground
  • Sports field
  • Swimming pool (5)
Transport(3)

3 bus stops

Other(23)
  • BWSAlcohol
  • Bbq (3)
  • Bench
  • BIG 4 Rowes Bay Beachfront Holiday ParkCaravan Site

    Heatleys Parade

  • Drinking water (3)
  • Strength for LifeExercise Physiology
  • Fitness Station
  • Garden
  • Seahaven ResortMotel
  • Maree Health ManagementNutrition
  • Castle Point ApartmentsParking
  • Parking (15)
  • Parking Space (3)
  • Petrol station
  • ShellPetrol station
  • Wholesome PhysiotherapyPhysiotherapist
  • Picnic Table
  • Police
  • QLD Police Service AcademyPolice
  • Public toilets
  • Recycling
  • Shelter (17)
  • Waste Basket

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 insightsSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenitiesOpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Parks & reserves

3 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Hooper Street ParkPark
  • National Servicemen's Memorial ParkPark
  • Soroptimist ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
3
Parks (OSM)
3

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

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
3
Nearest hospital
Townsville Private Clinic (2.5 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
Not in suburb
  • Maree Health ManagementNutrition
  • Strength for LifeExercise_Physiology
  • Wholesome PhysiotherapyPhysiotherapist

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
73
Participants per 1,000 residents
36.3

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

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
30° / 24°
Rainfall
680 mm · ~85 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
28° / 21°
Rainfall
277 mm · ~35 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
23° / 16°
Rainfall
56 mm · ~7 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
27° / 20°
Rainfall
125 mm · ~16 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normalsWorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Heritage

1 heritage place

  • Bishop's LodgeState heritage place

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage registerState heritage authority · current · Updated

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 overlaysState government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Herbert
Member of Parliament
Phillip THOMPSON (Liberal National Party of Queensland)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
121,280
Turnout (2025)
85.5%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
-1.6 pp toward Coalition

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 63.4%Labor 36.6%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 4.1 km away).

Coalition 55.8%Labor 44.2%

7.6 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +1.1 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Belgian GardensLabor 44.1% · Coalition 55.9% TPP (2025)0.4 km away
  • CutheringaLabor 47.5% · Coalition 52.5% TPP (2025)1.7 km away
  • North WardLabor 42.8% · Coalition 57.2% TPP (2025)2.0 km away
  • GarbuttLabor 40.6% · Coalition 59.4% TPP (2025)2.4 km away
  • Hermit ParkLabor 46.4% · Coalition 53.6% TPP (2025)3.6 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

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
8/10
IRSD decile (2021)
6/10

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

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.