QLD · Townsville Council
Black River, 4818
Current weather
20°CClear sky
87% humidity · 1 km/h wind · 25.2° / 16.4° today · 0.3 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- River access
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Black River offers a slower smaller community life in Townsville, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Distance from the capital is noticeable, but the trade-off is space, calm and a community that knows its neighbours. Open skies and rolling countryside set a calm backdrop to everyday routines.
Families and commuters make up much of the community, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice, and that is part of the charm. Homes offer solid value for the lifestyle on offer.
The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits around average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and transport and access lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in housing affordability. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 1,493
- Median age
- 41
- Median household income / week
- $1,883
- Dwelling vacancy
- 5.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 30 of 544
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,625
- Employment rate
- 61%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 52 / 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 · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
- 57
- Against the person
- 10
- Against property
- 29
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 38.2
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 149 residents
- State safety percentile
- 47.3th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +5.3%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Drug Offences173
- Other Property Damage123
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)217
- Traffic And Related Offences159
- Unlawful Entry168
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Jul 2026; Jan 2026 to Jul 2026 · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
Amenities
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 4/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 6/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
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 · Period: current · Updated on site
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 42.1/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 47% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 3125th in Australia
- State rank
- 714th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #222 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #326 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 48%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Drug Offencescrime173
- Other Property Damagecrime123
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime217
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime159
- Unlawful Entrycrime168
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
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.