Median house price
—
No data available
QLD · Townsville Council
Bushland Beach, 4818
Est. population · Jun 2025
7,629
Growth (1 yr)
+2.7%
Growth (5 yr)
+15.2%
Median age
35
Median income
$2,283/wk
Employment rate
68.5%
Languages at home
3.1%non-English
Most common: Afrikaans, Italian, Spanish
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- Coastal
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Bushland Beach is a coastal mid-sized suburb a long way from Brisbane, where beach life and a quieter rhythm set the tone. Neighbouring centres cover more of the weekly rhythm than the distant capital does. Working households and growing families are the backbone of local life, with family life visible on every street.
Weekends tend to revolve around local favourites: a café, a market run, a walk through town. Open space is thinner than in many coastal suburbs, so residents often travel a little further for a longer park day. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here than in denser, more walkable pockets.
Property sits in a premium price band and is harder to enter for many buyers. A growing community is gradually adding fresh energy without losing its local identity.
The overall desirability read is around average, pulled by softer safety compared with similar coastal suburbs, though community and employment remain brighter spots.
At a glance
Bushland Beach snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
$640/wk
Population (ERP)
7,629
+2.7% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
6.0%
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
#7
among Coastal & beach · Growth area
Safety
43rd
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
86th
percentile in QLD
Advantage (IRSAD)
7/10
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
- 46.4/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 38% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 2673rd in Australia
- State rank
- 569th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #7 among Coastal & beach · Growth area suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #68 among Coastal & beach suburbs
- Data confidence
- 58%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Housing
- All types (Mar 2026)
- $640
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
- RTA bond statistics — Residential Tenancies Authority (Queensland) · Mar 2026 · Updated · Quarterly releases
Population
Estimated resident population
7,629(June 2025)
+2.7% annual · +15.2% over 5 years · 86th percentile in QLD
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +2.7%
- 5-year growth
- +15.2%
- Change in 1 year
- +202
- Change in 5 years
- +1,004
- Growth rank in QLD
- 86th 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 (~9,950), extrapolated at +5.4% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 6,641
- Median age
- 35
- Median household income / week
- $2,283
- Dwelling vacancy
- 6%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 137 of 2,266
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Employment rate
- 68.5%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 2,098 / 24 / 7
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)
- 308
- Against the person
- 54
- Against property
- 154
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 40.4
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 123 residents
- State safety percentile
- 43.2th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +3.2%
Most common offence types
- Assault158
- Drug Offences223
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)260
- Traffic And Related Offences178
- Unlawful Entry196
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
17 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
1 pubs · 1 supermarkets · 1 playgrounds
Local character & venue list
Local character
- Limited walkable amenities nearby
- Decent local green space — 2 parks in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
- Walkability proxy
- 27/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 0.15
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 0.3
Food & drink(1)
- Bushland Beach TavernPub
Shopping(2)
- Convenience store
- ColesSupermarket
267-289 Mount Low Parkway
Sport & outdoors(3)
- Park
- Playground
- Sports field
Other(4)
- Outdoor Seating (5)
- Parking (4)
- Public toilets
- Shelter
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)
- 2
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
- Kirwan Health Campus (12.8 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- 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)
- 271
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 35.5
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
- 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 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
- 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 11.8 km away).
Coalition 66.2%Labor 33.8%
2.8 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: -2.9 pp toward Coalition
Nearest polling places
- BurdellLabor 34.9% · Coalition 65.1% TPP (2025)4.0 km away
- Northern BeachesLabor 34.3% · Coalition 65.7% TPP (2025)5.5 km away
- DeeragunLabor 29.5% · Coalition 70.5% TPP (2025)5.7 km away
- North ShoreLabor 30.9% · Coalition 69.2% TPP (2025)6.8 km away
- Mount LouisaLabor 36.1% · Coalition 63.9% TPP (2025)9.5 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)
- 7/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 8/10
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.