QLD · Townsville Council

Castle Hill, 4810

Est. population · Jun 2025

1,020

Growth (1 yr)

+0.5%

Growth (5 yr)

+1.9%

Median age

46

Median income

$3,781/wk

Employment rate

68.5%

Languages at home

8.6%non-English

Most common: Italian, German, Spanish

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

39.8/100
Below average

811th in QLD

Verified 66% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • National parks
  • Education hub
  • Heritage area
  • High desirability
What Castle Hill is known for: National parks, Education hub, Heritage area, High desirability

Suburb profile

Away from the major hubs, Castle Hill is a smaller community in Townsville Council with its own quieter rhythm. Day-to-day life leans on nearby towns and local hubs rather than the metro area. Long-term locals and family households define much of the community, with family life visible on every street.

Families have many nearby school and early-learning options to choose from. Sport and recreation are easy to access, with local venues supporting active weekends and after-work routines. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here, with buses covering longer trips across the wider area.

Property sits in a premium price band and is harder to enter for many buyers. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.

The overall desirability read is below average, pulled by softer parks and green space compared with similar regional towns, though community and employment remain brighter spots. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Castle Hill snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

1,020

+0.5% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

8.9%

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

#127

among Country & regional · Mature

Safety

96th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

28th

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

10/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

38th

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
39.8/100 — Below average
National rank
3800th in Australia
State rank
811th in QLD
Peer rank
#127 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#382 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
66%

Data sources & freshness

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

Population

Estimated resident population

1,020(June 2025)

+0.5% annual · +1.9% over 5 years · 28th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.5%
5-year growth
+1.9%
Change in 1 year
+5
Change in 5 years
+19
Growth rank in QLD
28th 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 (~1,050), extrapolated at +0.4% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
972
Median age
46
Median household income / week
$3,781
Dwelling vacancy
8.9%
Unoccupied private dwellings
34 of 381
Median monthly mortgage
$2,817
Employment rate
68.5%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
319 / 23 / 12

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)
194
Against the person
66
Against property
65
Rate per 1,000 residents
190.2
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 15 residents
State safety percentile
96.3th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+3.5%

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
8
Median school ICSEA (8 schools)
977
Median ICSEA percentile
38th
School list
  • Townsville Grammar SchoolCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1116 · 88th percentile · LBOTE 29% · 1,288 students · Top SEA quarter 50% · 0.8 km awayView on My School →
  • Belgian Gardens State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1055 · 70th percentile · LBOTE 16% · 595 students · Top SEA quarter 28% · 0.9 km awayView on My School →
  • Townsville Central State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 930 · 18th percentile · LBOTE 33% · 144 students · Top SEA quarter 9% · 1.3 km awayView on My School →
  • Townsville West State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 866 · 6th percentile · LBOTE 28% · 111 students · Top SEA quarter 2% · 1.3 km awayView on My School →
  • Townsville Flexible SchoolSpecial · Catholic · ICSEA 842 · 4th percentile · LBOTE 2% · 204 students · Top SEA quarter 1% · 1.5 km awayView on My School →
  • Cleveland Education and Training CentreSpecial · Government · ICSEA 720 · 2th percentile · LBOTE 54% · 98 students · Top SEA quarter 2% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
  • St Patrick's College TownsvilleSecondary · Catholic · ICSEA 1024 · 57th percentile · LBOTE 23% · 663 students · Top SEA quarter 26% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
  • St Joseph's Catholic School, The StrandPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1100 · 84th percentile · LBOTE 8% · 355 students · Top SEA quarter 42% · 1.9 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

97 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

1 playgrounds · 34 swimming pools

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Decent local green space1 parks in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
  • Strong local sport and recreation35 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
Walkability proxy
2/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
1.03
Sport & outdoors(36)
  • Yarrawonga ParkPark
  • Playground
  • Swimming pool (34)
Entertainment(11)
  • Hynes LookoutViewpoint
  • Jenkinson's PostViewpoint
  • Storyboard LookoutViewpoint
  • Viewpoint (8)
Transport(1)

1 bus stops

Other(11)
  • Castle Hill SaintArtwork
  • Bench (11)
  • Clock
  • Drinking water (4)
  • Garden (6)
  • Information (5)
  • CDTLI Castle Hill Landcare SiteNature Reserve
  • Parking (9)
  • Public toilets
  • Shelter (9)
  • 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

2 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • CDTLI Castle Hill Landcare SiteNature reserve
  • Yarrawonga ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
1
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

Health access

Nearest hospital
Weststate Private Hospital (1.4 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
18
Participants per 1,000 residents
17.6

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

  • Castle HillState 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 3.6 km away).

Coalition 55.4%Labor 44.6%

8.0 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +0.9 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Belgian GardensLabor 44.1% · Coalition 55.9% TPP (2025)0.5 km away
  • CutheringaLabor 47.5% · Coalition 52.5% TPP (2025)1.0 km away
  • North WardLabor 42.8% · Coalition 57.2% TPP (2025)1.6 km away
  • GarbuttLabor 40.6% · Coalition 59.4% TPP (2025)2.3 km away
  • Hermit ParkLabor 46.4% · Coalition 53.6% TPP (2025)2.8 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)
10/10
IRSD decile (2021)
10/10

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.