suburb.guide

QLD · Townsville Council

Douglas, 4814

Est. population · Jun 2025

8,110

Growth (1 yr)

-0.4%

Growth (5 yr)

+2.2%

Median age

26

Median income

$2,025/wk

Employment rate

63.8%

University qualified

30.3%

Work from home

4.5%

Languages at home

21.3%non-English

Most common: Malayalam, Punjabi, Mandarin

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

45.7/100
Average

Top 36% of Queensland's suburbs

Verified 88% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Education hub
  • Green suburb
  • Regional centre
What Douglas is known for: Education hub, Green suburb, Regional centre

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Douglas, QLD suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Douglas, QLD Suburb Guide”, updated 2 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/qld/douglas-townsville-qld

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Suburb profile

Douglas is a major regional centre in Queensland, in Townsville Council, with mainly mixed commercial and residential development. It has a university campus.

Local amenities is an exceptional strength, well above typical levels for major regional centres. Health access is a very strong feature of the suburb, with health access 67% above the peer median. Socio-economic advantage is among the highest in the peer group, and university qualifications are among the highest in the peer group. The main trade-offs are higher crime and relatively limited childcare access.

Douglas is a better fit for people who value socio-economic advantage and university qualifications more than peace and quiet.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Major regional centre · compared with major regional centres in Queensland (209)

Strengths

  • Socio-economic advantage is among the highest in the peer group
  • University qualifications are among the highest in the peer group
  • Local amenity access is stronger than in most comparable places
  • Health access is a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • Reported crime in the wider postcode 4814 is elevated relative to comparable places
  • Childcare access is a relative weakness

What stands out

  • University campus

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyersInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How Douglas compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent (Census)

$360/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

8,110

-0.4% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

7.8%

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

#46

among Country & regional · Established

Crime rate

93rd

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

1st

percentile in QLD

Rented dwellings

52%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

9/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

34th

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
45.7/100 — Average
State standing
Top 36% of Queensland's suburbs
National rank
2956th in Australia
State rank
547th in QLD
Peer rank
#46 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#202 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
88%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Population

Estimated resident population

8,110(June 2025)

-0.4% annual · +2.2% over 5 years · 1th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
-0.4%
5-year growth
+2.2%
Change in 1 year
-32
Change in 5 years
+176
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 (~8,400), extrapolated at +0.7% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
7,780
Median age
26
Median household income / week
$2,025
Dwelling vacancy
7.8%
Unoccupied private dwellings
211 of 2,695
Median monthly mortgage
$1,633
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$360
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
18.4% / 29.6% / 52%
Employment rate
63.8%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
4.5% / 1.2% / 76.8%
Walked or cycled to work
4.2%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
2,092 / 98 / 283

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted 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

Qualifications

30.3% of adults have a university degree, compared with 21.9% across Queensland. 12.3% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified30.3% · 21.9% QLD
  • Diploma qualified7% · 9.4% QLD
  • Trade / vocational12.3% · 18.9% QLD
  • Year 12 or below50.4% · 49.8% QLD

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Health26.6%
  • Management and commerce15.3%
  • Engineering and related technologies14.5%
  • Society and culture13.8%
  • Education8.3%
  • Natural and physical sciences7.1%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$62,026

76th percentile in QLD · +6% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$66,130

71st percentile in QLD · +2% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
10.0%

39th percentile in QLD · -27% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$70,905

53rd percentile in QLD · +12% vs Australia

Residents with business income
7.0%

11th percentile in QLD · -33% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 4814 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
27,913
Taxpayers reporting net rent
2,780
Median net rent
-$802
Taxpayers reporting business income
1,968
Taxable income vs state median
+12%
Salary / wages vs state median
+8%
Rental investment vs state median
-9%
Super vs state median
+2%
Business income vs state median
-30%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in QLD, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

21.3% speak a language other than English at home; 26.6% born overseas

Language at home
5,710 English only · 1,545 other
Non-English at home
21.3%
Born overseas
1,956 (26.6%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
278 (3.6%)
Australian citizens
6,568
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
28

Top languages other than English

Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).

  • Malayalam146 · 25.5%
  • Punjabi44 · 7.7%
  • Mandarin38 · 6.6%
  • Hindi36 · 6.3%
  • Tamil33 · 5.8%
  • Arabic30 · 5.2%
  • Sinhalese27 · 4.7%
  • Urdu25 · 4.4%

Religion

44%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 44%, while 38% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion38%40.7%
Christianity44%45.7%
Hinduism3%1.3%
Islam2.1%1.2%
Buddhism2.2%1.4%
Other / not stated10.7%9.6%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic21.6%18.6%
Anglican8.1%11.3%
Christian (not further defined)2.5%3.1%
Uniting Church2.2%3.6%
Baptist2.1%1.7%
Presbyterian and Reformed2.1%2.1%
Pentecostal2%1.4%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

Crime & safety

Offence counts are estimated for this suburb from postcode 4814, which is shared with other suburbs.

Reported offences are running higher than the same point last year.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2026 to Sep 2026)
1,115
Against the person
233
Against property
580
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
183.8
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 33 residents
State crime-rate percentile
93.1th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+9.2%

Most common offence types

  • Assault116
  • Drug Offences190
  • Good Order Offences98
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)316
  • Unlawful Entry111

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

  • QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Sep 2026; Jan 2026 to Sep 2026 · Updated · Calendar-year aggregates

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
3
Median school ICSEA (3 schools)
972
Median ICSEA percentile
34th
Primary catchments overlapping suburb
3
Secondary catchments overlapping suburb
4
School list
  • Enkindle Village SchoolPrimary · Independent · ICSEA 1018 · 55th percentile · LBOTE 2% · 58 students · Top SEA quarter 10% · 0.8 km awayView on My School →
  • Tec-NQSecondary · Independent · ICSEA 972 · 34th percentile · LBOTE 2% · 375 students · Top SEA quarter 5% · 1.4 km awayView on My School →
  • Cranbrook State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 910 · 13th percentile · LBOTE 13% · 592 students · Top SEA quarter 5% · 1.9 km awayView on My School →
School catchments
  • Annandale SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Heatley Secondary CollegeGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Kirwan SHSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Thuringowa SHSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Weir SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • William Ross SHSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Wulguru SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment

Government school intake zones that overlap this suburb boundary. Living in a catchment does not guarantee enrolment; check the education authority.

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Childcare

1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap

  • Goodstart Early Learningchildcare

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Childcare centres per 1,000 residents

Data sources & freshness

  • Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · current · Updated

Amenities

168 mapped amenities

4 cafes · 1 pharmacies · 2 fast food · 1 libraries · 5 playgrounds · 19 swimming pools · 1 ev charging · 1 petrol stations

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • A car helps for daily needs
  • Great for outdoor family life — 15 parks mapped in suburb, 5 playgrounds nearby
  • Reasonable bus and transport access — 13 public transport stops
  • Strong local sport and recreation — 28 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
Walkability proxy
47/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0.51
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0.77
Parks per 1,000 residents
1.93
Food & drink(6)
  • Coffee CartCafe
  • Hole in the WallCafe
  • Juliette's EspressoCafe
  • Zarraffas Coffee DouglasCafe
  • Fast food
  • SubwayFast food
Shopping(3)
  • JCU General StoreConvenience store
  • NightOwlConvenience store
Everyday services(5)
  • Redi ATMATM
  • WestpacATM
  • YurikaEV charging
  • BPPetrol station
  • James Cook University LPOPost office
Community(3)
  • Goodstart Early LearningChildcare
  • Riverside Gardens Community CentreCommunity centre
  • Eddie Koiki Mabo LibraryLibrary
Health & services(4)
  • Hospital
  • Townsville HospitalHospital
  • Alive PharmacyPharmacy
  • JCU VetVeterinary
Sport & outdoors(73)
  • BBQ
  • BeefwoodCycling route
  • Federation FootbridgeCycling route
  • HammerheadCycling route
  • Hammerhead (Upper)Cycling route
  • Humpback linkCycling route
  • KeelbackCycling route
  • Lower Blue RingCycling route
  • Lower WedgetailCycling route
  • ParmiCycling route
  • Parmi ExitCycling route
  • Red Tail BlackCycling route
  • RidgelineCycling route
  • Ridgeline GravityCycling route
  • Ridgeline JumpsCycling route
  • Ridgeline Jumps Right SideCycling route
  • Ring Bark FrogCycling route
  • Rock and Roll 1Cycling route
  • Rock and Roll 2 and 3Cycling route
  • SpiderbaitCycling route
  • SputnikCycling route
  • Texas RangerCycling route
  • The Long WayCycling route
  • The Long Way / Hammerhead linkCycling route
  • TinderCycling route
  • trackCycling route
  • Up The AnteCycling route
  • Up The BacksideCycling route
  • Upper Blue RingCycling route
  • VanillaCycling route
  • WhiptailCycling route
  • Whiptail (up)Cycling route
  • Windarra Avenue link to WhiptailCycling route
  • WobbegongCycling route
  • Plus Fitness 24/7 DouglasGym
  • Goondaloo Creek Landcare Site CDTLINature reserve
  • Damson Court ParkPark
  • Gum Place ParkPark
  • Horizon ParkPark
  • Klewarra Boulevard East ParkPark
  • Klewarra Boulevard West ParkPark
  • Park
  • Riverbend ParkPark
  • Riverside Green ParkPark
  • Rowers Lane ParkPark
  • Sanctuary ParkPark
  • Playground (5)
  • JCU Beach Volleyball CourtsSports field
  • Joe Baker FieldSports field
  • Sports field
  • Swimming pool (19)
Transport(13)

13 bus stops

Other(22)
  • Apartment (3)
  • Bench (3)
  • Earthcare Dry cleaners and LaundromatDry Cleaning
  • Garden (2)
  • Information (3)
  • Outdoor Seating
  • Fleet ParkingParking
  • Free ParkingParking
  • Free Parking (Temporary)Parking
  • Parking (27)
  • Permit ParkingParking
  • Reserved ParkingParking
  • Resident ParkingParking
  • Service ParkingParking
  • Visitor ParkingParking
  • Parking Space
  • Gleeson Weir Viewing PlatformShelter
  • Shelter (8)
  • St Vincent's Care DouglasSocial Facility

    291 Angus Smith Drive, Douglas

  • James Cook UniversityUniversity
  • James Cook UniversityUniversity

    1 James Cook Drive

  • Vacant

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Parks & reserves

14 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Damson Court ParkPark
  • Douglas ParkPark
  • Douglas River WalkwayPark
  • Goondaloo Creek Landcare Site CDTLINature reserve
  • Gum Place ParkPark
  • Horizon ParkPark
  • Klewarra Boulevard East ParkPark
  • Klewarra Boulevard West ParkPark
  • Riverbend ParkPark
  • Riverside Green ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
9.8%
Woodland / forest cover
6.3%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
60
Parks (OSM)
15
Typical summer maximum
30°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
5
Nearest hospital
Hospital (1.3 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
On site
GP clinics in suburb
1
GPs tagged bulk billing (OSM)
0 of 1
Aged-care services
1
Residential aged-care places
140

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

  • Douglas Family Medical CentreGP
  • Alive PharmacyPharmacy
  • HospitalHospital
  • Riverside Gardens PharmacyPharmacy
  • Townsville HospitalHospital
Aged-care services
  • Ozcare DouglasDOUGLASResidential

Australian Government–subsidised services from the AIHW GEN list (30 June 2025), assigned to this suburb by location.

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
186
Participants per 1,000 residents
22.9

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 (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Roadworks & transport

6 active roadworks / incidents

  • Between the Discovery Drive and Angus Smith Drive overpassesThe Ring Road07 Oct 2026 – 07 Oct 2026
  • Between the Discovery Drive and Angus Smith Drive overpassesThe Ring Road15 Oct 2026 – 15 Oct 2026
  • Between the Discovery Drive and Angus Smith Drive overpassesThe Ring Road26 Oct 2026 – 26 Oct 2026
  • Between the Riverside Boulevard and Angus Smith Drive overpassesThe Ring Road07 Oct 2026 – 07 Oct 2026
  • Between the Riverside Boulevard and Angus Smith Drive overpassesThe Ring Road15 Oct 2026 – 15 Oct 2026
  • Between the Riverside Boulevard and Angus Smith Drive overpassesThe Ring Road26 Oct 2026 – 26 Oct 2026

Data sources & freshness

  • Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · current · Updated

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid
Flood / inundation overlay
No mapped inundation on suburb boundary

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping. Flood cover uses floodplain overlay polygons against the suburb boundary where published.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Bushfire and flood 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 3.3 km away).

Coalition 54.9%Labor 45.1%

8.5 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +2.3 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • DouglasLabor 52.2% · Coalition 47.8% TPP (2025)1.1 km away
  • CranbrookLabor 37.6% · Coalition 62.4% TPP (2025)1.7 km away
  • The WeirLabor 41.7% · Coalition 58.3% TPP (2025)1.7 km away
  • Kirwan SouthLabor 43.3% · Coalition 56.7% TPP (2025)2.2 km away
  • Annandale (Herbert)Labor 38.5% · Coalition 61.5% TPP (2025)3.2 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)
9/10
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 (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

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.