QLD · Townsville Council
North Ward, QLD, 4810
Current weather
21.4°CMainly clear
82% humidity · 9.2 km/h wind · 25.5° / 17.2° today · 0 mm rain
Desirability index
#161 among Metro Brisbane suburbs
Suburb snapshot
North Ward is a smaller suburban community in the Townsville area, home to around 5,073 residents (2021 Census). Recent indicators show 3,433 offences in Jan 2026 to Dec 2026 with falling year-on-year trends (-49%), roughly 676.7 offences per 1,000 residents, median weekly rent around $500, 3 school and preschool sites in the area, and a higher concentration of local shops, services, and recreation amenities. Snapshot data also shows parks or public open space within the suburb and hospitals or GP clinics within the suburb.
Population
- Population
- 5,073
- Median age
- 40
- Median household income / week
- $1,500
- Dwelling vacancy
- 18%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 515 of 2,861
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,744
- Employment rate
- 61.9%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 208 / 442 / 1,341
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.
Housing
- All types (Mar 2026)
- $500
Median weekly rent from Queensland RTA rental bond data. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
Data sources & freshness
- RTA bond statistics — Residential Tenancies Authority (Queensland) · Period: Mar 2026 · Updated on site · Quarterly releases
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Dec 2026)
- 3,433
- Against the person
- 1,155
- Against property
- 1,170
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 676.7
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 4 residents
- State safety percentile
- 40.8th (lower crime is better)
- Year-on-year change
- -49.4%
Most common offence types
- Assault480
- Drug Offences680
- Good Order Offences627
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)445
- Unlawful Entry310
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Dec 2026; Jan 2026 to Dec 2026 · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 3
- Median school ICSEA (3 schools)
- 1,100
- St Joseph's Catholic School, The StrandPrimary
- Townsville Central State SchoolPrimary
- Townsville Grammar SchoolCombined
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Amenities
319 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- LiquorlandAlcohol
- Seaview Hotel BottleshopAlcohol
- ATM
- MM&Bakery
26-28 Mitchell Street, North Ward
- Osk BarBar
- Bbq (13)
- ArtsideBeauty salon
- Leena's Nail and BeautyBeauty salon
- Mara SocietyBeauty salon
- North Ward Nail & SpaBeauty salon
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
10 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Ben Bloom ParkPark
- Brigaider North ParkPark
- Harmony ParkPark
- Norman ParkPark
- Parade GroundPark
- Pat Molloy ParkPark
- Queens GardensPark
- Queens ParkPark
- Strand Park Rock PoolPark
- The Strand ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 5
- Emergency department
- Not in suburb
- Dentist on PaxtonPaxton Streetdentist
- North Ward Health Campusyes
- Star Discount Chemistpharmacy
- Virginia Henryoptometrist
- physioNORTHphysiotherapist
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 7/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 5/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Heritage
12 state heritage places
- Former North Ward Defence Complex, TownsvilleState heritage place
- James Cook University Department of Public Health and Tropical Medicine BuildingState heritage place
- KardiniaState heritage place
- Kissing Point Fortification & Jezzine Barracks (part)State heritage place
- Queens GardensState heritage place
- School HouseState heritage place
- St Josephs ChurchState heritage place
- St Patrick's ConventState heritage place
- Townsville Astronomical Trigonometrical StationState heritage place
- Townsville Central State SchoolState heritage place
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site
Childcare
1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap
- Mike Reynolds Early Childhood Centrechildcare
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Period: current · Updated on site
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping.
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 14
- Parks (OSM)
- 13
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability index
- Desirability score
- 76.9/100
- Cohort rank
- #161 among Metro Brisbane suburbs
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Mike Reynolds Early Childhood Centrechildcarechildcare
- Former North Ward Defence Complex, TownsvilleheritageState heritage place
- James Cook University Department of Public Health and Tropical Medicine BuildingheritageState heritage place
- KardiniaheritageState heritage place
- Kissing Point Fortification & Jezzine Barracks (part)heritageState heritage place
- Queens GardensheritageState heritage place
- School HouseheritageState heritage place
- St Josephs ChurchheritageState heritage place
- St Patrick's ConventheritageState heritage place
- Townsville Astronomical Trigonometrical StationheritageState heritage place
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Updated on site
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Updated on site
Similar suburbs
Suburbs with a comparable population profile, socio-economic decile, and location.