QLD · Townsville Council
Picnic Bay, QLD, 4819
Current weather
22.3°CMainly clear
81% humidity · 23.7 km/h wind · 22.4° / 20.5° today · 0 mm rain
Desirability index
#107 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Suburb snapshot
Picnic Bay is a small locality in the Townsville area, home to around 367 residents (2021 Census). Recent indicators show 67 offences in Jan 2026 to Dec 2026 with falling year-on-year trends (-58%), roughly 182.6 offences per 1,000 residents, and a solid spread of nearby amenities and everyday services. Use the sections below for detailed population, safety, schools, and local activity data.
Population
- Population
- 367
- Median age
- 59
- Median household income / week
- $870
- Dwelling vacancy
- 30.4%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 77 of 253
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,469
- Employment rate
- 41.1%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 16 / 37 / 6
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 Dec 2026)
- 67
- Against the person
- 10
- Against property
- 42
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 182.6
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 37 residents
- State safety percentile
- 21.8th (lower crime is better)
- Year-on-year change
- -57.6%
Most common offence types
- Fraud8
- Other Property Damage8
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)13
- Traffic And Related Offences8
- Unlawful Entry11
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
Amenities
30 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- ATM
- Bbq
- Free BBQBbq
- Bench (4)
- Bicycle Parking
- Birt St at Magnetic StreetBus stop
- Granite St at Birt StreetBus stop
- Granite St at Picnic StreetBus stop
- Yule St at Picnic Bay JettyBus stop
- The reef bar cafeCafe
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
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 3/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 2/10
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
1 state heritage place
- Magnetic Island Craft ShopState heritage place
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · 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)
- 1
- Parks (OSM)
- 1
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
- 71.4/100
- Cohort rank
- #107 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Magnetic Island Craft ShopheritageState heritage place
- Fraudcrime8
- Other Property Damagecrime8
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime13
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime8
- Unlawful Entrycrime11
- ATMamenitiesatm
- Albysamenitiesrestaurant
- Bbqamenitiesbbq
- Benchamenitiesbench
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Updated on site
Similar suburbs
Suburbs with a comparable population profile, socio-economic decile, and location.