Median house price
—
No data available
QLD · Townsville Council
Shaw, 4818
Est. population · Jun 2025
922
Growth (1 yr)
+5.0%
Growth (5 yr)
+26.5%
Median age
28
Median income
$2,016/wk
Employment rate
77%
Languages at home
12.3%non-English
Most common: Tagalog, Punjabi, Filipino
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- Education hub
- National parks
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
In Townsville Council, Shaw keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. A younger crowd gives the area energy, with a strong presence of young families throughout. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting.
Local shops are sparse, so a fuller set of amenities usually means travelling to a neighbouring town or regional hub. There is enough green space nearby for walks, picnics and after-school play. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here than in denser, more walkable pockets.
Buyers typically pay more than the metro middle for a home here. A growing community is gradually adding fresh energy without losing its local identity.
Desirability lands below average here: softer local dining and lifestyle amenities weighing on the result versus similar regional towns, even with community and employment, plus housing affordability holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
At a glance
Shaw snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
—
No data available
Population (ERP)
922
+5.0% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
9.0%
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
#32
among Country & regional · Growth area
Safety
43rd
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
96th
percentile in QLD
Advantage (IRSAD)
7/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
48th
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
- 39.0/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 3956th in Australia
- State rank
- 847th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #32 among Country & regional · Growth area suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #414 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 66%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Population
Estimated resident population
922(June 2025)
+5.0% annual · +26.5% over 5 years · 96th percentile in QLD
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +5.0%
- 5-year growth
- +26.5%
- Change in 1 year
- +44
- Change in 5 years
- +193
- Growth rank in QLD
- 96th 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 (~1,150), extrapolated at +4.5% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 760
- Median age
- 28
- Median household income / week
- $2,016
- Dwelling vacancy
- 9%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 29 of 321
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Employment rate
- 77%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 274 / 9 / 0 (+ 3 other)
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)
- 37
- Against the person
- 7
- Against property
- 19
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 40.1
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 109 residents
- State safety percentile
- 42.8th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +3.5%
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
Schools & preschools
- Schools within 2 km
- 2
- Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
- 1,002
- Median ICSEA percentile
- 48th
School list
- Mary Help of Christians Catholic CollegeSecondary · Catholic · ICSEA 990 · 42th percentile · LBOTE 7% · 127 students · Top SEA quarter 11% · 1.3 km awayView on My School →
- St Benedict's Catholic SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1014 · 53th percentile · LBOTE 7% · 613 students · Top SEA quarter 13% · 1.4 km awayView on My School →
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
Amenities
5 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
1 sports centres
Local character & venue list
Local character
- Limited walkable amenities nearby
- Great for outdoor family life — 2 parks mapped in suburb
- Walkability proxy
- 0/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 2.63
Community(1)
- St Benedict's Kindergarten and Catholic SchoolSchool
890 Dalrymple Road
Sport & outdoors(4)
- Greater Ascot Adventure ParkPark
- Maidens Green ParkPark
- Townsville Kart ClubSports centre
- Sports field
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
Parks & reserves
2 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Greater Ascot Adventure ParkPark
- Maidens Green ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · 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 (4.6 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)
- 31
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 33.6
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
- 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
Roadworks & transport
1 active roadworks / incidents
- At the Tompkins road intersectionShaw Road06 Jul 2026 – 30 Aug 2026
Data sources & freshness
- Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · 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 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 4.7 km away).
Coalition 65.5%Labor 34.5%
2.1 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: -1.8 pp toward Coalition
Nearest polling places
- ShawLabor 33.9% · Coalition 66.1% TPP (2025)1.5 km away
- North ShoreLabor 30.9% · Coalition 69.2% TPP (2025)2.2 km away
- KirwanLabor 39.4% · Coalition 60.6% TPP (2025)3.6 km away
- Mount LouisaLabor 36.1% · Coalition 63.9% TPP (2025)3.9 km away
- Kirwan EastLabor 38.1% · Coalition 61.9% TPP (2025)4.0 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)
- 7/10
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.