suburb.guide

QLD · Townsville Council

South Townsville, 4810

Est. population · Jun 2025

2,566

Growth (1 yr)

+1.1%

Growth (5 yr)

+4.5%

Median age

41

Median income

$1,516/wk

Employment rate

57.3%

University qualified

20.4%

Work from home

6%

Languages at home

8.5%non-English

Most common: French, Italian, Afrikaans

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

42.6/100
Average

Top 46% of Queensland's suburbs

Verified 75% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Beach
  • Excellent transport
  • Marina
  • Green suburb
What South Townsville is known for: Beach, Excellent transport, Marina, Green suburb

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South Townsville, QLD suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “South Townsville, QLD Suburb Guide”, updated 2 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/qld/south-townsville

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Suburb profile

South Townsville is a coastal town in Queensland, in Townsville Council. Notable landmarks include St John's Anglican Church Precinct.

Dining and café access is an exceptional strength, well above typical levels for coastal towns. Open-space access is better than in most comparable places, with park access 52% above the peer median, and school access is a very strong feature of the suburb, with school access 50% above the peer median. Rents are unusually low against comparable places, with median rents 27% below the peer median. The clearer weaknesses are higher crime and weaker population growth.

South Townsville is a better fit for people who value lower rents and dining 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

Coastal town · compared with coastal towns in Queensland (89)

Strengths

  • Rents are unusually low against comparable places
  • Dining and café access is a relative strength
  • Open-space access is better than in most comparable places
  • School access is a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • Reported crime in the wider postcode 4810 is elevated relative to comparable places
  • Population has been growing more slowly than in comparable places, or declining

What stands out

  • Secret Beach
  • St John's Anglican Church Precinct

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • StudentsInsufficient data
  • Budget buyersInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How South Townsville compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent

$510/wk

Population (ERP)

2,566

+1.1% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

17.6%

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

#24

among Coastal & beach · Established

Crime rate

97th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

50th

percentile in QLD

Rented dwellings

50%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

5/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

57th

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
42.6/100 — Average
State standing
Top 46% of Queensland's suburbs
National rank
3734th in Australia
State rank
692nd in QLD
Peer rank
#24 among Coastal & beach · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#86 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Data confidence
75%

Data sources & freshness

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

Housing

All types (Mar 2026)
$510

Median weekly rent from Queensland RTA rental bond data. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.

Contributes to desirability score · Housing (10%) · Future Growth (6%)

Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band

Data sources & freshness

Population

Estimated resident population

2,566(June 2025)

+1.1% annual · +4.5% over 5 years · 50th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.1%
5-year growth
+4.5%
Change in 1 year
+29
Change in 5 years
+110
Growth rank in QLD
50th 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 (~2,650), extrapolated at +0.5% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
2,424
Median age
41
Median household income / week
$1,516
Dwelling vacancy
17.6%
Unoccupied private dwellings
213 of 1,207
Median monthly mortgage
$1,517
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$300
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
22.8% / 26.9% / 50.3%
Employment rate
57.3%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
6% / 0.5% / 71.5%
Walked or cycled to work
8%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
513 / 246 / 210 (+ 17 other)

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

20.4% of adults have a university degree, compared with 21.9% across Queensland. 18.8% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified20.4% · 21.9% QLD
  • Diploma qualified7.6% · 9.4% QLD
  • Trade / vocational18.8% · 18.9% QLD
  • Year 12 or below53.2% · 49.8% QLD

Highest qualification field

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

  • Management and commerce17.8%
  • Engineering and related technologies16.5%
  • Health13.8%
  • Society and culture13.7%
  • Food, hospitality and personal services9%
  • Architecture and building8.3%
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)
$66,184

84th percentile in QLD · +13% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$69,807

82nd percentile in QLD · +7% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
14.0%

83rd percentile in QLD · +1% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$81,224

72nd percentile in QLD · +28% vs Australia

Residents with business income
9.0%

38th percentile in QLD · -13% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 4810 — 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
15,190
Taxpayers reporting net rent
2,114
Median net rent
-$972
Taxpayers reporting business income
1,307
Taxable income vs state median
+19%
Salary / wages vs state median
+14%
Rental investment vs state median
+27%
Super vs state median
+17%
Business income vs state median
-10%

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

8.5% speak a language other than English at home; 17% born overseas

Language at home
1,901 English only · 176 other
Non-English at home
8.5%
Born overseas
354 (17%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
131 (5.4%)
Australian citizens
1,913
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
10

Top languages other than English

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

  • French7 · 15.6%
  • Italian6 · 13.3%
  • Afrikaans5 · 11.1%
  • Punjabi5 · 11.1%
  • Tagalog5 · 11.1%
  • German4 · 8.9%
  • Spanish4 · 8.9%
  • Australian Indigenous languages3 · 6.7%

Religion

42.5%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 42.5%, while 38.3% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion38.3%40.7%
Christianity42.5%45.7%
Other / not stated19.2%13.6%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic23%18.6%
Anglican10.1%11.3%
Uniting Church3.2%3.6%

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 4810, 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)
594
Against the person
198
Against property
203
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
309.5
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 12 residents
State crime-rate percentile
96.7th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+3.7%

Most common offence types

  • Assault80
  • Drug Offences115
  • Good Order Offences109
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)79
  • Unlawful Entry51

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)
1,024
Median ICSEA percentile
57th
Primary catchments overlapping suburb
3
Secondary catchments overlapping suburb
1
School list
  • Townsville South State SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 909 · 13th percentile · LBOTE 19% · 95 students · Top SEA quarter 6% · 0.7 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% · 1.7 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 →
School catchments
  • Railway Estate SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Townsville SHSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Townsville South SSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Townsville West 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

Amenities

162 mapped amenities

6 restaurants · 1 cafes · 3 pubs · 1 bars · 2 fast food · 2 playgrounds · 9 swimming pools · 1 beaches

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life — 8 parks mapped in suburb, 2 playgrounds nearby
  • Strong local sport and recreation — 12 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
Walkability proxy
29/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0.41
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
5.36
Parks per 1,000 residents
3.3
Food & drink(13)
  • Bar
  • Long Shot Coffee CoCafe

    7 Tomlins Street, South Townsville

  • Grill'dFast food
  • Simply TopsFast food
  • Australian HotelPub
  • Empire HotelPub

    31 McIlwraith Street, South Townsville

  • Pub
  • Cactus Jack'sRestaurant
  • IMC SteakhouseRestaurant
  • JamRestaurant
  • Masala Indian CuisineRestaurant
  • Restaurant
  • Townsville Yacht ClubRestaurant
Shopping(2)
  • Liquor Legends South TownsvilleBottle shop

    9a Palmer Street, South Townsville

  • Kwik ShopConvenience store
Everyday services(1)
  • ChargeStarEV charging
Community(2)
  • Townsville Brass Band HallCommunity centre

    60 Morehead Street

  • Townsville South State SchoolSchool
Sport & outdoors(23)
  • Secret BeachBeach
  • Boat ramp
  • Townsville Recreational Boating ParkMarina
  • Cleveland Bay - Magnetic Island Dugong Protection AreaNature reserve
  • boundry st ParkPark
  • Fourth AvenuePark
  • Hurburt Street ParkPark
  • Park (2)
  • Victoria ParkPark
  • Playground (2)
  • Public toilets
  • Sports field
  • Swimming pool (9)
Wineries & breweries(1)
  • Tiny Mountain BreweryBrewery
Places to stay(5)
  • Adventurers BackpackersHostel
  • Aligned Corporate Residences TownsvilleHotel
  • Oaks MetropoleHotel
  • Rydges HotelHotel
  • The Palmer CollectiveHotel

    12 Palmer Street

Entertainment(1)
  • The Maritime Museum of TownsvilleMuseum
Transport(6)

2 bus stops · 4 ferry terminals

Other(20)
  • Townsville SignAttraction
  • Moksha RoomBeauty salon

    Dibbs Street

  • Bench (2)
  • Bicycle Parking
  • Conference Centre
  • Garden (38)
  • Seoul MartGeneral
  • Baskin-RobbinsIce Cream

    Unit 3 8-10 Palmer Street

  • GelatissimoIce Cream
  • Motorcycle Parking
  • Bravus Mining & Resources Parking LotParking
  • Dean Street CarparkParking
  • Magentic Island Ferries ParkingParking
  • Parking (45)
  • Parking Space (2)
  • Picnic Table (3)
  • Police
  • Townsville Water PolicePolice
  • Shelter (4)
  • Vehicle WeighbridgeVehicle Inspection

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

Sporting clubs

1 named sporting club in this suburb

  • Townsville Yacht Club

    Sailing

Named sporting clubs from OpenStreetMap, assigned to this suburb's boundary. Sporting facilities such as ovals, courts and recreation centres are listed under Amenities.

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap sporting clubs — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Geofabrik australia-latest.osm.pbf

Parks & reserves

6 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • boundry st ParkPark
  • Central ParkPark
  • Fourth AvenuePark
  • Hurburt Street ParkPark
  • Townsville Recreational Boating ParkPark
  • Victoria ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
4.1%
Woodland / forest cover
0%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
8
Parks (OSM)
8
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

Nearest hospital
Townsville Private Clinic (2.0 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0

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

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
65
Participants per 1,000 residents
25.3

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

Planning & development

Development applications from QLD coordinated projects (lodged 2020–2026).

1 planning-related records

Other· 1 proposal
  • Townsville Marine Precinct
    Reclamation and development of approximately 34 hectares of land for marine-dependent industries.Completed EIS project

Data sources & freshness

Heritage

2 heritage places

  • St John's Anglican Church PrecinctState heritage place
  • Victoria BridgeState heritage place

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Heritage listings as established streetscape

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · 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 5.2 km away).

Coalition 53.8%Labor 46.2%

9.6 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: -1.0 pp toward Coalition

Nearest polling places

  • Townsville SouthLabor 46.4% · Coalition 53.6% TPP (2025)0.5 km away
  • North WardLabor 42.8% · Coalition 57.2% TPP (2025)2.2 km away
  • Railway EstateLabor 44.7% · Coalition 55.3% TPP (2025)2.2 km away
  • Belgian GardensLabor 44.1% · Coalition 55.9% TPP (2025)4.0 km away
  • CutheringaLabor 47.5% · Coalition 52.5% 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

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
5/10
IRSD decile (2021)
4/10

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.