suburb.guide

QLD · Torres Council

Thursday Island, 4875

Est. population · Jun 2025

2,800

Growth (1 yr)

+0.1%

Growth (5 yr)

-2.8%

Median age

30

Median income

$2,136/wk

Employment rate

60.6%

University qualified

16.1%

Work from home

3.7%

Languages at home

53.6%non-English

Most common: Australian Indigenous languages, Punjabi, Samoan

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

32.7/100
Below average

1243rd in QLD

Verified 87% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Excellent transport
  • Education hub
  • Green suburb
  • Regional centre
What Thursday Island is known for: Excellent transport, Education hub, Green suburb, Regional centre

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Thursday Island, QLD suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Thursday Island, QLD Suburb Guide”, updated 2 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/qld/thursday-island

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Suburb profile

Thursday Island is a major regional centre in Queensland, in Torres Council, with mainly mixed commercial and residential development. It is close to the island and Cape York Peninsula. It has a university campus.

Household incomes are a relative strength, with household incomes 71% above the peer median, and green cover is an exceptional strength, placing it among the highest-ranked major regional centres, and university qualifications are a relative strength, with university qualifications 24% above the peer median, and heritage listings are a relative strength, with heritage listings 100% above the peer median. The main trade-offs are lower school ICSEA scores and weaker population growth.

Overall, the suburb suits people prioritising university qualifications and heritage character over school quality.

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

  • Household incomes are a relative strength
  • Green cover is a relative strength
  • University qualifications are a relative strength
  • Heritage listings are a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • School ICSEA scores are a relative weakness
  • Population growth is a relative weakness

What stands out

  • Large Aboriginal community with Indigenous languages spoken at home
  • University campus
  • Island
  • Cape York Peninsula

Who it suits

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

Housing, growth and risk

How Thursday Island compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent (Census)

$200/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

2,800

+0.1% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

15.0%

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

#168

among Country & regional · Established

Crime rate

74th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

23rd

percentile in QLD

Rented dwellings

86%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

3/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

9th

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
32.7/100 — Below average
National rank
6037th in Australia
State rank
1243rd in QLD
Peer rank
#168 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#744 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
87%

Data sources & freshness

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

Population

Estimated resident population

2,800(June 2025)

+0.1% annual · -2.8% over 5 years · 23th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.1%
5-year growth
-2.8%
Change in 1 year
+4
Change in 5 years
-80
Growth rank in QLD
23th 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 (~2,800), extrapolated at +0.0% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
2,805
Median age
30
Median household income / week
$2,136
Dwelling vacancy
15%
Unoccupied private dwellings
131 of 875
Median monthly mortgage
$1,408
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$200
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
9.6% / 4.2% / 86.2%
Employment rate
60.6%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
3.7% / 1.3% / 53.8%
Walked or cycled to work
25.6%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
424 / 221 / 79 (+ 8 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

16.1% of adults have a university degree, compared with 21.9% across Queensland. 19% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified16.1% · 21.9% QLD
  • Diploma qualified7.6% · 9.4% QLD
  • Trade / vocational19% · 18.9% QLD
  • Year 12 or below57.2% · 49.8% QLD

Highest qualification field

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

  • Health20.6%
  • Management and commerce18.4%
  • Society and culture15.2%
  • Education13.4%
  • Engineering and related technologies13.4%
  • Architecture and building9.2%
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)
$54,895

48th percentile in QLD · -6% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$56,356

29th percentile in QLD · -13% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
9.0%

27th percentile in QLD · -35% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$30,888

7th percentile in QLD · -51% vs Australia

Residents with business income
5.0%

3rd percentile in QLD · -52% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 4875 — 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
3,145
Taxpayers reporting net rent
270
Median net rent
-$872
Taxpayers reporting business income
159
Taxable income vs state median
-1%
Salary / wages vs state median
-8%
Rental investment vs state median
-18%
Super vs state median
-55%
Business income vs state median
-50%

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

53.6% speak a language other than English at home; 7.2% born overseas

Language at home
1,175 English only · 1,355 other
Non-English at home
53.6%
Born overseas
186 (7.2%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
1,939 (69.1%)
Australian citizens
2,557
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
7

Top languages other than English

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

  • Australian Indigenous languages583 · 95.7%
  • Punjabi6 · 1%
  • Samoan6 · 1%
  • French4 · 0.7%
  • Spanish4 · 0.7%
  • Japanese3 · 0.5%
  • Mandarin3 · 0.5%

Religion

68.4%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 68.4%, while 20.2% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion20.2%40.7%
Christianity68.4%45.7%
Other / not stated11.4%13.6%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Anglican32%11.3%
Catholic14.2%18.6%
Pentecostal11%1.4%
Christian (not further defined)3.7%3.1%
Uniting Church2.7%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 4875, 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)
208
Against the person
88
Against property
51
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
99.3
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 32 residents
State crime-rate percentile
73.8th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+60.7%

Most common offence types

  • Assault53
  • Drug Offences36
  • Other Property Damage23
  • Traffic And Related Offences19
  • Good Order Offences23

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
2
Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
830
Median ICSEA percentile
9th
Primary catchments overlapping suburb
1
Secondary catchments overlapping suburb
1
School list
  • Tagai State CollegeCombined · Government · ICSEA 742 · 2th percentile · LBOTE 92% · 1,261 students · Top SEA quarter 2% · 0.4 km awayView on My School →
  • Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School WaibenPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 918 · 15th percentile · LBOTE 49% · 131 students · Top SEA quarter 15% · 0.7 km awayView on My School →
School catchments
  • Tagai State College - Thursday Island Primary CampusGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Tagai State College - Thursday Island SecondaryGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_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

46 mapped amenities

3 pubs · 2 supermarkets · 1 libraries · 1 places of worship · 1 sports centres · 1 swimming pools · 1 post offices

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • A car helps for daily needs
Walkability proxy
31/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
1.07
Parks per 1,000 residents
0.71
Food & drink(3)
  • Federal HotelPub
  • Grand HotelPub

    6 Victoria Parade, Thursday Island

  • Jardine MotelPub
Shopping(2)
  • IBIS RosehillSupermarket

    60 Waiben Esplanade, Thursday Island

  • Supermarket
Everyday services(3)
  • NABBank
  • R&F Self Service StoreLaundry
  • Thursday Island LPOPost office
Community(5)
  • Torres Shire Municipal LibraryLibrary

    Douglas Street

  • Our Lady of the Sacred Heart SchoolSchool
  • Tagai State CollegeSchool
  • Tagai State College Primary CampusSchool
  • Tagai State College Secondary CampusSchool
Sport & outdoors(13)
  • BBQ
  • Boat ramp
  • Drinking water
  • ANZAC ParkPark
  • Park
  • Bayo BeachPicnic area
  • Public toilets
  • TSIRCPublic toilets
  • Thursday Island Sports ComplexSports centre
  • Ken Brown Memorial Playing FieldSports field
  • Sports field
  • TI Bowls ClubSports field
  • Swimming pool
Entertainment(2)
  • Green Hill Fort MuseumMuseum
  • Lion's LookoutViewpoint
Transport(1)

1 ferry terminals

Other(11)
  • TurtleArtwork
  • Thursday Island Boat ClubAttraction
  • Gab Titui Cultural CentreGallery
  • Parking (4)
  • Picnic Table
  • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsPlace of worship

    6 Stephen Street, Thursday Island

  • Police
  • Recycling
  • Shelter (4)
  • Star of the Sea (Aged Care)Social Facility
  • James Cook UniversityUniversity

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

  • TI Bowls Club

    Lawn Bowls

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

1 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • ANZAC ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
35.7%
Woodland / forest cover
35.2%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
10
Parks (OSM)
2
Typical summer maximum
31°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

Places of worship

1 places of worship within ~1.5 km

  • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

    6 Stephen Street, Thursday Island

From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Nearest hospital
Bamaga Hospital (39.5 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0
Aged-care services
3
Residential aged-care places
38

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

Aged-care services
  • Blue Care Star of the Sea Elders VillageTHURSDAY ISLANDResidential
  • Outer Islands HaccTHURSDAY ISLANDHome Care
  • Torres Strait Aged Care AssociationTHURSDAY ISLANDHome Care

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)
54
Participants per 1,000 residents
19.3

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
31° / 25°
Rainfall
945 mm · ~90 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
30° / 24°
Rainfall
680 mm · ~85 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
28° / 23°
Rainfall
70 mm · ~9 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
31° / 24°
Rainfall
91 mm · ~11 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Heritage

4 heritage places

  • Our Lady of the Sacred Heart ChurchState heritage place
  • Quetta Memorial PrecinctState heritage place
  • Thursday Island Cemetery (incorporating the Japanese Cemetery & the Grave of the Hon. John Douglas)State heritage place
  • Thursday Island Customs HouseState 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
Leichhardt
Member of Parliament
Matt SMITH (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
122,757
Turnout (2025)
83.0%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+9.5 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 43.9%Labor 56.1%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 484.8 km away).

Coalition 16.4%Labor 83.6%

27.5 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +20.3 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Thursday IslandLabor 82.8% · Coalition 17.2% TPP (2025)0.7 km away
  • TamwoyLabor 85.1% · Coalition 14.9% TPP (2025)0.8 km away
  • Horn IslandLabor 78.4% · Coalition 21.6% TPP (2025)3.8 km away
  • BamagaLabor 81.0% · Coalition 19.1% TPP (2025)39.1 km away
  • WeipaLabor 56.4% · Coalition 43.6% TPP (2025)230.3 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)
3/10
IRSD decile (2021)
2/10

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

More in Torres Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile elsewhere in Queensland or interstate.