QLD · Townsville Council
Bluewater, 4818
Current weather
21.9°CPartly cloudy
82% humidity · 7.7 km/h wind · 25° / 18.4° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
In Townsville, Bluewater keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. Out in the wider region, it rewards those who value open country and a pace set by the land, not the clock. The landscape itself is part of the lifestyle: open paddocks, big skies and room to breathe.
Working households and growing families are the backbone of local life, with family life visible on every street. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting. Housing is well-priced for what you get: space, location and everyday convenience.
The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
The desirability score is below average, pulled down chiefly by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and parks and green space relative to similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 1,085
- Median age
- 41
- Median household income / week
- $1,891
- Dwelling vacancy
- 12.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 51 of 409
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Employment rate
- 56.3%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 35 / 5 / 0
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 · 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 Jul 2026)
- 42
- Against the person
- 7
- Against property
- 21
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 38.7
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 155 residents
- State safety percentile
- 48.8th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +6%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Drug Offences173
- Other Property Damage123
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)217
- Traffic And Related Offences159
- Unlawful Entry168
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Jul 2026; Jan 2026 to Jul 2026 · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 950
- Bluewater State SchoolPrimary
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 · 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
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Bluewater ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 4/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 4/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
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 · 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.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 28.3/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5597th in Australia
- State rank
- 1290th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #440 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #783 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 66%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Drug Offencescrime173
- Other Property Damagecrime123
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime217
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime159
- Unlawful Entrycrime168
- Bluewater Parkgovernmentpark
- Bluewater State SchoolschoolsPrimary
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
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.