suburb.guide

QLD · Townsville Council

Bushland Beach, 4818

Current weather

21.8°CMainly clear

82% humidity · 12.7 km/h wind · 25° / 18.1° today · 0 mm rain

Updated

Desirability score

42.8/100
Average

Top 46% of Queensland's suburbs

58% data confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Coastal
  • High desirability
  • Green suburb
What Bushland Beach is known for: Coastal, High desirability, Green suburb

Suburb profile

Bushland Beach is a coastal mid-sized suburb where beach life and relaxed outdoor living shape the local character. Distance from the capital is noticeable, but the trade-off is space, calm and a community that knows its neighbours. There is a lightness to the air here, with the coast never far from mind.

Working households and growing families are the backbone of local life, with family life visible on every street. Weekends tend to revolve around local favourites: a café, a market run, a walk through town. Housing carries a premium, but residents tend to feel the lifestyle justifies the commitment.

The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.

The desirability score is around average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and transport and access against similar coastal suburbs, even with housing affordability and community and employment holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

Population

Population
6,641
Median age
35
Median household income / week
$2,283
Dwelling vacancy
6%
Unoccupied private dwellings
137 of 2,266
Median monthly mortgage
$1,733
Employment rate
68.5%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
214 / 24 / 7

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.

Housing

All types (Mar 2026)
$640

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 (15%) · Future Growth (7%)

Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum

Data sources & freshness

Crime & safety

Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
255
Against the person
43
Against property
131
Rate per 1,000 residents
38.4
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 154 residents
State safety percentile
47.4th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+5.7%

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

Amenities

10 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

  • Convenience store
  • Outdoor Seating (5)
  • Parking
  • Playground
  • Bushland Beach TavernPub
  • Sports field

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).

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

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
7/10
IRSD decile (2021)
8/10

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

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)
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 features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Desirability Index

Desirability score
42.8/100 — Average
State standing
Top 46% of Queensland's suburbs
National rank
2987th in Australia
State rank
687th in QLD
Peer rank
#44 among Coastal & beach · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#76 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Data confidence
58%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics

Recent changes

  • Bushland Beach Tavernamenitiespub
  • Convenience storeamenitiesconvenience
  • Outdoor Seatingamenitiesoutdoor_seating
  • Outdoor Seatingamenitiesoutdoor_seating
  • Outdoor Seatingamenitiesoutdoor_seating
  • Outdoor Seatingamenitiesoutdoor_seating
  • Outdoor Seatingamenitiesoutdoor_seating
  • Parkingamenitiesparking
  • Playgroundamenitiesplayground
  • Sports fieldamenitiespitch

Data sources & freshness

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.