QLD · Townsville Council
Garbutt, 4814
Current weather
21.3°CMainly clear
82% humidity · 9.2 km/h wind · 25.4° / 17.1° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- National parks
- Green suburb
- Education hub
- High desirability
- Café precinct
Suburb profile
Garbutt is a regional centre in Townsville that balances local services with a more relaxed pace of life. Set in the wider countryside, it offers distance from the capital and a strong sense of place. Long-term locals and family households define much of the community, with plenty of young families in the mix.
Weekends tend to revolve around local favourites: a café, a market run, a walk through town. Pocket parks and green corners give residents room to get outside without leaving the neighbourhood. Housing remains accessible compared with many parts of the state.
The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because schools and education and community and employment lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in parks and green space and transport and access.
Population
- Population
- 2,309
- Median age
- 42
- Median household income / week
- $1,082
- Dwelling vacancy
- 13.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 155 of 1,145
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Employment rate
- 46.6%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 127 / 315 / 8
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)
- $525
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
- RTA bond statistics — Residential Tenancies Authority (Queensland) · Period: Mar 2026 · Updated on site · Quarterly releases
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
- 227
- Against the person
- 49
- Against property
- 120
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 98.3
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 47 residents
- State safety percentile
- 91.3th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +11.5%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault505
- Drug Offences728
- Good Order Offences400
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)1275
- Unlawful Entry499
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
- 775
- Garbutt 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
Roadworks & transport
3 active roadworks / incidents
- Between Dalrymple Road and Hugh StreetWoolcock Street, n/a03 Jul 2026 – 04 Jul 2026
- RoadworksHugh Street, n/a12 May 2026 – 09 Jul 2026
- Woolcock and Pilkington Street RoundaboutNorth Townsville Road (Woolcock Street) / Pilkington Street / Woolcock Street, n/a14 Jun 2026 – 15 Jul 2026
Data sources & freshness
- Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · Hourly refresh where supported
Amenities
31 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Meenan St at Lonerganne StreetBus stop
- AAFCANS CanteenCafe
- easyauto123Car
52 Duckworth Street
- Isuzu Trucks TownsvilleCar
36 Duckworth Street
- Townsville JeepCar
- Opposite LockCar Parts
- 1300 Meteor RentalsCar Rental
329 Ingham Road
- EnterpriseCar Rental
Coral Sea Drive, Garbutt
- ThriftyCar Rental
- CaravanmartCaravan
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
Parks & reserves
4 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Magpies ParkPark
- Melrose ParkPark
- Mundy Creek Landcare Site CDTLINature reserve
- Spilsbury ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 2
- Emergency department
- Not in suburb
- Cate's Chemist GarbuttIngham Roadpharmacy
- Queensland X-Ray Garbuttdoctor
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 1/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 1/10
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)
- 6
- Parks (OSM)
- 6
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
- 34.1/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 4457th in Australia
- State rank
- 1039th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #351 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #581 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 71%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- 1300 Meteor Rentalsamenities329 Ingham Roadcar_rental
- AAFCANS Canteenamenitiescafe
- Caravanmartamenitiescaravan
- Chemist Warehouseamenitiespharmacy
- Coles Expressamenitiesfuel
- EnterpriseamenitiesCoral Sea Drive, Garbuttcar_rental
- Isuzu Trucks Townsvilleamenities36 Duckworth Streetcar
- Meenan St at Lonerganne Streetamenitiesbus_stop
- Opposite Lockamenitiescar_parts
- Picnic Tableamenitiespicnic_table
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
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.