QLD · Townsville Council
Horseshoe Bay, 4819
Current weather
22.5°CMainly clear
81% humidity · 23.7 km/h wind · 22.5° / 20.7° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- National parks
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Horseshoe Bay is a regional centre in Townsville that balances local services with a more relaxed pace of life. Distance from the capital is noticeable, but the trade-off is space, calm and a community that knows its neighbours. Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood.
Weekends tend to revolve around local favourites: a café, a market run, a walk through town. Local parks and tree cover add a welcome outdoor dimension to suburban life. Homes are relatively affordable, which helps families and first-time residents put down roots.
This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker housing affordability and community and employment against similar regional towns, even with safety holding up better.
Population
- Population
- 611
- Median age
- 57
- Median household income / week
- $1,067
- Dwelling vacancy
- 26.1%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 93 of 356
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,127
- Employment rate
- 46.6%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 28 / 3 / 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)
- 17
- Against the person
- 2
- Against property
- 10
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 27.8
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 306 residents
- State safety percentile
- 24.9th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -13.1%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Fraud8
- Other Property Damage8
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)13
- Traffic And Related Offences8
- Unlawful Entry11
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
49 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- ATM (3)
- Bbq
- Free BBQBbq
- Bench (4)
- Horseshoe Bay Rd at Apjohn StreetBus stop
- Horseshoe Bay Rd at Gifford StreetBus stop
- Horseshoe Bay Rd at Heath StreetBus stop
- Horseshoe Bay Rd at Nautilus StreetBus stop
- Pacific Dr at Horseshoe BayBus stop
- Swenson StreetBus stop
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
2 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Bungalow Bay Koala ParkNature reserve
- Horseshoe Bay Lagoon Conservation ParkNature reserve
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 3/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 3/10
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)
- 0
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
- 39.2/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 3637th in Australia
- State rank
- 839th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #144 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #414 among Country & regional 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
- ATMamenitiesatm
- ATMamenitiesatm
- ATMamenitiesatm
- Adele's Cafeamenitiescafe
- Australia Postamenitiespost_box
- Barefoot Art Food Wineamenitiesrestaurant
- Bbqamenitiesbbq
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
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.