QLD · Townsville Council
Idalia, 4811
Current weather
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84% humidity · 12.4 km/h wind · 25.3° / 18.3° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Idalia anchors everyday life in Townsville, a regional mid-sized suburb with its own identity and rhythm. Out in the wider region, it rewards those who value open country and a pace set by the land, not the clock. The community skews younger, with plenty of young families in the mix.
Local eateries and coffee spots give the area a friendly, everyday social rhythm. Pocket parks and green corners give residents room to get outside without leaving the neighbourhood. Homes here are sought-after, with many people drawn to the lifestyle the area offers.
The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
On the desirability index, the suburb rates good overall, led by community and employment and housing affordability, while safety and schools and education sit closer to the middle of the pack for similar regional towns.
Population
- Population
- 4,563
- Median age
- 32
- Median household income / week
- $2,524
- Dwelling vacancy
- 7.8%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 137 of 1,747
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,920
- Employment rate
- 74.4%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 109 / 13 / 310
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)
- $620
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)
- 270
- Against the person
- 56
- Against property
- 159
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 59.2
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 81 residents
- State safety percentile
- 76.7th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -4.5%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault115
- Drug Offences77
- Other Property Damage62
- Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)240
- Unlawful Entry101
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
- 995
- Oonoonba 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
50 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- BWSAlcohol
- CellarbrationsAlcohol
- Angelfish DragonflyBaby Goods
- Three LoavesBakery
- Bench (11)
- Precinct Fine MeatsButcher
- Cafe BambiniCafe
- Gloria Jean'sCafe
- The Spirited GoatCafe
- Zarraffa's CoffeeCafe
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
- 5 Tree ParkPark
- Lakeshore Circuit ParkPark
- Lakeshore Circuit Park 2Park
- Lakeshore Circuit Park 3Park
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 3
- Emergency department
- Not in suburb
- Pharmacypharmacy
- Pharmacypharmacy
- Queensland X-Ray Fairfielddoctor
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)
- 10/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 10/10
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
Heritage
1 state heritage place
- Ross River Meatworks ChimneyState heritage place
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site
Childcare
2 childcare services from OpenStreetMap
- kindergartenkindergarten
- kindergartenkindergarten
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
Childcare centre count
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Period: current · Updated on site
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)
- 4
- Parks (OSM)
- 4
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
- 59.9/100 — Good
- State standing
- Top 12% of Queensland's suburbs
- National rank
- 867th in Australia
- State rank
- 178th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #20 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #31 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 77%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Angelfish Dragonflyamenitiesbaby_goods
- Australia Postamenitiespost_office
- BPamenitiesfuel
- BWSamenitiesalcohol
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- 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.