suburb.guide

QLD · Townsville Council

North Ward, 4810

Current weather

21.4°CMainly clear

82% humidity · 9.2 km/h wind · 25.5° / 17.2° today · 0 mm rain

Updated

Desirability score

57.7/100
Good

Top 16% of Queensland's suburbs

77% data confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Coastal
  • Café precinct
  • Green suburb
  • Cycling
  • High desirability
What North Ward is known for: Coastal, Café precinct, Green suburb, Cycling, High desirability

Suburb profile

North Ward 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. Sea breezes and coastal air are part of everyday life, especially on warmer evenings.

Working households and growing families are the backbone of local life, with plenty of young families in the mix. Food and coffee are a real part of local identity, with plenty of places to meet and linger. Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls.

The market sits in a sensible middle ground: not cheap, but fair value for the area. The built character feels settled and mature, with period homes lending the streets a sense of history.

On the desirability index, the suburb rates good overall, led by parks and green space and transport and access, while safety and housing affordability sit closer to the middle of the pack for similar coastal suburbs.

Population

Population
5,073
Median age
40
Median household income / week
$1,500
Dwelling vacancy
18%
Unoccupied private dwellings
515 of 2,861
Median monthly mortgage
$1,744
Employment rate
61.9%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
208 / 442 / 1,341

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)
$500

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)
808
Against the person
273
Against property
274
Rate per 1,000 residents
159.3
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 19 residents
State safety percentile
96th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+1.7%

Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.

Reported offences by period

Most common offence types

  • Assault489
  • Drug Offences683
  • Good Order Offences630
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)445
  • Unlawful Entry312

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
3
Median school ICSEA (3 schools)
1,100
  • St Joseph's Catholic School, The StrandPrimary
  • Townsville Central State SchoolPrimary
  • Townsville Grammar SchoolCombined

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

356 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

  • LiquorlandAlcohol
  • Seaview Hotel BottleshopAlcohol
  • ATM
  • MM&Bakery

    26-28 Mitchell Street, North Ward

  • Osk BarBar
  • Bbq (13)
  • ArtsideBeauty salon
  • Leena's Nail and BeautyBeauty salon
  • Mara SocietyBeauty salon
  • North Ward Nail & SpaBeauty salon

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

10 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Ben Bloom ParkPark
  • Brigaider North ParkPark
  • Harmony ParkPark
  • Norman ParkPark
  • Parade GroundPark
  • Pat Molloy ParkPark
  • Queens GardensPark
  • Queens ParkPark
  • Strand Park Rock PoolPark
  • The Strand ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics
5
Emergency department
Not in suburb
  • Dentist on PaxtonPaxton Streetdentist
  • North Ward Health Campusyes
  • Star Discount Chemistpharmacy
  • Virginia Henryoptometrist
  • physioNORTHphysiotherapist

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
7/10
IRSD decile (2021)
5/10

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

Heritage

12 state heritage places

  • Former North Ward Defence Complex, TownsvilleState heritage place
  • James Cook University Department of Public Health and Tropical Medicine BuildingState heritage place
  • KardiniaState heritage place
  • Kissing Point Fortification & Jezzine Barracks (part)State heritage place
  • Queens GardensState heritage place
  • School HouseState heritage place
  • St Josephs ChurchState heritage place
  • St Patrick's ConventState heritage place
  • Townsville Astronomical Trigonometrical StationState heritage place
  • Townsville Central State SchoolState heritage place

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site

Childcare

1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap

  • Mike Reynolds Early Childhood Centrechildcare

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)
14
Parks (OSM)
13

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
57.7/100 — Good
State standing
Top 16% of Queensland's suburbs
National rank
1092nd in Australia
State rank
235th in QLD
Peer rank
#21 among Coastal & beach · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#37 among Coastal & beach 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

  • A Fine Sliceamenitiesfast_food
  • ATMamenitiesatm
  • Artsideamenitiesbeauty
  • Aussie Thai Fusionamenitiesrestaurant
  • Australia Postamenitiespost_box
  • Australia Postamenitiespost_office
  • Axell Roseamenitiesclothes
  • Bakehouse on Eyreamenitiescafe
  • Balabiteamenitiescafe
  • Bbqamenitiesbbq

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.