Summer (Dec–Feb)
- Usual max / min
- 30° / 24°
- Rainfall
- 680 mm · ~85 rainy days
QLD · Townsville Council
Pallarenda, 4810
Population
778
Median age
45
Median income
$2,290/wk
Employed
65.8%
Languages at home
7.7%non-English
Top: Italian, Spanish, Polish
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- Coastal
- Green suburb
- Heritage area
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Pallarenda is a coastal smaller community 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.
Established families and long-term residents give the suburb a settled feel, with family life visible on every street. Local shops, markets and community spots keep everyday life grounded in the town itself. Green space is a real strength, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb.
Housing carries a premium, but residents tend to feel the lifestyle justifies the commitment. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and transport and access lag similar coastal suburbs, despite relative strength in community and employment and housing affordability. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Living here
Desirability
- Desirability score
- 34.1/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 4622nd in Australia
- State rank
- 1071st in QLD
- Peer rank
- #50 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #102 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
Population
- Population
- 778
- Median age
- 45
- Median household income / week
- $2,290
- Dwelling vacancy
- 11.7%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 39 of 334
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Employment rate
- 65.8%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 18 / 22 / 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.
Community & culture
7.7% speak a language other than English at home; 20.1% born overseas
- Language at home
- 672 English only · 56 other
- Non-English at home
- 7.7%
- Born overseas
- 146 (20.1%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 31 (4%)
- Australian citizens
- 687
- Languages spoken at home (other than English)
- 4
Top languages other than English
Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).
- Italian4 · 28.6%
- Spanish4 · 28.6%
- Polish3 · 21.4%
- Sinhalese3 · 21.4%
2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, and Indigenous status (usual residence).
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)
- 124
- Against the person
- 42
- Against property
- 42
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 159.4
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 19 residents
- State safety percentile
- 96.1th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +1.8%
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
Family & Lifestyle
Amenities
48 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
3 playgrounds
Local character
- Limited walkable amenities nearby
- Great for outdoor family life — 3 parks mapped in suburb, 3 playgrounds nearby
- Walkability proxy
- 0/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 3.86
Sport & outdoors(7)
- Freemason's Pallarenda ParkPark
- Pallaranda ParkPark
- Walter Nisbet ParkPark
- Playground (3)
- Sports field
Entertainment(4)
- Graves SiteViewpoint
- Old Jetty (Remains)Viewpoint
- Viewpoint (2)
Other(11)
- Cape Pallarenda Conservation ParkAttraction
- Bench (2)
- Bicycle Parking
- Drinking water
- Fitness Station
- Information
- Parking (18)
- Picnic Table (6)
- Public toilets
- Shelter (4)
- Slipway
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived from OpenStreetMap & Census) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
3 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Freemason's Pallarenda ParkPark
- Pallaranda ParkPark
- Walter Nisbet ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 3
- Parks (OSM)
- 3
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
Weather
Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 28° / 21°
- Rainfall
- 277 mm · ~35 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 23° / 16°
- Rainfall
- 56 mm · ~7 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 27° / 20°
- Rainfall
- 125 mm · ~16 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Temperature and humidity comfort
Data sources & freshness
- Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Period: seasonal · Updated on site · Static grid from WorldClim monthly averages
Future & Planning
Heritage
1 state heritage place
- Cape Pallarenda Quarantine Station (former)State heritage place
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · 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
Socio-economic
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 10/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 9/10
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
Recent changes
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Bicycle Parkingamenitiesbicycle_parking
- Cape Pallarenda Conservation Parkamenitiesattraction
- Drinking wateramenitiesdrinking_water
- Fitness Stationamenitiesfitness_station
- Freemason's Pallarenda Parkamenitiespark
- Graves Siteamenitiesviewpoint
- Informationamenitiesinformation
- Old Jetty (Remains)amenitiesviewpoint
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.