QLD · Townsville Council
Railway Estate, 4810
Current weather
21°CClear sky
84% humidity · 12.4 km/h wind · 25.3° / 18.3° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- Dog friendly
- High desirability
Suburb profile
In Townsville, Railway Estate keeps a rural calm, a mid-sized suburb with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. Distance from the capital is noticeable, but the trade-off is space, calm and a community that knows its neighbours. Leafy streets and shaded corners make the suburb feel greener and more established than many nearby.
Residents are mostly families and working professionals, with plenty of young families in the mix. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name. There is enough green space nearby for walks, picnics and after-school play.
Housing is well-priced for what you get: space, location and everyday convenience. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and schools and education against similar regional towns, even with parks and green space holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 2,871
- Median age
- 36
- Median household income / week
- $1,529
- Dwelling vacancy
- 13.4%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 189 of 1,412
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,430
- Employment rate
- 63.4%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 105 / 283 / 68
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)
- $520
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)
- 457
- Against the person
- 155
- Against property
- 155
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 159.2
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 19 residents
- State safety percentile
- 95.9th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +1.6%
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
- 2
- Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
- 920
- Railway Estate State SchoolPrimary
- Townsville State High SchoolSecondary
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
11 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bus stop (2)
- Dog park
- Ampol FoodaryPetrol station
- Playground (2)
- Public toilets
- Shelter
- Cowboys Training FieldSports field
- Sports field
- Taxi
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
5 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Lou Litster ParkPark
- Ninth Avenue ParkPark
- Railway Estate ParkPark
- Reid ParkPark
- Yates Street ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 5/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 4/10
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)
- 11
- 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
- 35.9/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 4233rd in Australia
- State rank
- 980th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #322 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #527 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 66%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Ampol Foodaryamenitiesfuel
- Bus stopamenitiesbus_stop
- Bus stopamenitiesbus_stop
- Cowboys Training Fieldamenitiespitch
- Dog parkamenitiesdog_park
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
- Playgroundamenitiesplayground
- Public toiletsamenitiestoilets
- Shelteramenitiesshelter
- Sports fieldamenitiespitch
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.