suburb.guide

QLD · Townsville Council

Shaw, 4818

Current weather

21.6°CMainly clear

88% humidity · 4.7 km/h wind · 26.2° / 15.9° today · 0 mm rain

Updated

Desirability score

39.1/100
Below average

843rd in QLD

66% data confidence

How this score is calculated
  • High desirability
  • Green suburb
What Shaw is known for: High desirability, Green suburb

Suburb profile

In Townsville, Shaw keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. Set in the wider countryside, it offers distance from the capital and a strong sense of place. Wide horizons and a country quiet give the area a restorative, unhurried atmosphere.

A younger crowd gives the area energy, with a strong presence of young families throughout. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting. The market sits in a sensible middle ground: not cheap, but fair value for the area.

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 local dining and lifestyle amenities and parks and green space against similar regional towns, even with community and employment and housing affordability holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

Population

Population
760
Median age
28
Median household income / week
$2,016
Dwelling vacancy
9%
Unoccupied private dwellings
29 of 321
Median monthly mortgage
$1,733
Employment rate
77%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
24 / 9 / 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)
29
Against the person
5
Against property
15
Rate per 1,000 residents
38.2
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 152 residents
State safety percentile
47.4th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate, partial year)
+5.2%

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

Reported offences by period

Most common offence types

  • Drug Offences173
  • Other Property Damage123
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)217
  • Traffic And Related Offences159
  • Unlawful Entry168

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)
1,002
  • Mary Help of Christians Catholic CollegeSecondary
  • St Benedict's Catholic SchoolPrimary

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Roadworks & transport

1 active roadworks / incidents

  • Between Dalrymple Road and Townsville Kart ClubShaw Road, n/a28 Jun 2026 – 06 Jul 2026

Data sources & freshness

  • Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · Hourly refresh where supported

Amenities

3 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

  • Greater Ascot Adventure ParkPark
  • Townsville Kart ClubSports centre
  • Sports field

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

  • Greater Ascot Adventure ParkPark
  • Maidens Green ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

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

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

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)
2
Parks (OSM)
2

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
39.1/100 — Below average
National rank
3652nd in Australia
State rank
843rd in QLD
Peer rank
#272 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#418 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

  • Greater Ascot Adventure Parkamenitiespark
  • Sports fieldamenitiespitch
  • Townsville Kart Clubamenitiessports_centre
  • Drug Offencescrime173
  • Other Property Damagecrime123
  • Other Theft (Excl. Unlawful Entry)crime217
  • Traffic And Related Offencescrime159
  • Unlawful Entrycrime168
  • Greater Ascot Adventure Parkgovernmentpark
  • Maidens Green Parkgovernmentpark

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.