QLD · Townsville Council
South Townsville, 4810
Current weather
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86% humidity · 21.6 km/h wind · 22.6° / 20.9° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Coastal
- Green suburb
- Cycling
- High desirability
Suburb profile
South Townsville is a coastal smaller community where beach life and relaxed outdoor living shape the local character. Set in the wider countryside, it offers distance from the capital and a strong sense of place. There is a lightness to the air here, with the coast never far from mind.
Working households and growing families are the backbone of local life, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Weekends tend to revolve around local favourites: a café, a market run, a walk through town. Green space is a real strength, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb.
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 schools and education and transport and access against similar coastal suburbs, even with parks and green space holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 2,424
- Median age
- 41
- Median household income / week
- $1,516
- Dwelling vacancy
- 17.6%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 213 of 1,207
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,517
- Employment rate
- 57.3%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 92 / 246 / 210
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)
- $510
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)
- 386
- Against the person
- 130
- Against property
- 131
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 159.2
- 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
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 909
- Townsville South 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
Planning & development
Development applications from QLD coordinated projects (lodged 2020–2026).
1 planning-related records
Other· 1 proposal
- Townsville Marine PrecinctReclamation and development of approximately 34 hectares of land for marine-dependent industries.Completed EIS project
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- QLD coordinated projects — Queensland Department of State Development · Period: 2020–2026 · Updated on site · State coordinated projects register (not council DAs)
Amenities
46 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Liquor Legends South TownsvilleAlcohol
9a Palmer Street, South Townsville
- Moksha RoomBeauty salon
Dibbs Street
- Bench (2)
- Bicycle Parking
- Bus stop (2)
- Long Shot Coffee CoCafe
7 Tomlins Street, South Townsville
- Conference Centre
- Kwik ShopConvenience store
- ChargeStarEV charging
- Grill'dFast food
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
6 parks and public open space in this suburb
- boundry st ParkPark
- Central ParkPark
- Fourth AvenuePark
- Hurburt Street ParkPark
- Townsville Recreational Boating ParkPark
- Victoria 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
Heritage
2 state heritage places
- St John's Anglican Church PrecinctState heritage place
- Victoria BridgeState 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
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 8
- Parks (OSM)
- 8
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
- 34.7/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 4445th in Australia
- State rank
- 1034th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #51 among Coastal & beach · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #100 among Coastal & beach suburbs
- Data confidence
- 70%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Australian Hotelamenitiespub
- Baskin-RobbinsamenitiesUnit 3 8-10 Palmer Streetice_cream
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Bicycle Parkingamenitiesbicycle_parking
- Bus stopamenitiesbus_stop
- Bus stopamenitiesbus_stop
- Cactus Jack'samenitiesrestaurant
- ChargeStaramenitiescharging_station
- Conference Centreamenitiesconference_centre
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.