QLD · Charters Towers Council
Southern Cross, 4820
Current weather
22.4°CClear sky
57% humidity · 6.9 km/h wind · 26.8° / 14.5° today · 0 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Southern Cross offers a slower smaller community life in Charters Towers, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Distance from the capital is noticeable, but the trade-off is space, calm and a community that knows its neighbours. The landscape itself is part of the lifestyle: open paddocks, big skies and room to breathe.
Long-term locals and family households define much of the community, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name. The area offers approachable housing costs alongside a lifestyle that still feels complete.
The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, with local dining and lifestyle amenities and community and employment the main drags compared with similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 575
- Median age
- 43
- Median household income / week
- $1,775
- Dwelling vacancy
- 9.7%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 21 of 217
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,636
- Employment rate
- 61%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 17 / 0 / 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)
- 35
- Against the person
- 9
- Against property
- 9
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 60.9
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 64 residents
- State safety percentile
- 78.1th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -5.7%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault77
- Drug Offences136
- Good Order Offences81
- Other Property Damage59
- Traffic And Related Offences151
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
Amenities
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
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
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 3/10
- 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
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 35.4/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 4316th in Australia
- State rank
- 997th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #332 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #542 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 48%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Assaultcrime77
- Drug Offencescrime136
- Good Order Offencescrime81
- Other Property Damagecrime59
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime151
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
More in Charters Towers Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.