South Townsville - Railway Estate

The community is a little older than the state and national average, with 14.2% of people aged 65 or over. It has a First Nations population of 7.4%, which is well above the national figure, and a high proportion of people in de facto relationships.

Most residents were born in Australia, and the area has a much lower share of overseas-born people than the national average. English and Australian are the most common ancestries.

English is the primary language for 83.3% of the community. The proportion of people using another language at home is far below the national figure, though it has risen slightly since 2011.

About 42.7% of residents report having no religion, a figure that has risen sharply by 16 points since 2011. This is well above the national average.

Around 20.5% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, which is well below the national figure. However, Year 12 completion has risen by 7.3 points since 2011.

Typical weekly personal income is $894, which is a little above the national figure. While weekly family income is about the same as the national average, the share of households earning over $3,000 a week is well below the national level.

Mental health conditions are reported by 11.1% of residents, which is much higher than in most similar areas and a little above the national average.

The area has a very high rate of former Defence Force members at 7.1%, well above the national figure. Conversely, the share of people providing unpaid care for children or housework is much lower than in most areas.

First Nations people make up a significant part of the community, though they face higher unemployment rates and lower household incomes than the national average.

Homes here are smaller than usual, with just 2.1 people per home. There is a very high proportion of people living alone—far above the national figure—and a much higher share of one-parent families than in most areas.

Renting is very common here, with 44.5% of households renting, far above the national average. Homes are often smaller, and the share of houses with three or more bedrooms is far below the national figure.

While the area has a high number of public transport stops, only 0.8% of people use them to commute. Very few people work from home, with a rate far below the national figure.

The community is quite mobile, as 44.7% of residents moved in the last five years. This is well above the national average, though the number of recent overseas arrivals has fallen since 2011.

Full-time employment is well above the national average at 64.3%. The most common industries for local workers are health care, public administration, and accommodation and food services.

The area ranks lower than most similar places for overall advantage and access to resources, though it performs better regarding education and job skills.

The area experiences very high annual rainfall at 1,308mm, which is far above the Queensland average. Minimum temperatures are also well above the state average.

The area is quite walkable, with 97.1% of homes within a 10-minute walk of public transport. Almost every home is within a 15-minute walk of a park, though access to groceries and health services is far below the state average.