Bushland Beach
A 98.5% separate-house share and 77.4% four-bedroom-plus profile make Bushland Beach a strongly detached, family-oriented market in Townsville's northern corridor. Its median age is 35, which is 5 years below the national comparison, while average household size is 2.9, or 0.4 above that benchmark. Household income sits at the 87.6th percentile, helping explain the 51.0% mortgage tenure share. The suburb is more car-oriented than apartment-led, with 85.9% driving to work and only 0.3% in apartments. With North Shore and Burdell nearby, Bushland Beach suits buyers wanting larger homes and suburban space, but they should budget for car dependence and compare current sales carefully.
Population
6,641
Median Age
35.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,283/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
32
Home buyers are choosing a housing format centred on space rather than compact units. Bushland Beach is dominated by 98.5% separate houses, with 77.4% containing 4 or more bedrooms and 21.4% containing 3 bedrooms. That mix favours families and households needing extra rooms, although larger properties can carry higher maintenance and transport costs compared with smaller dwellings. Tenure also points to an active mortgage belt: 51.0% of households have a mortgage, versus 21.6% owning outright and 26.9% renting. The monthly mortgage figure is $1,733, while weekly rent is $380; mortgage repayments represent 17.5% of household income, only slightly higher than the 16.6% rent share. Buyers should compare recent sales by land, condition and bedroom count because one suburb-wide figure can conceal substantial differences.
For Buyers
Home buyers are choosing a housing format centred on space rather than compact units. Bushland Beach is dominated by 98.5% separate houses, with 77.4% containing 4 or more bedrooms and 21.4% containing 3 bedrooms. That mix favours families and households needing extra rooms, although larger properties can carry higher maintenance and transport costs compared with smaller dwellings. Tenure also points to an active mortgage belt: 51.0% of households have a mortgage, versus 21.6% owning outright and 26.9% renting. The monthly mortgage figure is $1,733, while weekly rent is $380; mortgage repayments represent 17.5% of household income, only slightly higher than the 16.6% rent share. Buyers should compare recent sales by land, condition and bedroom count because one suburb-wide figure can conceal substantial differences.
For Investors
Bushland Beach has a 26.9% renting share, higher than the 21.6% proportion owned outright, creating a meaningful tenant base for landlords. Weekly rent is $380 and vacancy is 6.0%, so an investment case should allow for leasing time, maintenance and periods below full occupancy rather than relying only on gross rent. Development activity is also visible, with 32 applications lodged in 12 months; recent examples include carports and setback matters, so the total should not be treated as 32 new dwellings. Local employment is supported by healthcare at 19.7%, public administration at 15.2%, construction at 11.1% and education at 11.0%. That mix can support household demand, while the suburb's 85.9% car-driver share makes access and commuting important parts of tenant selection.
Development Activity
Total DAs
32
Last 12 Months
32
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
—
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Demographics
Bushland Beach has a median age of 35, sitting 5 years below the national comparison, and its 2.9-person average household size is 0.4 above the national benchmark. Families are prominent: couples with children account for 50.5% of families, compared with 36.3% for couples without children, while one-parent families represent 12.6%. University attainment is 22.2%, or 7.9 percentage points below the national figure, and the overseas-born share is 11.6%, 10.0 points below the national comparison. English ancestry is recorded for 2,830 residents, followed by Irish at 796 and Scottish at 756. No religion, at 3,062 people, is slightly higher than Christianity at 2,987. The profile is more established and Anglo-leaning than many migrant-majority areas, including some parts of the wider Townsville region.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
98.5%
Houses
1.1%
Townhouse
0.3%
Apartment
Tenure
Bushland Beach's housing stock is concentrated in detached family homes: separate houses account for 98.5%, compared with only 0.3% apartments and 1.1% semi-detached dwellings. Four-bedroom-plus homes make up 77.4%, far higher than the 21.4% share of three-bedroom homes, which helps explain the suburb's appeal to families but can narrow the market for buyers seeking smaller, lower-cost properties. Tenure is led by mortgages at 51.0%, while 26.9% rent and 21.6% own outright. The mortgage payment figure is $1,733 per month versus weekly rent of $380, and mortgage repayments take 17.5% of household income compared with 16.6% for rent. Compared with a unit-oriented suburb, this is a less flexible housing mix and more car-dependent lifestyle.
Mortgage / mo
$1,733
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (Jun 2026 quarter), QLD RTA bond data. Census 2021 median: $380.
$600
Bond data Jun 2026 quarter · houses $600
HH Size
2.9
Personal Income / wk
$1,002
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
6.0%
Unoccupied
137
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
16.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
17.5%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
50.5%
Couples with children
36.3%
Couples, no children
12.6%
Single parent
1,864
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local employment base is led by healthcare at 19.7% with 434 workers, followed by public administration at 15.2% and 334 workers, construction at 11.1% and 244, education at 11.0% and 242, and retail at 5.8% and 127. Occupations are similarly spread across trades at 577, professionals at 576, community and personal services at 492, clerical and administration at 457, and managers at 408. The labour-force participation rate is 71.0%, unemployment is 3.6%, and full-time employment is 64.9%, with 2,236 full-time and 1,001 part-time workers. Household income ranks at the 87.6th percentile nationally, above the midpoint, which supports the suburb's high 51.0% mortgage share. The mix of public services, healthcare, construction and education gives demand a broader base than a single-industry suburb.
Unemployment
3.6%
Labour Force
3,575
Unemployed
128
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
64.9%
Part-time
29.0%
Participation
71.0%
Employed
3,447
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
22.2%
Postgraduate
4.5%
Born Overseas
11.6%
Dwellings
2,129
Transport to Work
Daily life is strongly car-led: 85.9% travel to work as a car driver, versus 0.8% using public transport and 0.9% walking or cycling. A further 7.2% work from home, so access to a reliable vehicle remains more important than in a transit-oriented suburb. Bushland Beach covers 8.82 square kilometres with a density of 753.2 people per square kilometre, giving the area a suburban layout rather than a compact apartment pattern. Families should check school catchments, sector and travel routes against the exact address, since practical access can vary across the suburb. Community participation includes a 12.0% volunteering rate, while 4.9% of residents need assistance with core activities. Car use is much higher than every other recorded commute mode, making transport costs and journey planning central to livability.
Drive
85.9%
Public Transport
0.8%
Walk / Cycle
0.9%
Work from Home
7.2%
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Bushland Beach compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bushland Beach a good suburb to live in?
Bushland Beach can suit households wanting detached space, with 98.5% separate houses and 77.4% of homes containing 4 or more bedrooms. The trade-off is car dependence: 85.9% drive to work, compared with 0.8% using public transport, so commuting and school travel should be assessed carefully.
What is the median house price in Bushland Beach?
A current median house price should be confirmed from recent local sales rather than inferred from rent or mortgage figures. Bushland Beach is 98.5% separate houses and 77.4% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms, so compare like-for-like properties by land size, condition and bedroom count.
What schools are in Bushland Beach?
School choices and catchments should be checked against the exact Bushland Beach address before signing a contract. The suburb is car-dependent, with 85.9% driving to work and only 0.8% using public transport, so travel time can matter more than straight-line distance. Confirm sector, enrolment zone and transport options directly with each school.
Is Bushland Beach safe?
Use current Queensland Police information and inspect the exact street at different times before deciding. Bushland Beach covers 8.82 square kilometres and has 6,641 residents, so conditions can vary by pocket. A 6.0% vacancy rate also means nearby rental streets may change over time, making street-level checks worthwhile.
Is Bushland Beach good for property investment?
It can suit a long-term investor seeking detached family housing, with 26.9% renting, weekly rent of $380 and 77.4% of homes having 4 or more bedrooms. The 6.0% vacancy rate warrants conservative cash-flow assumptions, while 32 development applications in 12 months indicate ongoing building activity.
How is Bushland Beach's population changing?
Bushland Beach has 6,641 residents. Residential mobility shows that 73.0% stayed at the same address while turnover was 27.0%, indicating both stability and regular household movement. A further 32 development applications over 12 months point to continued building activity, although not every application represents a new dwelling.
What development is occurring in Bushland Beach?
There were 32 development applications in the latest 12-month period. Recent examples include carports within front, side and secondary-road setbacks, so the activity includes work to existing properties as well as other applications. Buyers should check the specific street and approval conditions before relying on development as a value driver.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state education open registers (school locations), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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