Wulguru

Development Activity

Schools in Wulguru iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged

Demographics

The median age of 42 is 2.0 years above the national figure, and the suburb shows an aging trajectory, with the senior share rising 4.5 points and the young share falling 4.4 points over the decade. The working-age share grew 4.0 points, tempering the shift somewhat. Overseas-born residents make up 9.8%, which is 11.8 points below the national average, giving Wulguru a predominantly Australian-born profile. Ancestry is heavily Anglo-Celtic, led by English (1,754 residents), Irish (561) and Scottish (502). University qualifications reach 18.6%, sitting 11.5 points below the national figure, consistent with the decile 2 IEO score for education and occupation. Average household size of 2.4 is close to the national figure.

Tenure splits across outright ownership (33.7%), mortgage holders (36.0%) and renters (30.4%), a relatively balanced distribution. The stock is 89.3% separate houses, well above the national share, with apartments at just 5.2% and semi-detached at 3.7%. Three-bedroom homes dominate at 54.9%, followed by four-or-more bedroom at 30.0%, making the suburb suitable for families. Rent-to-income sits at 20.1% and mortgage-to-income at 20.8%, both below the 30% stress threshold, indicating housing costs are manageable at current income levels. The median house price of $364,000 reflects affordability that improved from a 45.1% price-to-income measure in 2011 to 38.3% in 2021, a positive long-run trend.

Community Profile

Economy & Employment

Healthcare is the largest employing industry at 18.2% (215 workers), followed by Public Administration and Education, each at 12.3% (145 workers), and Construction at 9.4% (111 workers). By occupation, Professionals lead at 308 workers, with Community and Personal Service workers at 286 and Clerical and Admin at 255, reflecting the dominance of service-sector roles. The unemployment rate of 6.8% is above average, and the participation rate of 55.3% is below typical working-age norms, partly because 1,250 residents are not in the labour force. This aligns with the aging demographic and the decile 3 IRSD score, which places Wulguru in the lower tier nationally for relative disadvantage. Full-time employment runs at 65.8% for those in work.

Transport to Work

Car dependency is high at 90.6% of residents driving to work, well above the national average, while public transport use is just 0.7% because of Wulguru's suburban layout. Walking and cycling account for 2.1%. The suburb scores decile 3 on IRSD (relative disadvantage) and decile 2 on IRSAD, placing it in the lower advantage tier nationally. Housing stress is low, with rent-to-income at 20.1% and mortgage-to-income at 20.8%. About 7.4% of residents (304 people) need daily assistance, above typical rates, which is consistent with the older median age of 42. No schools are recorded within the suburb boundary in this dataset, so families rely on nearby Townsville institutions. Volunteering runs at 11.9%, broadly average nationally.

Population Forecast

Population growth over the decade was 1.1%, and the annual trend registers 0.09% with about 6 new residents per year. The medium forecast holds the population near 6,300 to 6,331 through 2031, essentially flat. Net internal migration of 34 and net overseas migration of 11 per year are modest, and the suburb is classified as established with a balanced migration driver. The gentrification score of 5 and the not gentrifying stage indicate no meaningful uplift pressure from reinvestment. Rent grew 8.8% over the measured period while real incomes grew 4.1%, a divergence that mildly compresses affordability for renters. The 78.8% of residents who stayed over the five-year period signals strong community stability compared to higher-turnover suburbs.

National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs

How Wulguru compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions