Kirwan
QLDKirwan is a declining suburb in QLD with 20,780 residents.
- SAL code
- 31558
- SA2
- 318021482
- Population
- 20,780
- LGA
- Townsville
Kirwan, QLD had 20,780 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 2.3% decline over the last five years. The predominant age group is 5-14 years, and the median age sits at 38. Households are most often couples without children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $1,450 a month. Around 63.2% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being owned with a mortgage at 36.8%. Most dwellings are separate houses, making up 88.9% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 23 parks and reserves mapped within its boundary. Source: ABS Census 2021 and Estimated Resident Population, with amenity counts from state Open Data and OpenStreetMap.
Suburb analysis
Kirwan, QLD at a glance
Kirwan is a large established suburb of Townsville roughly 12 km south-west of the CBD in the City of Townsville. Most homes are detached brick-and-tile family houses on full-size tropical lots, with the Riverway precinct on Ross River and the Willows Shopping Centre as the twin gravity points. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market and council pipeline context they don't.
For homebuyers
Kirwan reads like classic North Queensland suburbia — single-storey brick homes with pools, wide streets, and an outdoor lifestyle pitched at the dry-tropics climate. Couple-with-children and couple-without-children households are evenly split (each ~38% per the 2021 Census), which gives the place a settled rather than transient feel. The Willows Shopping Centre handles weekly retail; the Riverway precinct on Ross River is the suburb's social anchor, with swimming lagoons, parklands, and the Tony Ireland Stadium nearby. Schools are unusually deep for a suburb this size — Kirwan State School, Kirwan State High, Heatley Secondary College catchment edges, plus Ryan Catholic College and Townsville Christian College all sit within or against the boundary. CBD is a ~15-minute drive via Ross River Road or the Riverway corridor; James Cook University Douglas campus is ~10 minutes east. In short: a practical, family-weighted Townsville suburb where the Riverway and Willows do the heavy lifting on lifestyle.
For investors
Kirwan is currently a strong-growth, moderate-yield Townsville play. Median house sale $615,000 against $550/week rent gives a 4.89% gross yield; units sit at $515,000 / $420/wk for 4.97% (Your Investment Property May 2026). 12-month house growth +18.27%, quarterly +4.24%; units have run harder at +45.07% YoY / +17.71% QoQ off a thinner base. 470 house sales and 57 unit sales in the past 12 months — a deep, liquid market. Days-on-market 15 (houses) / 14 (units); vacancy ~1.57%.
Strengths
- Strong recent capital growth (+18.27% YoY houses, +45.07% units) on the back of the wider Townsville cycle.
- Deep, liquid market — 470 house + 57 unit sales in 12 months, easy to enter and exit.
- Tight rental conditions — 1.57% vacancy and ~15 days on market support reliable leasing.
- Two gravity anchors (Willows Shopping Centre + Riverway precinct) plus a dense school cluster underpin tenant demand.
Trade-offs
- Yields have compressed as values ran (~4.9% gross houses) — no longer the 6%+ Townsville cashflow play it was pre-2024.
- Population edged down 3.0% between 2016 and 2021 Census (21,418 to 20,780) — growth is price-led, not headcount-led.
- Townsville is a single-economy city (defence, mining services, JCU, port) — cycles are sharper than the SEQ corridor; the 2010s flat decade is recent memory.
What's coming
Townsville City Council's $352M 2025/26 Capital Plan funds local works in Kirwan — Tarragona Street roadworks, Emerald Street kerb-and-channel renewal, new Belmont Park playground equipment, and drainage-reserve bollards between Sandstone Drive and Warland Street. Riverway Lagoons safety upgrades and a Riverway Drive water-main replacement (Allambie Lane to Jennifer Street, Kelso) lift the precinct that anchors the suburb.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a settled, school-rich Townsville suburb with the Riverway and Willows on the doorstep. For investors: a liquid growth market mid-cycle — strong recent runs, tight leasing, but yields no longer in the headline tier.
Population
?20,780
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
-2.3%
3yr: +0.3% · 10yr: -5.1%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$1,673/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
38
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?6/10
SA2 · middle-range
Unemployment
?3.4%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
4
3 primary, 2 secondary
Hospitals
?1
Within suburb
Childcare services
?15
10 long day, 9 OSHC
Parks & green space
?23
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?22
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
?75
Townsville · Feb 2026
Median Weekly Rent
Based on rental bond lodgements recorded by the state government.
Median House Sale Price
state Valuer-General sale price data not yet loaded for QLD
Safety & Crime
2025 Q4Reported incidents from QLD police. Offence rates may not reflect all crime.
Population over time — Kirwan - West (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Kirwan suburb alone is ~20,780 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 10,859 to 15,115 over 24 years, averaging 1.4% per year.
Schools
4 in suburbSector
3 public · 1 private
Type
2 primary · 1 secondary · 1 K-12
Total enrolment
3,695(3 of 4 reporting)
Avg per school
1,232
Government school catchment
Catchment data is not yet available for QLD.
Source when available: QLD Department of Education — QSpatial State School Catchment Areas.
Profile
Census snapshot
Housing
Public housing 3.9%Almost entirely detached houses (88.9%), mixed tenure (63.2% own or mortgage), built for families (45% are 3 bed).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
QLD 33%
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire risk
Source: QLD QRA Bushfire Prone Area
As of Apr 2026
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped bushfire polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions.
Flood risk
Flood data is not yet available for QLD.
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped flood polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions. Source when available: QLD Reconstruction Authority — Bushfire Prone Area + Floodplain Assessment Overlay.
Planning zones
Planning-zone data is not yet available for QLD.
Source when available: QLD Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning.