Living in North QLD

Welcome to the best part of Australia! 

The Catholic Diocese of Townsville incorporates 29 schools, extending north to Ingham, south to Proserpine, west to Mount Isa and includes Palm Island.

Our region at a glance

Regional centre populations (Based on 2011 Census figures) 

Town/shire	Population		Town/shire	Population
Burdekin Shire (Ayr/Home Hill)	17,780		Mount Isa	22,700
Bowen	10,260		Palm Island	2,250
Charter Towers	8,230		Townsville	171,000
Collinsville	1,500		Whitsundays Shire (Proserpine)	21,500
Ingham	4,760		Winton	1,000
Hughenden	1,150

Climate The region experiences a dry tropical climate with more than 300 days of sunshine each year. Average summer daytime temperature is around 30°C and average winter daytime temperature is around 25°C. (Townsville only) Average annual rainfall for Townsville is 1102mm. Geographical Location Townsville is located on the North Queensland coast, surrounded by the Great Barrier Reef, islands, rainforest and outback.

 

Driving distances from Townsville, to all towns with Catholic schools:

Heading South		Heading West		Heading North
Tonwsville to Ayr	87km	Townsville to Charters Towers	135km	Townsville to Ingham	111km
Townsville to Home Hill	97km	Townsville to Hughenden	381km	Townsville to Halifax	128km
Townsville to Bowen	200km	Townsville to Winton	597km	Townsville to Abergowrie	151km
Townsville to Proserpine	261km	Townsville to Cloncurry	782km
Townsville to Collinsville	275km	Townsville to Mount Isa	902km

Catholic Education

There are 29 Catholic schools in the Diocese, serving more than 13,500 students.

Here's some great links to information about our communities:

Ingham, Halifax and Abergowrie General Information Hinchinbrook Shire Council		Townsville General Information Townsville City Council		Charters Towers General Information Charter Towers Regional Council
Hughenden Flinders Discovery Centre website Flinders Shire Council		Winton Experience Winton website Winton Shire Council		Cloncurry Outback Queensland website Cloncurry Shire Council
Mount Isa Destination Queensland website Mount Isa City Council		Ayr and Home Hill General Information Burdekin Shire Council		The Whitsundays, Bowen and Collinsville Tourism Bowen website Tourism Whitsundays website Whitsundays Regional Council Website

Economy

With a strong vision for the future, diversity and balance underpin the economy of the Townsville North Queensland Region. No single sector contributes more than 12.3% to the Region, ensuring economic stability. Over the last decade, Townsville has more than doubled its Gross Regional Product (GRP) to an estimated $11.426 billion.

Townsville is the Northern centre for:

• Manufacturing and mining (Sun Metals - Zinc; Xstrata - Copper; QNI - Nickel)
• Government administration and defence
• Port of Townsville
• Marine Science (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority; Australian Institute of Marine Science; Reef CRC; CSIO; James Cook University)
• Education
• Sugar, bananas, cattle, sheep and mining make up the major industries of the greater diocesan area.

Real Estate

• The property market is very robust with solid annual growth in the price of houses, units and commercial property.

Sports, Arts and Entertainment

• Galleries, theatres and libraries
• The Strand and beaches
• Townsville has two national sporting teams - North Queensland Cowboys (NRL) and Townsville Fire (WNBL) with home games played throughout the season.
• Townsville events
• Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre