Bluewater vs Saunders Beach
Bluewater is the younger of the two, with a median age of 41 against 49 in Saunders Beach. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bluewater, about half of households are couple families. In Saunders Beach, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Bluewater: a median of $702,000, against $570,000 in Saunders Beach. On these figures, Bluewater tends to suit families with children and couples, while Saunders Beach suits people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget.
Which one suits you?
There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.
Families with school-age kids
Bluewater
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is already more of a family suburb (67% vs 45%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Saunders Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($570,000 vs $702,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Saunders Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (25% vs 13%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Saunders Beach
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (1382.7 km vs 1385 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 5 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Bluewater
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (4.3% vs -5.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bluewater and Saunders Beach drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.
Side by side, out of 100
Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.
Demographics
Bluewater has more residents (1,085 vs 385); Bluewater has higher household incomes ($98,332 vs $77,116).
| Bluewater | Saunders Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,085 +65% vs other | 385 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +4.3% | -5.9% |
| Median age | 41 | 49 |
| Median household income | $98,332/yr +22% vs other | $77,116/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $320/wk same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.6%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.2%).
Where residents were born
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.0%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Bluewater | Saunders Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $702,000 | $570,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $590,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 48 days from 8 sales | — |
House price by bedroom count
Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.
5 vs 5 sales
10 vs 14 sales
9 vs 6 sales
Development activity
| Bluewater | Saunders Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,096 across Townsville same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -22% same for both | |
Ranking within QLD
| Bluewater | Saunders Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 73% of QLD | Higher than 48% of QLD |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 50% of QLD | Higher than 13% of QLD |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 70% of QLD | Higher than 69% of QLD |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 62% of QLD | Higher than 52% of QLD |
Liveability
| Bluewater | Saunders Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 18/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 2/10 |
Risk profile
Bluewater carries more bushfire risk (65 vs 0).
| Bluewater | Saunders Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 65/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | High 74/100 | High 71/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | High 91/100 | High 81/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Bluewater | Saunders Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Bluewater
- Bluewater State School Government · Primary at peers
Schools in Saunders Beach
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Bluewater | Saunders Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| Beaches | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 8 | 0 |
Mobility
Bluewater sits further from the CBD (1385 km vs 1382.7 km).
| Bluewater | Saunders Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Brisbane | 1385 km | 1382.7 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 942 min | 945 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 4818 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 87 postcode 4818 same for both | |
How people get to work
Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (94.4%).
Setting
| Bluewater | Saunders Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 13 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 7 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 3.5 km | 746 m |
NBN connectivity
| Bluewater | Saunders Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 451 premises | 0% 220 premises |
Climate
| Bluewater | Saunders Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,304 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 15.0°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Bluewater | Saunders Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,810/yr same for both | |
| Council | Townsville same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bluewater | Saunders Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Herbert same for both | |
| Member | Phillip Thompson same for both | |
| Party | Liberal National Party of Queensland same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bluewater | Saunders Beach | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $30,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Bluewater
Other comparisons with Saunders Beach
Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.