Relocating to North Queensland

People love living in the Twin Cities of Townsville and Thuringowa. The region combines the lure of the tropics and the world famous Great Barrier Reef with the cultural and service benefits of living in a thriving metropolis.

Your family will appreciate the Twin Cities superb education facilities from pre-school and primary right through to tertiary education. The city also has excellent health services with more than 600 hospital beds incorporating private and public hospitals and health facilities.

In North Queensland we enjoy a wide range of recreational activities. For those interested in sport, the city boasts first class public infrastructure including a 30,000 seat sporting stadium, several large sporting and community complexes, and three national sporting teams. On a more cultural note, Townsville hosts the world class Australian Festival of Chamber Music and is frequently visited by national and international shows and musical acts.

Many outdoor and recreational activities are on offer and are supported by a diverse range of community events. Townsville and Thuringowa City Councils have built extensive public outdoor facilities, notably Townsville's famous Strand and Thuringowa's Riverway for our residents to enjoy. The city is also a great launching spot to explore the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics region.

Although the Twin Cities are currently experiencing the increase in the cost of real estate that is affecting the rest of Australia, the cost of housing is very affordable when compared to major cities such Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and other capital cities.

MEDIAN HOUSE PRICE - SEPTEMBER QUARTER 2007
Townsville	$370,000
Sydney	$538,400
Brisbane	$450,000
Melbourne	$431,000

NORTH QUEENSLAND MEDIAN HOUSE PRICE - SEPTEMBER QUARTER 2007
Charters Towers	$222,500
Ayr	$237,000
Ingham	$245,000
Cardwell	$250,000
Townsville	$370,000

House prices in North Queensland are lower still in the areas surrounding Townsville/Thuringowa. The cost of living is also very reasonable in North Queensland. In the Twin Cities there are several shopping centres which host large retail and grocery outlets as well as hundreds of specialty retail shops.

The emergence of low cost airlines such as Jetstar and Virgin means that Townsville has many regular, low cost direct flights to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and many regional areas. As well as opening up the region to visitors from southern states, North Queensland residents are able to take advantage of low cost travel to visit the major cities and regions of Australia.

For more details on North Queensland, including Regional Statistics, Education and Training, Climate, Industry Overviews and Infrastructure, please refer to the documents available on the Investing and Relocating to North Queensland page. Alternatively, you can contact the Townsville Enterprise Economic Development Project Co-ordinator, Sally Foreman Ph: (07) 4726 2751, Fax (07) 4726 2700, E-mail: sally@tel.com.au.