Saunders Beach is a coastal town and

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

in the

City of Townsville The City of Townsville is a local government area (LGA) located in North Queensland, Australia. It encompasses the city of Townsville, together with the surrounding rural areas. To the south are the communities of Alligator Creek, Woodstock a ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. In the , the suburb of Saunders Beach had a population of 385 people.

Geography

Saunders Beach is by road north-west of the

Townsville CBD Townsville City is a coastal Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb at the centre of the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Townsville City had a population of 2,945 people. It is the city's central business d ...

. The suburb is bounded to the north and east by the

Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down t ...

and to the west by Althaus Creek It is bounded to the west by Althaus Creek (). The town is situated just south-east of the mouth of Althaus Creek. The beach Saunders Beach () itself extending from Althaus Creek along the coastline of the suburb and neighbouring Yabulu to the mouth of Black River, a total distance of approximately .

History

Saunders Beach was originally part of the Parish of Jalloonda, but was established as separate

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

on 17 March 1984. Its status was changed to be a suburb on 28 February 2003. In 2004 a Beach Management Plan was put into place by

Thuringowa City Council The City of Thuringowa () was a city and local government area in North Queensland, Australia covering the northern and western parts of what is now Townsville. The suburb of Thuringowa Central is the main business centre in this area. Thuring ...

, to establish causes of

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

and help manage any future detriment to the beach by means of both natural and unnatural erosion. In September 2021, a crocodile was captured in Althaus Creek having been seen hanging around the boat ramps and pontoons. Wildlife officers believed that fish scraps improperly discarded by fishermen had attracted the crocodile and urged people to correctly dispose of such material in bins or taking it away.

Demographics

In the , the suburb of Saunders Beach had a population of 407 people. 48.2% of the Saunders Beach population were in the 25-54 age bracket with 14.7% of the population aged between 55-64. In the , the suburb of Saunders Beach had a population of 409 people. In the , the suburb of Saunders Beach had a population of 385 people.

Education

There are no schools in Saunders Beach. The nearest government primary school is Bluewater State School in neighbouring

Bluewater Bluewater(s) or Blue Water(s) may refer to: Maritime * Blue water, the global deep oceans *Blue Water 24, an American sailboat design * Blue-water navy, a navy that can operate in deep waters of open oceans * , a Panamanian tanker in service 1952- ...

to the west. The nearest government secondary school is Northern Beaches State High School in Deeragun to the south-west.

Amenities

Saunders Beach Community Centre is on the western corner of Saunders Beach Road and Atoll Street (). Saunders Beach Rural Fire Station is at the community centre (). The

Townsville City Council The City of Townsville is a local government area (LGA) located in North Queensland, Australia. It encompasses the city of Townsville, together with the surrounding rural areas. To the south are the communities of Alligator Creek, Woodstock an ...

operate a mobile library service which visits the community centre every second Wednesday afternoon. There are two boat ramps in the suburb, both managed by the Townsville City Council, at: * Boat Ramp Road, on the south bank of Althaus Creek () * Purono Parkway, also on the south bank of the creek but further upstream ()

Attractions

Saunders Beach is a popular local tourist destination, the northern end of which offers free, limited camping reserves.Discover Thuringowa: Northern Beaches Camping Areas
, accessed 10 June 2008. Access to Althaus Creek is provided by means of a boat ramp, and other community facilities include a community centre, and numerous parks with children's playground equipment.

References

External links

University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Saunders Beach
{{Suburbs of Townsville Suburbs of Townsville