Most of this large suburb is undeveloped land with the developed land mostly used for infrastructure and industrial purposes. There is a small amount of residential development.[4]
The suburb takes its name from the railway station, which was originally called Ayr Junction railway station in 1902, then Stewarts Creek railway station in 1938 and then Stuart railway station in 1939. It is thought that Stewart was just a temporary misspelling of Stuart and that the intention was to name the area after the first district surveyor appointed in 1865, Clarendon Stuart (1833-1912).[2]
In December 1942, two classrooms of the Stuart State School on the outskirts of Townsville were used by the Army as the main Army Signals Communication Centre in North Queensland. The unit later moved to a concrete bunker at Roseneath.[11]
Demographics
In the 2011 census, Stuart had a population of 1,051 people.[12]
In the 2016 census, Stuart had a population of 1,386 people.[13]
In the 2021 census, Stuart had a population of 1,576 people.[1]
There are no schools in Stuart. The nearest primary schools are Townsville South State School in neighbouring South Townsville to the north-west, Oonooba State School in Idalia to the west, and Wulguru State School in neighbouring Wulguru to the south-west. The nearest secondary school is William Ross State High School in Annandale to the west.[4]
^"Memorial for Stuart State School". ABC Local. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 9 December 2013. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.