Before March 2008 the Townsville region comprised Townsville City and, to the city's north and west, Thuringowa City. The boundary between them was the Ross River as far as Townsville's suburbs, and then an imaginary line east of Thuringowa Central towards the coast. Thuringowa City had a string of suburbs and localities along the coast and the Bruce Highway, extending northwards to Rollingstone. Proceeding from Thuringowa's built-up area there are:

Jensen
census population 1259 (2006).
Burdell
north of the Bruce Highway. Named formally in 1991, Burdell has the Bohlevale State primary school and adjoins Deerangun on the south side of the Bruce Highway. Census population 922 (2006) is predicted to rise quickly with a Stockland residential estate, a Council aquatic centre and a proposed shopping centre.
Deeragun
between Bruce Highway and Rangewood. Census population 2626 (2006).
Bushland Beach
coastal settlement west of Bohle River. Census population 2619 (2006).
Mount Low
between Bruce Highway and Bushland Beach. Census population 1311 (2006).
Rangewood
south of the Bruce Highway. Named formally in 2003. Census population 1208 (2006).
Alice River
south of Rangewood. Census population 1674 (2006).
Black River
both sides of the Bruce Highway. Named after John Black (1830-1919), Townsville settler, pastoralist and merchant. The river joins the Alice River. Census population 1479 (2006).
Yabulu
north of Bruce Highway and west of Black River. Census population 603 (2006).
Bluewater
north of the Bruce Highway and named after Bluewater Creek. Named formally in 1991. Its State primary school opened in 1957, and there are a general store and a camping area. Bluewater adjoins the coastal subdivision named Saunders Beach (separate entry). Census populations in 2006 were Bluewater (701) and Saunders Beach (407).
Bluewater Park
south of the Bruce Highway. Named formally in 1991. Census population 961 (2006).

In all the localities the dominant employment occupation is technicians and trades workers, in the range of 20% to 25% of total employment.