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Australian Property HotspotsEpisode 1Townsville, QLD

Everybody was wrong about Townsville.

Five years of falling rents, then the 2019 floods. Every headline said don't buy. This is what happened instead.

Watch the film43 minBook a free discovery call
  • 350+purchases in Townsville
  • $64M+client equity generated
  • 83clients up $300K+ each

Arjun PaliwalFounders Note

Sent August 2026“I ground checked the homes in Townsville”

Last week, I spent time traveling through Queensland to visit a range of properties we've purchased for our clients over the years.

Behind every single purchase is a real person. A family, a retirement plan, and a future with far more choices.

While I was on the ground checking out the homes, I decided to FaceTime several of our long-time clients right from their front yards to give them a live update.

Some were completely shocked, others got emotional, and one message later that evening really stayed with me:

Arjun Paliwal in a suit on a Townsville street, in front of a house with palm trees, the photo sent with his note.

The results were already enough, but this level of care confirms again that we made the right choice.

A client, the evening after Arjun's FaceTime

Those words lit a fire in my soul.

Starting this month, I am making these nationwide property check-ins a permanent part of my routine by traveling across Australia, verifying our purchases, and documenting the real impact being created.

Doing what everyone else does in property gives you average results. Real wealth is created when high-level data meets long-term, genuine execution.

Arjun PaliwalCEO, InvestorKit

The film43 min

This isn’t a flex. This is real numbers for real Australian families.Arjun PaliwalSaid atThe first city, on film. Play it here, or start at any chapter below.

Which city should Arjun unpack next?Vote

Twelve chapters. Start anywhere.

  1. Chapter 01Everybody Was Wrong About Townsville2016: one of the worst unemployment rates in the country, and rents down five years straight.
  2. Chapter 02The One Signal Nobody Was Paying Attention ToMarch 2019, the quarter the floods hit: rents up 8.3% on the year before.
  3. Chapter 03The Property That Almost Didn't HappenA defect-heavy building report, a nervous family and an unconditional contract Arjun took on himself.
  4. Chapter 04One Street, Two Purchases, $500K+ in Combined GrowthKirwan: $359K+ on one house, then $355K on a $405K purchase on the same street.
  5. Chapter 05What the Port Tells You About the EconomyThe shipping channel went from 92 m to 180 m wide. $251M and a 2 km rock wall.
  6. Chapter 06A Stadium Doesn't Move Prices. But This Does.1.25M people through the gates and $357M in visitor spending.
  7. Chapter 07Our Own Analyst Bought Here. $350K Growth.Junge Ma's Douglas house: $395K in 2022, grown to $750K.
  8. Chapter 08Why a Sydneysider Moved to TownsvilleKate on the Strand, a 20-minute ferry to Magnetic Island, and the crime question.
  9. Chapter 09Three Mistakes Investors Make with Cities Like ThisMount Louisa did 16% in 12 months with vacancy still at 1.6%.
  10. Chapter 10The Floods: What Actually Happened vs What You HeardAlmost 3,300 properties damaged in 2019. 135 of them severely.
  11. Chapter 11Data Gets You In. Due Diligence Gets You Out.The six flood questions asked of every property before it was bought.
  12. Chapter 12What This Means Beyond TownsvilleCrime, floods, news, past growth: the reasons it would never grow. Take the read to the next city.

The city was hidden because of all the bad headlines.

Arjun PaliwalFounder and CEO, InvestorKitSaid at

The signal2016 to 2026

What the headlines said. What the data said.

From 2016 to 2026 the news and the numbers told two different stories. The film follows the numbers.

The read

“When it comes to the rental side of things, there’s no speculation.”

Arjun PaliwalPlay the film from

What the headlines said

  1. 2016UnemploymentOne of the worst unemployment rates in the country.
  2. 2016Rents fallingDown five years in a row.
  3. 2019Underwater$1B+The floods, and more than $1B in insurance claims.
  4. 2019“Don’t buy in Townsville”Every single headline said the same thing.
  1. Mar 2019+8.3%Rents turnedYear on year, in the quarter the floods hit, after almost six flat or falling years.
  2. Feb 20201.25MThe stadium openedPeople through the gates since, and $357M of visitor spending.
  3. Sep 20200.7%Vacancy tightenedRental vacancy in the city the headlines had written off.
  4. By 2025180 mThe port opened upShipping channel widened from 92 m. $251M and a 2 km rock wall.
  5. Arjun Paliwal in a navy suit and yellow tie on a suburban street, pointing at the camera, beside an on-screen panel reading Mount Louisa, last 12 months: house prices up 16%, rents up 6%+. Wheelie bins, a fence and a brick house behind him
    2026+16%Still runningMount Louisa house prices in 12 months, with vacancy at 1.6%.

What the data said

  1. 2016UnemploymentOne of the worst unemployment rates in the country.
  2. 2016Rents fallingDown five years in a row.
  3. 2019UnderwaterThe floods, and more than $1B in insurance claims.
  4. 2019“Don’t buy in Townsville”Every single headline said the same thing.
  5. Mar 2019+8.3%Rents turnedYear on year, in the quarter the floods hit, after almost six flat or falling years.
  6. Feb 20201.25MThe stadium openedPeople through the gates since, and $357M of visitor spending.
  7. Sep 20200.7%Vacancy tightenedRental vacancy in the city the headlines had written off.
  8. By 2025180 mThe port opened upShipping channel widened from 92 m. $251M and a 2 km rock wall.
  9. Arjun Paliwal in a navy suit and yellow tie on a suburban street, pointing at the camera, beside an on-screen panel reading Mount Louisa, last 12 months: house prices up 16%, rents up 6%+. Wheelie bins, a fence and a brick house behind him
    2026+16%Still runningMount Louisa house prices in 12 months, with vacancy at 1.6%.

When you find a growth suburb, you don’t just get one house.

Arjun PaliwalFounder and CEO, InvestorKitSaid at

The receiptsTownsville, QLD

What InvestorKit did. The receipts.

Five suburbs and three landmarks from the film, on the real map. Pick one to play its moment of the film, then the clients' own stories.

Cleveland BayHalifax BayMagnetic IslandBushland BeachMount LouisaKirwanDouglasAnnandalePortStadiumRoss River DamCastle Hill 286 m© OpenStreetMap contributors

Suburbs

Landmarks

Arjun Paliwal in a navy suit and yellow tie standing on a street in front of a single-storey house with a double garage, a wheelie bin and a bare tree, under a blue sky

Suburb

Bushland Beach

High yield, and the growth came anyway

$429K
bought in 2022
$364K+
equity growth
84.62%
capital growth
Arjun Paliwal in a navy suit and yellow tie on a suburban street, pointing at the camera, beside an on-screen panel reading Mount Louisa, last 12 months: house prices up 16%, rents up 6%+. Wheelie bins, a fence and a brick house behind him

Suburb

Mount Louisa

+16% in 12 months, and still tight

+16%
house prices, 12 months
6%+
rent growth
1.6%
vacancy

Client receipt

Patty

27%growth

Bought
Mount Louisa, 2024
Purchase price
$583,000
Estimated value
$740,000
Read Patty's story

Suburb

Annandale

The property that almost didn't happen

Landmark

Port of Townsville

The ceiling came off

180 m
channel width, from 92 m
$251M
channel upgrade

  • The shipping channel went from 92 m to 180 m wide. Before, its width was the ceiling and big ships went to Brisbane or Gladstone.

    Play the film from

  • $251M and a 2 km rock wall later, the Queen Elizabeth berthed here in January 2025.

    Play the film from
The read

“It was the width of a hole in the seabed.”

Arjun PaliwalPlay the film from

Landmark

Queensland Country Bank Stadium

It doesn't move prices. It moves belief.

1.25M
people through the gates
$357M
visitor spending
The read

“Stadiums alone don’t move property prices. What a stadium does do though, it changes people’s belief.”

Arjun PaliwalPlay the film from

Arjun Paliwal walking along the approach road to Ross River Dam, past demountable huts and gum trees

Landmark

Ross River Dam

Flood control and water supply

$120M+
upgrade, 2006 to 2008
The read

“Floods show us the power of water. Droughts show us the value of it.”

Arjun PaliwalPlay the film from

More receipts in Townsville

Every figure is from the client's own published success story.

  • Client receipt

    Shahin

    72.3%growth

    Bought
    Townsville, June 2022
    Purchase price
    $415K
    Estimated value
    $715K
    Read Shahin's story

  • Client receipt

    Moses

    11.5%growth

    Bought
    Townsville, July 2025
    Purchase price
    $565K
    Estimated value
    $630K
    Read Moses's story

  • Client receipt

    Gibson

    8.8%growth

    Bought
    Townsville, 2025
    Purchase price
    $524,000
    Estimated value
    $570,000
    Read Gibson's story

Instead of looking at what it could do, they actually look at what it’s done.

Arjun PaliwalFounder and CEO, InvestorKitSaid at

On the streetTownsville

Three mistakes investors make with cities like this.

Arjun takes each one on the street, with the house in front of him.

  1. Mistake 1

    Judging the future by the past

    One house, two owners

    2015, the previous owner
    $415K
    2022, our client
    Just under $550K
    today
    $880K+

    The previous owner gained just under $150K in seven years. Our client has gained about $340K in four.

    Watch
  2. Mistake 2

    The market's already run

    Mount Louisa, 2026

    house prices, 12 months
    +16%
    rent growth
    6%+
    vacancy, under the 2% mark
    1.6%

    Prices had already risen, and the rental market was still tight.

    The read

    “They think a house market has done all its growth and therefore no more left in the tank.”

    Arjun PaliwalPlay the film from

    Watch
  3. Mistake 3

    High yield means no growth

    Bushland Beach

    bought in 2022
    $429K
    rent
    $490/wk
    capital growth, $364K+ equity
    84.62%

    When prices grow faster than rents, the yield on paper falls. The growth is the reason.

    Watch

People didn’t realise what they had in their own backyard.

DeeLocal real estate agent, TownsvilleSaid at

On camera5 people

The people in the film.

The analyst who bought here, the client who nearly walked away, the tenant, the Sydneysider who moved north and the local agent who watched it happen.

  1. Junge Ma, Senior Research Analyst at InvestorKit.01Junge MaSenior Research Analyst, InvestorKit

    Our own analyst bought here

    A 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house on a 432 m² block in Douglas, bought for $395K in 2022. It has grown to $750K, and the equity went into a second and third investment.

    Watch this momentJunge Ma's research
  2. The right-hand side of a single-storey brick house in Annandale, with a tiled roof, windows, an air conditioner and shrubs02StefanInvestorKit client, not on camera

    The deal that almost didn't happen

    The building and pest report found termites and defects. The vendor agreed to fix every item, and Stefan's family still said back out. Arjun took over the unconditional contract himself, in Annandale, and Stefan bought another property instead.

    Watch this moment
  3. Manu, with short dark hair and a full beard, in a teal printed T-shirt, leaning on the bonnet of a white car in front of a house03ManuTenant, eight years in Townsville

    The tenant gets a say

    Manu works at the hospital. On camera, Manu asked for two fixes, the ensuite tap and automatic roller doors, and Arjun promised to raise them.

    Watch this moment
  4. Kate in profile, smiling, with blonde hair in a bun, with the sea and Magnetic Island behind04KateMoved from Sydney

    Why a Sydneysider moved here

    The Strand, and Magnetic Island 20 minutes away by ferry. On crime, an honest take: it's real, especially youth crime, but “there's a bit more safety here than what they preach.”

    “Townsville is the bustling, pulsing heart of North Queensland.”

    Play the film from
    Watch this moment
  5. Dee, the local real estate agent, with long dark hair and wearing black, smiling in a real estate office05DeeLocal real estate agent

    The local who watched it happen

    Dee would not have bought in 2018 or 2019: “I'm so risk averse.” Now Dee sees young families using their equity to move up, and keeping the first place as an investment.

    Watch this moment

The floodsDue diligence

Data gets you in. Due diligence gets you out.

Flood risk works by pocket, street and house, not by suburb. So every property faced the same six questions before anyone signed.

Townsville floods, 2019almost 3,300properties with flood damage
minor damage
2,000+
moderate damage
1,100
severely damaged, water 1 m or more
135

Flood risk lives in pockets, streets and houses. A suburb-wide headline cannot tell you which homes were affected.

“A flood event doesn’t automatically make the city uninvestable. It simply makes due diligence non-negotiable.”

Arjun Paliwal
Watch the floods chapter
Asked of every property6 questions
  • Has it flooded before?
  • How deep was the water in surrounding areas?
  • Was it flooding, storm water, or overland flow and drainage impacts?
  • What did the flood maps show?
  • What do various insurers show?
  • And what has changed since the major floods themselves?
The read

“Don’t rely on fear. Don’t rely on headlines. And don’t rely on data alone.”

Arjun PaliwalPlay the film from

Hear the questions

Every property we recommend also goes through InvestorKit's 20-point due diligence checklist. The checklist is one of the resources you keep once you have attended your call.

Data gets you into the right market, but it’s due diligence that gets you out of the wrong property.

Arjun PaliwalFounder and CEO, InvestorKitSaid at

Australian Property Hotspots

Which city should Arjun unpack next?

Arjun is visiting more cities to check the homes InvestorKit bought there. Pick the one you want next. The most requested cities go on his list.

  1. 01Townsville, QLDFilmed
  2. 02Your pickUp next

By submitting this form you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and consent to InvestorKit Group marketing by email and, if you provide a mobile number, SMS. Opt out anytime.

One vote each. We'll email you when the next city drops.

In the news6 stories

What the press reported.

Real coverage of InvestorKit clients and research, stories that mention Townsville or Queensland first. Each story page credits the original publisher.

As featured in

  • Australian Financial Review
  • realestate.com.au
  • Yahoo Finance
  • Domain
  • Herald Sun
  • The Sydney Morning Herald
  • 2GB Sydney
  • The Age
Explore the newsroom

Awards and credibility

Recognised for the work behind the film.

Buyer's Agency of the Year at the REB Awards in 2023, 2024 and 2026, plus national awards for our research, technology, marketing and people.

REB Buyer's Agency of the Year 2026 winnerREB Buyer's Agency of the Year 2024 winnerREB Buyer's Agency of the Year 2023 winner
See every award
  1. 2026Buyer's Agency of the YearREB Awards
  2. 2026Innovator of the Year, Residential Buyer's AgencyREB Innovation Awards
  3. 2026Technology Platform of the Year, Property AcquisitionsAustralian Buyers Agent Awards
  4. 2026Marketing Campaign of the YearAustralian Buyers Agent Awards

The film is one city. This is the whole of InvestorKit, from its own records.

client equity generated
$500M+
property purchases
3,100+
clients served
2,200+
five-star Google reviews
850+

Free discovery call15 minutes

The next Townsville won't look like one either.

A free 15-minute discovery call puts the same research to work on your goals and budget. Talk it through with the team behind the film and leave with your next step.

  • Where you stand today
  • What's realistic for your budget
  • Your next step, whatever you decide
“I wish I had someone to tell me that.”
Dee, Local real estate agent, TownsvilleSaid at

Let’s talk about your next move.

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This page and the film are general information only. They do not consider your objectives, financial situation or needs. Figures are as said on camera or as published at the time, and individual results vary. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Included with your call

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Attend your free discovery call and you'll get six InvestorKit resources afterwards. They're yours to keep, whatever you decide.

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  1. Research report

    10 Data-Backed Locations Set To Outperform In 2026

    Ten Australian markets with strong fundamentals, each with its own strength and trade-off, and the research criteria behind the shortlist.

    23-page PDF

  2. eBook

    The 16 Mistakes DIY Property Investors Keep Making

    Sixteen common beliefs across strategy, finance, research and buying, why capable people hold them and what each one can cost.

    19-page PDF

  3. Book chapter

    Driving the Data, preface and chapter 1

    Arjun Paliwal's preface and opening chapter, "To learn we must unlearn", from his book on data-led property investing.

    21-page PDF

  4. Calculator

    A.R.I., the Advanced Rental Income Analyser

    Enter a price, rent and loan to model cash flow, test a rate rise and see what a property costs you to hold.

    Free web tool

  5. Checklist

    InvestorKit's 20-point due diligence checklist

    The suburb, neighbourhood and micro-market checks our team runs before recommending a property.

    Online report

  6. Research library

    9 research reports

    Research from our team on housing supply, rents, rate cuts and tax changes.

General information, not personal advice. Your call is where we look at your own goals and numbers.

Opening sequence: Earth: NASA EPIC Team (DSCOVR) · NASA Worldview (GIBS), VIIRS NOAA-20 · Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024