The suburb of South Townsville occupies the northern part of the island.

[4] There is a large railway yard in the north of the suburb with the North Coast railway line entering the suburb from the south (Oonoonba) over Ross River and then splits with one branch exiting the suburb to the north-west (Townsville CBD) over Ross Creek and the other exiting to the north (South Townsville) to the Port of Townsville.

The suburb's name reflects that all the land was originally owned by the Queensland Railways Department.

Lacking space to expand at the technical college, a new site was opened in 1964 in Boundary Street in Railway Estate with an intake of new Year 8 students while the existing students at the technical college transitioned to the new site in 1965.

[14] It includes a special education program, an intensive English language program, and a positive learning centre (to assist students whose learning requires intervention beyond what is possible in a conventional classroom).