How much does fencing cost in Townsville?
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Colorbond is the fence Townsville looks up most, and our table prices it at $86–$205 a metre installed, with $140 a typical figure. Treated pine palings cover the same band, landing around $120 on a typical job, and hardwood palings cost $110–$205. A full 40 m boundary comes to $4,325–$9,700 on average. Four in five Townsville dwellings are separate houses (80.1%, against 72.3% nationally, ABS 2021 Census), so most homes have side and rear fences that a neighbour co-owns. Because the city sits in the cyclone belt, how those fences are footed matters as much as the sheet or paling you pick.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Fencing cost per metre in Australia.
Detailed Pricing — Fencing Cost in Townsville 2026
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorbond fence (per m) | $86/m | $140 | $205 |
| Timber paling fence (per m) | $86/m | $120 | $205 |
| Hardwood paling fence, 1.8 m (per m) | $110/m | $140 | $205 |
| Pool fencing — glass (per m) | $325/m | $540 | $865 |
| Pool fencing — aluminium (per m) | $110/m | $215 | $380 |
| Aluminium slat fence | $185/m | $290 | $430 |
| Picket fence (per m) | $65/m | $97 | $270 |
| PVC / vinyl fence, picket to privacy (per m) | $54/m | $105 | $160 |
| Brick or block boundary fence, rendered (about 1.8 m, per m) | $270/m | $430 | $865 |
| Chain-link / wire fence (per m) | $32/m | $59 | $97 |
| Retaining wall (timber, per m) | $160/m | $300 | $485 |
| Fence gate — single | $270installed | $540 | $700 |
| Fence gate — double / driveway (Colorbond or timber, manual) | $865installed | $1,300 | $2,700 |
| Old fence removal (per m) | $16/m | $32 | $54 |
| Old fence removal — timber paling, incl. disposal (per m) | $16/m | $27 | $49 |
| Fence repair, palings or sheets and rails (per m) | $65/m | $110 | $160 |
| Full boundary fence (avg 40 m) | $4,325total | $6,500 | $9,700 |
| Post replacement (per post) | $150per post | $250 | $325 |
| Colorbond fence 2.1 m (per m) | $130/m | $175 | $270 |
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Get Townsville quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Townsville metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
Real-World Fencing Costs in Townsville
Colorbond fencing in Townsville is $86–$205 a metre in our table, so 45 metres of 1.8 m panels comes to the figure above; a taller 2.1 m Colorbond fence is $130–$270 a metre. Removing the old fence is $16–$54 a metre. To ask a neighbour to share, Queensland requires a notice to contribute with at least one written quotation for the work.
Timber fencing in Townsville runs $86–$205 a metre for a paling fence and $65–$270 for pickets in our table; 12 metres of picket front fence in North Ward, Hermit Park or Mundingburra comes to the figure above, plus $270–$700 for a gate. A fence no more than 2 m high needs no building approval in Queensland, pool fencing aside, though your council's planning scheme can still require it.
15 metres of frameless glass is the figure above at Townsville's $325–$865 a metre; aluminium tubular is $110–$380. Where the pool fencing work is on the dividing fence, the pool owner pays the full cost of making it comply — the neighbour doesn't share it.
A sloping block on Castle Hill or the northern beaches takes stepped Colorbond panels at $86–$205 a metre, with sleepers or a retaining wall under each step — timber retaining is $160–$485 a metre in our table. In Queensland, retaining over 1m high (including the fill or cut the wall holds back) needs building approval and may require engineer certification.
For a new home in Western Townsville with nothing to pull out, 65 metres of Colorbond at $86–$205 a metre comes to the figure above, and a double gate for side access is $865–$2,700. The cyclone season officially runs from November to April (Bureau of Meteorology), so ask what wind rating the posts and footings are built to.
Colorbond fence cost per metre in Townsville (2026)
Townsville prices Colorbond at $86–$205 a metre for the standard 1.8 m height and $130–$270 a metre for the 2.1 m sheet. Cyclone winds, the wet and dry seasons and the fall of the block decide where a quote sits inside those bands, so the example is a 31 m run at Aitkenvale.
| Job | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorbond fence (per m) | $86/m | $140 | $205 |
| Timber paling fence (per m) | $86/m | $120 | $205 |
| Old fence removal (per m) | $16/m | $32 | $54 |
| Fence gate — single (installed) | $270 | $540 | $700 |
Start with the old fence: clearing 31 m at $16–$54 a metre is $496–$1,674. The new run on the standard row of $86–$205 a metre is $2,666–$6,355, and a single gate at $270–$700 installed is the third line to price.
In a cyclone region, ask how the post bases are anchored, because a failing fence should stay tied to its footings. Open mesh takes less wind load than palings, and the chain-link or wire row is $32–$97 a metre where privacy is not needed. A Castle Hill block on a slope takes stepped panels.
- May to October is the drier stretch for pouring footings, so ask when the fencer plans the pour.
- Ask for the wind rating of the posts to be written on the quote.
What Affects Fencing Costs in Townsville
Colorbond or timber palings
The two share one per-metre band here, but a typical timber job ($120) comes in a little under Colorbond ($140). Timber in the wet tropics needs a durable or treated grade and regular staining to hold off rot and termites; steel needs neither, though near the water it pays to ask about the coating. The taller 2.1 m privacy sheet that locals price up is $130–$270.
Footings for cyclone winds
The Queensland Reconstruction Authority places the coast here in Wind Region C, and its cyclone guidance is frank: fences are hard to design against the sideways force of cyclone winds. What a fencer can do is anchor the post bases so that a fence which fails stays attached to its footings rather than turning into flying debris. Open mesh takes far less wind load than palings, and chain-link or wire costs $32–$97.
Wet season, dry season
Townsville Aero averages 312.4 mm of rain in February and 274.4 mm in January, but just 9.9 mm in September (BOM averages), and the cyclone season lasts from November through April. Post holes flood and concrete cures poorly in tropical downpours, so a build between May and October is far less likely to be held up. A fence that leans before the wet should be propped or re-set early; one new post costs $150–$325.
Sharing the bill with next door
Under Queensland law, adjoining owners normally go halves on a sufficient dividing fence, and an owner who wants something better covers the difference. That cuts a typical 40 m job of $6,500 to about $3,250 each. The formal opening move is a notice to contribute for fencing work. No agreement after a month? Either owner can then apply to QCAT, up to two months from the date of the notice.
When a storm knocks it down
Queensland law lets you carry out urgent fencing work first and then give your neighbour a notice to contribute for urgent fencing work as soon as possible afterwards, which matters after a summer storm. Replacing damaged palings or sheets and rails costs $65–$160, and clearing out a wrecked section $16–$54, or $16–$49 for timber with disposal included.
Pool barriers
The QBCC registers every regulated pool in the state, and a house with a pool cannot be sold or leased without a current pool safety certificate issued by a licensed inspector. New barriers follow AS 1926.1 under the national code, with Queensland variations, and need building approval at any height. Glass costs $325–$865 and aluminium $110–$380; the owner alone pays for work to make a pool fence comply.
Renting in Townsville
Close to two in five Townsville homes are rented (38.3%, against 33.1% for Queensland, ABS 2021 Census). A dividing fence is the owner's responsibility, so tenants should report storm damage or a sagging fence to the landlord or agent in writing rather than paying a fencer. Landlords with a pool cannot sign a new lease until a pool safety certificate is in effect, so a barrier that fails inspection holds up the letting.
How to Save Money on Fencing Cost in Townsville
A Townsville homeowner wanted an old paling fence removed and replaced with 1.8m Colorbond — 34 metres down one side, 18 metres across the front, plus a 3-metre front gate. Estimated at $3,000–$8,000.
Details anonymised. Range is our estimate at enquiry — final quotes vary with access, materials and condition.
Fencing Cost in Townsville by Fence Length
Open mesh is the fence for a long boundary where privacy is not needed. A 52 m chain-link run at Kirwan, at $32–$97 a metre, comes to $1,664–$5,044 for the fence alone. The full boundary row of $4,325–$9,700 is built on an average 40 m, so a 52 m run sits beyond it and is priced from the metre row.
Wind, wet and slope move a job of that size here. Open mesh carries less wind load than solid palings, which matters in a cyclone region, and post bases can be anchored so a failing fence stays attached to its footings. Digging between May and October is less likely to be held up, and a block like Castle Hill takes stepped panels. A single post is $150–$325 a post.
Fencing Cost in Townsville: What the Quote Should Include
A Townsville quote has to answer for cyclone-region wind, a long wet season and sloping blocks on places like Castle Hill. Lines for post anchoring, footing dates and stepped panels show how the job was built, beyond a Colorbond rate of $86–$205 a metre.
- How post bases are anchored to their footings, so a fence that fails stays tied down, described rather than assumed.
- Open mesh or solid panel named for each boundary; chain-link or wire is $32–$97 a metre if an open style will do.
- A durable or treated grade named for any timber, with its staining cycle stated.
- Footing dates in the drier months from May to October, and how a wet-season delay is handled.
- A sloping block such as Castle Hill priced with stepped panels written on the quote.
- One new post at $150–$325 a post counted on the quote if a leaning fence is being re-set before the wet.
- Old fence clearing at $16–$54 a metre, with timber palings and disposal at $16–$49 a metre.
- Gates: $270–$700 installed for a single and $865–$2,700 installed for a pair, with matched posts.
- A workmanship warranty, the payment stages and the GST treatment written down.
Frequently Asked Questions — Fencing Cost in Townsville
Our Methodology
These are independent estimates from public cost guides, marketplaces and industry rate data, and no tradesperson can influence them, so always get a few quotes. Last reviewed October 2026. Read our full methodology →