suburb.guide

NT · Alice Springs Council

Gillen, 0870

Est. population · Jun 2025

5,164

Growth (1 yr)

+1.3%

Growth (5 yr)

+8.3%

Median age

33

Median income

$2,176/wk

Employment rate

69.5%

University qualified

24.7%

Work from home

2.5%

Languages at home

29.1%non-English

Most common: Malayalam, Australian Indigenous languages, Punjabi

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

39.7/100
Below average

Top 35% of Northern Territory's suburbs

Verified 92% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • Regional centre
What Gillen is known for: Green suburb, Regional centre

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Suburb profile

Gillen is a major regional centre in the Northern Territory, in Alice Springs Council, with mainly mixed commercial and residential development. It is set against the MacDonnell Ranges and close to Mt Gillen.

Shops and everyday services are easier to access than in most comparable places. Employment rates are stronger than in comparable places, with employment 31% above the peer median. School access is exceptionally strong, placing it among the highest-ranked major regional centres. University qualifications are more common than in comparable places, with university qualifications 43% above the peer median, and green cover is an exceptional strength. Health-facility access is relatively limited, with health access 50% below the peer median.

Overall, the suburb suits people prioritising school access and daily services over health access.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Major regional centre · compared with major regional centres in Northern Territory (33)

Strengths

  • School access is exceptionally strong
  • Shops and everyday services are easier to access than in most comparable places
  • Employment rates are stronger than in comparable places
  • University qualifications are more common than in comparable places
  • Green cover is a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • Health-facility access is relatively limited

What stands out

  • Overseas-born and multilingual community
  • Mt Gillen
  • MacDonnell Ranges

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How Gillen compares

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent (Census)

$400/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

5,164

+1.3% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

12.2%

Census unoccupied dwellings

Livability profile

Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Desirability

#2

among Country & regional · Emerging

Pop. growth

65th

percentile in NT

Rented dwellings

42%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

6/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

9th

percentile among schools with ICSEA

Population growth

Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years

Housing mix

Dwelling types from the 2021 Census

Risks & flags

Quick scan — open a section below for full context

Living here

Desirability

Ranks & confidence
Desirability score
39.7/100 — Below average
State standing
Top 35% of Northern Territory's suburbs
National rank
4494th in Australia
State rank
56th in NT
Peer rank
#2 among Country & regional · Emerging suburbs
Cohort rank
#14 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
92%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Population

Estimated resident population

5,164(June 2025)

+1.3% annual · +8.3% over 5 years · 65th percentile in NT

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.3%
5-year growth
+8.3%
Change in 1 year
+65
Change in 5 years
+398
Growth rank in NT
65th percentile

ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.

Methodology

Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.

The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~5,250), extrapolated at +0.3% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
4,466
Median age
33
Median household income / week
$2,176
Dwelling vacancy
12.2%
Unoccupied private dwellings
207 of 1,703
Median monthly mortgage
$1,733
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$400
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
14.8% / 43.2% / 42.1%
Employment rate
69.5%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
2.5% / 1.1% / 80%
Walked or cycled to work
7.3%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
1,037 / 405 / 36

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Qualifications

24.7% of adults have a university degree, compared with 21.4% across Northern Territory. 18% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified24.7% · 21.4% NT
  • Diploma qualified8.9% · 7.5% NT
  • Trade / vocational18% · 16.1% NT
  • Year 12 or below48.4% · 55% NT

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Management and commerce18.9%
  • Society and culture18.4%
  • Health16.9%
  • Engineering and related technologies13.7%
  • Education10.1%
  • Food, hospitality and personal services7.8%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$69,974

62nd percentile in NT · +19% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$71,805

53rd percentile in NT · +10% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
15.0%

65th percentile in NT · +9% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$46,372

38th percentile in NT · -27% vs Australia

Residents with business income
9.0%

62nd percentile in NT · -13% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 0870 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
13,665
Taxpayers reporting net rent
2,076
Median net rent
-$680
Taxpayers reporting business income
1,176
Taxable income vs state median
+4%
Salary / wages vs state median
0%
Rental investment vs state median
+7%
Super vs state median
-14%
Business income vs state median
+29%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in NT, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

29.1% speak a language other than English at home; 30.6% born overseas

Language at home
2,925 English only · 1,203 other
Non-English at home
29.1%
Born overseas
1,272 (30.6%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
850 (19%)
Australian citizens
3,400
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
27

Top languages other than English

Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).

  • Malayalam70 · 14.7%
  • Australian Indigenous languages66 · 13.9%
  • Punjabi51 · 10.7%
  • Tagalog36 · 7.6%
  • Hindi33 · 6.9%
  • Nepali29 · 6.1%
  • Mandarin19 · 4%
  • Spanish17 · 3.6%

Religion

40.5%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 40.5%, while Christianity accounts for 40.3%.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion40.5%38.1%
Christianity40.3%40.5%
Hinduism3.9%2.7%
Other / not stated15.2%18.8%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic17.2%16.9%
Anglican5.9%6%
Lutheran3.4%2.3%
Christian (not further defined)3%3.2%
Uniting Church2.1%3.7%
Pentecostal2.1%1.3%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Figures are for the Alice Springs reporting region, not this suburb alone.

Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2026 to Sep 2026)
3,174
Against the person
1,330
Against property
1,844
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
122.9
State crime-rate percentile
67.6th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-39.5%

Most common offence types

  • 021 Serious Assault
  • 023 Common Assault
  • 061 Burglary - Dwelling (House Break-Ins), Actual
  • 07* Other Theft
  • 11 Property Damage Offences

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

  • NT Police crime statistics (reporting region / SA2) — Northern Territory Police · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Sep 2026; Jan 2026 to Sep 2026 · Updated · Monthly CSV; regional totals where suburb-level data unavailable

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
7
Median school ICSEA (6 schools)
867
Median ICSEA percentile
9th
School list
  • Centralian Middle SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 816 · 3th percentile · LBOTE 47% · 338 students · Top SEA quarter 4% · 0.0 km awayView on My School →
  • Gillen Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 807 · 3th percentile · LBOTE 64% · 230 students · Top SEA quarter 8% · 0.3 km awayView on My School →
  • Bradshaw Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 918 · 14th percentile · LBOTE 38% · 381 students · Top SEA quarter 13% · 0.7 km awayView on My School →
  • St Joseph's Catholic Flexible SchoolSpecial · Catholic · LBOTE 55% · 82 students · 1.0 km awayView on My School →
  • Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic CollegeCombined · Catholic · ICSEA 1028 · 59th percentile · LBOTE 51% · 823 students · Top SEA quarter 24% · 1.1 km awayView on My School →
  • Araluen Christian CollegeCombined · Independent · ICSEA 997 · 45th percentile · LBOTE 39% · 104 students · Top SEA quarter 15% · 1.4 km awayView on My School →
  • Yipirinya SchoolCombined · Independent · ICSEA 729 · 2th percentile · LBOTE 51% · 186 students · Top SEA quarter 5% · 1.5 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Childcare

3 childcare services from OpenStreetMap

  • Bradshaw Pre Schoolkindergarten
  • Gillen Pre Schoolkindergarten
  • Gillen Pre Schoolkindergarten

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Childcare centres per 1,000 residents

Data sources & freshness

  • Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · current · Updated

Public transport

12 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Bloomfield Street
  • Flynn Drive
  • Memorial Avenue
  • Milner Road
  • Pedler Avenue

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

77 mapped amenities

2 supermarkets · 2 playgrounds · 2 swimming pools

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • A car helps for daily needs
  • Great for outdoor family life — 12 parks mapped in suburb, 2 playgrounds nearby
  • Reasonable bus and transport access — 12 public transport stops
Walkability proxy
43/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
2.69
Shopping(2)
  • Foodtown SupermarketSupermarket

    Milner Road

  • IGASupermarket
Community(6)
  • Bradshaw Pre SchoolKindergarten
  • Gillen Pre SchoolKindergarten
  • Bradshaw Primary SchoolSchool
  • Centralian Middle SchoolSchool
  • Gillen Primary SchoolSchool
  • St Joseph’s Flexible Learning CentreSchool
Health & services(1)
  • Alice Springs Community HealthClinic
Sport & outdoors(17)
  • Ashwin ParkPark
  • Chalmers ParkPark
  • Forrest ParkPark
  • Newland ParkPark
  • Park (7)
  • Spencer ParkPark
  • Playground (2)
  • Sports field
  • Swimming pool (2)
Places to stay(2)
  • Haven Backpacker ResortHostel
  • Haven Backpacker ResortMotel

    3 Larapinta Drive

Transport(12)

12 bus stops

Other(5)
  • Anderson ApartmentsApartment

    60 Bradshaw Drive

  • Bicycle Parking (2)
  • Newland Park Road Safety CentreDriving School
  • Parking (27)
  • Shelter (6)

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Parks & reserves

5 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Ashwin ParkPark
  • Chalmers ParkPark
  • Forrest ParkPark
  • Newland ParkPark
  • Spencer ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
7.5%
Woodland / forest cover
0%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
12
Parks (OSM)
12
Typical summer maximum
36°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
1
Nearest hospital
Alice Springs Hospital (1.3 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
Not in suburb
GP clinics in suburb
1
GPs tagged bulk billing (OSM)
0 of 1
Aged-care services
3

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

  • Alice Springs Community HealthClinic
Aged-care services
  • Alice Springs - Purple HouseGILLENNational Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Program
  • Purple House Aged CareALICE SPRINGSHome Care
  • Yuendumu Old People's ProgramGILLENNational Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Program

Australian Government–subsidised services from the AIHW GEN list (30 June 2025), assigned to this suburb by location.

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
155
Participants per 1,000 residents
30.0

Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.

For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.

Data sources & freshness

Weather

Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.

Summer (Dec–Feb)

Usual max / min
36° / 21°
Rainfall
117 mm · ~15 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
29° / 14°
Rainfall
78 mm · ~10 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
21° / 5°
Rainfall
37 mm · ~5 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
31° / 15°
Rainfall
56 mm · ~7 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via state planning hazard mapping. Flood cover uses inundation polygons against the suburb boundary where published.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Lingiari
Member of Parliament
Marion SCRYMGOUR (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
76,817
Turnout (2025)
62.2%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+6.5 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 41.9%Labor 58.1%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 1040.1 km away).

Coalition 44.9%Labor 55.1%

3.0 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +9.4 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • GillenLabor 54.8% · Coalition 45.2% TPP (2025)0.5 km away
  • Alice SpringsLabor 64.0% · Coalition 36.0% TPP (2025)2.1 km away
  • IlparpaLabor 36.2% · Coalition 63.8% TPP (2025)3.2 km away
  • LarapintaLabor 57.3% · Coalition 42.7% TPP (2025)3.5 km away
  • SadadeenLabor 64.2% · Coalition 35.8% TPP (2025)3.5 km away

Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
6/10
IRSD decile (2021)
4/10

ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).

What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?

IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.

IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.

A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

This suburb ranks highly for

Compare with

Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.

More in Alice Springs Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile elsewhere in Northern Territory or interstate.

Gillen, NT 0870 Profile | Suburb Guide