NT · Roper Gulf Council

Mataranka, 0852

Est. population · Jun 2025

448

Growth (1 yr)

+1.4%

Growth (5 yr)

+3.5%

Median age

38

Median income

$1,843/wk

Employment rate

53.4%

Languages at home

38.9%non-English

Most common: Australian Indigenous languages, Spanish, French

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

14.8/100
Below average

144th in NT

Verified 58% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Education hub
  • High desirability
What Mataranka is known for: Education hub, High desirability

Suburb profile

Mataranka offers a slower smaller community life in Roper Gulf Council, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Families and commuters make up much of the community, with plenty of young families in the mix. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice.

With limited local amenities, residents regularly travel to a neighbouring town for shops, appointments and a wider choice. There is enough green space nearby for walks, picnics and after-school play. A car helps for most daily errands, with fewer amenities clustered within an easy walk.

Homes are relatively cheap compared with the wider market, which keeps entry costs lower. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.

Versus similar regional towns, the suburb reads below average on desirability, chiefly because local dining and lifestyle amenities trail behind. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Mataranka snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

448

+1.4% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

20.0%

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

#44

among Country & regional · Established

Pop. growth

68th

percentile in NT

Advantage (IRSAD)

2/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

5th

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
14.8/100 — Below average
National rank
6901st in Australia
State rank
144th in NT
Peer rank
#44 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#78 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
58%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability indexSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Population

Estimated resident population

448(June 2025)

+1.4% annual · +3.5% over 5 years · 68th percentile in NT

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.4%
5-year growth
+3.5%
Change in 1 year
+6
Change in 5 years
+15
Growth rank in NT
68th 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 (~450), extrapolated at +1.0% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
384
Median age
38
Median household income / week
$1,843
Dwelling vacancy
20%
Unoccupied private dwellings
25 of 125
Median monthly mortgage
$1,506
Employment rate
53.4%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
69 / 5 / 0 (+ 23 other)

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

  • Estimated Resident PopulationAustralian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Community & culture

No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
1
Median school ICSEA
844
Median ICSEA percentile
5th
School list
  • Mataranka SchoolCombined · Government · ICSEA 844 · 5th percentile · LBOTE 41% · 23 students · Top SEA quarter 3%View on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insightsSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenitiesOpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
1
Parks (OSM)
1

OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)

Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
1
Nearest hospital
Katherine Hospital (101.1 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
Not in suburb
  • Mataranka Health CentreElsey StreetClinic

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
9
Participants per 1,000 residents
20.1

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
35° / 24°
Rainfall
563 mm · ~70 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
33° / 20°
Rainfall
187 mm · ~23 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
30° / 14°
Rainfall
5 mm · ~1 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
36° / 22°
Rainfall
103 mm · ~13 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normalsWorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
Overlay applies

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via state planning hazard mapping.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Bushfire 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 346.4 km away).

Coalition 53.0%Labor 47.0%

11.1 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +0.7 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • TindalLabor 49.4% · Coalition 50.6% TPP (2025)86.1 km away
  • Katherine EastLabor 48.5% · Coalition 51.5% TPP (2025)97.0 km away
  • Katherine SouthLabor 43.2% · Coalition 56.8% TPP (2025)99.8 km away
  • Katherine NorthLabor 50.0% · Coalition 50.0% TPP (2025)100.3 km away
  • Berry SpringsLabor 36.1% · Coalition 63.9% TPP (2025)333.6 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)
2/10
IRSD decile (2021)
1/10

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 (5%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)

Data sources & freshness

Compare with

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

More in Roper Gulf Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Northern Territory.