NT · Darwin Council

Nightcliff, 0810

Est. population · Jun 2025

4,324

Growth (1 yr)

+1.6%

Growth (5 yr)

+5.7%

Median age

34

Median income

$2,051/wk

Employment rate

71.8%

University qualified

45.4%

Work from home

4.2%

Languages at home

32.7%non-English

Most common: Nepali, Greek, Punjabi

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

53.4/100
Average

Top 8% of Northern Territory's suburbs

Verified 93% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Beach
  • High desirability
What Nightcliff is known for: Beach, High desirability

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Nightcliff, NT suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Nightcliff, NT Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/nt/nightcliff

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Suburb profile

Nightcliff is a mixed commercial-residential suburb of Darwin, in Darwin Council, with mainly dense residential and commercial development.

Local amenities are a relative strength, with local amenities 18% above the peer median. University qualifications are more common than in comparable places, with university qualifications 11% above the peer median. Trade-offs centre on thinner mapped green cover within the suburb boundary and limited school access, with green cover 69% below the peer median.

Nightcliff is a better fit for people who value university qualifications and local amenities more than school 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

Mixed commercial-residential suburb · compared with mixed commercial-residential suburbs in Northern Territory (10)

Strengths

  • University qualifications are more common than in comparable places
  • Local amenities are a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • Mapped green cover within the suburb boundary is below comparable suburbs
  • School access is a relative weakness

What stands out

  • Nightcliff Beach
  • Overseas-born and multilingual community

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How Nightcliff compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent (Census)

$350/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

4,324

+1.6% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

10.1%

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

#4

among Metro Darwin · Emerging

Pop. growth

73rd

percentile in NT

Rented dwellings

55%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

9/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

73rd

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
53.4/100 — Average
State standing
Top 8% of Northern Territory's suburbs
National rank
1383rd in Australia
State rank
12th in NT
Peer rank
#4 among Metro Darwin · Emerging suburbs
Cohort rank
#10 among Metro Darwin suburbs
Data confidence
93%

Data sources & freshness

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

Population

Estimated resident population

4,324(June 2025)

+1.6% annual · +5.7% over 5 years · 73th percentile in NT

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.6%
5-year growth
+5.7%
Change in 1 year
+68
Change in 5 years
+232
Growth rank in NT
73th 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 (~4,450), extrapolated at +0.6% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
3,884
Median age
34
Median household income / week
$2,051
Dwelling vacancy
10.1%
Unoccupied private dwellings
171 of 1,695
Median monthly mortgage
$1,972
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$350
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
19.8% / 24.9% / 55.3%
Employment rate
71.8%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
4.2% / 3.5% / 74.6%
Walked or cycled to work
6%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
545 / 137 / 837

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

45.4% of adults have a university degree, compared with 21.4% across Northern Territory. 12.1% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified45.4% · 21.4% NT
  • Diploma qualified7.7% · 7.5% NT
  • Trade / vocational12.1% · 16.1% NT
  • Year 12 or below34.8% · 55% NT

Highest qualification field

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

  • Management and commerce20.5%
  • Health19.2%
  • Society and culture16.8%
  • Engineering and related technologies12.3%
  • Education8.9%
  • Information technology4.8%
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)
$68,443

53rd percentile in NT · +17% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$72,396

56th percentile in NT · +11% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
16.0%

71st percentile in NT · +16% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$53,004

47th percentile in NT · -16% vs Australia

Residents with business income
11.0%

91st percentile in NT · +6% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 0810 — 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
23,103
Taxpayers reporting net rent
3,700
Median net rent
-$1,439
Taxpayers reporting business income
2,543
Taxable income vs state median
+1%
Salary / wages vs state median
+1%
Rental investment vs state median
+14%
Super vs state median
-1%
Business income vs state median
+57%

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

32.7% speak a language other than English at home; 37.2% born overseas

Language at home
2,430 English only · 1,180 other
Non-English at home
32.7%
Born overseas
1,355 (37.2%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
188 (4.8%)
Australian citizens
2,830
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
28

Top languages other than English

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

  • Nepali92 · 17.5%
  • Greek62 · 11.8%
  • Punjabi43 · 8.2%
  • Gujarati42 · 8%
  • Urdu36 · 6.9%
  • Tagalog30 · 5.7%
  • Filipino26 · 5%
  • Hindi22 · 4.2%

Religion

39.9%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 39.9%, while Christianity accounts for 32.7%. Hinduism is more prevalent locally than across the state.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion39.9%38.1%
Christianity32.7%40.5%
Hinduism8.7%2.7%
Islam3.8%1.4%
Buddhism3.3%2.1%
Other / not stated11.6%15.3%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic14.9%16.9%
Anglican5.1%6%
Eastern Orthodox4.9%1.9%
Christian (not further defined)2%3.2%

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 Darwin 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)
5,366
Against the person
1,830
Against property
3,536
Rate per 1,000 residents (annualised)
79.1
State crime-rate percentile
47.2th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-17.5%

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
5
Median school ICSEA (5 schools)
1,063
Median ICSEA percentile
73th
School list
  • Nightcliff Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1063 · 73th percentile · LBOTE 49% · 478 students · Top SEA quarter 36% · 0.4 km awayView on My School →
  • Nightcliff High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 986 · 40th percentile · LBOTE 51% · 409 students · Top SEA quarter 20% · 0.6 km awayView on My School →
  • The Essington SchoolCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1128 · 91th percentile · LBOTE 40% · 782 students · Top SEA quarter 54% · 0.9 km awayView on My School →
  • St Paul's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1077 · 78th percentile · LBOTE 41% · 221 students · Top SEA quarter 40% · 1.1 km awayView on My School →
  • Millner Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 911 · 13th percentile · LBOTE 59% · 171 students · Top SEA quarter 10% · 1.4 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Childcare

1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap

  • Nightcliff Community Early Learning CentreCunjevoi Crescentchildcare

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Childcare centres per 1,000 residents

Data sources & freshness

  • Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · current · Updated

Public transport

11 public transport stops in this suburb

  • 11 Bougainvilia Street
  • 27 Bougainvilia Street
  • 47 Bougainvilia Street
  • Aralia St at Shops
  • Aralia St before Jacaranda Ave

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

162 mapped amenities

4 restaurants · 1 cafes · 1 supermarkets · 1 fast food · 1 libraries · 2 playgrounds · 1 sports centres · 15 swimming pools

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Reasonably walkable — many shops and services reachable on foot or by bus
  • Great for outdoor family life — 8 parks mapped in suburb, 2 playgrounds nearby
  • Reasonable bus and transport access — 11 public transport stops
  • Strong local sport and recreation — 20 sport and outdoor facilities nearby
Walkability proxy
54/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0.26
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
1.54
Parks per 1,000 residents
2.06
Food & drink(6)
  • Cafe
  • Bruce's Charcoal Chicken & Chinese TakeawayFast food

    38 Progress Drive

  • Asian Gateway RestaurantRestaurant

    58 Aralia Street, Nightcliff

  • Lucky Bat cafe and pizzeriaRestaurant

    8 Pavonia Place

  • Patty Shack Burger BarRestaurant

    Progress Drive

  • Spice Garden Eating House & GrillRestaurant
Shopping(2)
  • SalvosOp shop
  • Aralia SupermarketSupermarket

    60 Aralia Street, Nightcliff

Everyday services(4)
  • Puma NightcliffPetrol station

    26 Progress Drive, Nightcliff

  • ShellPetrol station
  • Shell Coles Express NightcliffPetrol station

    37 Progress Drive, Nightcliff

  • Australia Post Nightcliff LPOPost office
Community(3)
  • Nightcliff Community Early Learning CentreChildcare

    1 Cunjevoi Crescent, Nightcliff

  • Nightcliff LibraryLibrary

    10-12 Pavonia Place

  • Nightcliff Primary SchoolSchool
Sport & outdoors(54)
  • BBQ (2)
  • Jacaranda BBQBBQ
  • Beach
  • Nightcliff BeachBeach
  • Boat ramp
  • Bagot Rd - Nightcliff PoolCycling route
  • Bougainvilia St - Nightcliff PoolCycling route
  • Dick Ward Dr - Nightcliff PoolCycling route
  • Dick Ward Dr - Rapid Creek BridgeCycling route
  • Dick Ward Drive Shared PathCycling route
  • Foreshore PathCycling route
  • Nightcliff Cut-ThroughCycling route
  • Progress Drive Shared PathCycling route
  • Ryland Road LoopCycling route
  • Sunset Park - Kite Surfers PtCycling route
  • Drinking water (5)
  • Filtered WaterDrinking water
  • Fitness station (2)
  • FitnessWorks NightcliffGym

    71D Progress Drive, Nightcliff

  • Alf Blaser ParkPark
  • Grevillea ParkPark
  • Kurrajong ParkPark
  • Park (2)
  • Sunset ParkPark
  • Topsy Secretary Juwaning ParkPark
  • Picnic area
  • Picnic Table & BBQPicnic area
  • Playground (2)
  • Public toilets
  • Nightcliff Aquatic CentreSports centre

    259 Casuarina Drive, Nightcliff

  • Sports field
  • Nightcliff Swimming PoolSwimming pool
  • Swimming pool (14)
Entertainment(1)
  • Viewpoint
Transport(10)

10 bus stops

Other(11)
  • Bench (3)
  • Exercise EquipmentBench
  • Bicycle Parking (5)
  • Able Computer SupportComputer

    Unit 4 60 Aralia Street, Nightcliff

  • Garden (15)
  • Kaotique Hair StudioHairdresser

    Unit 2 60 Aralia Street, Nightcliff

  • Parking (31)
  • Picnic Table (22)
  • Nightcliff Police StationPolice
  • Nightcliff Police StationPolice

    53 Progress Drive, Nightcliff

  • BBQShelter

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

Sporting clubs

1 named sporting club in this suburb

  • Nightcliff Sports Club

    +61 2 8985 3121

Named sporting clubs from OpenStreetMap, assigned to this suburb's boundary. Sporting facilities such as ovals, courts and recreation centres are listed under Amenities.

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap sporting clubs — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Geofabrik australia-latest.osm.pbf

Parks & reserves

5 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Alf Blaser ParkPark
  • Grevillea ParkPark
  • Kurrajong ParkPark
  • Topsy Secretary Juwaning ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
2.6%
Woodland / forest cover
1.1%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
34
Parks (OSM)
8
Typical summer maximum
31°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

Nearest hospital
Darwin Private Hospital (4.6 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0

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

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
81
Participants per 1,000 residents
18.7

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
31° / 25°
Rainfall
1,010 mm · ~90 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
31° / 24°
Rainfall
491 mm · ~61 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
30° / 20°
Rainfall
8 mm · ~1 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
32° / 24°
Rainfall
171 mm · ~21 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
Solomon
Member of Parliament
Luke John GOSLING (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
78,702
Turnout (2025)
79.3%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
-7.1 pp toward Coalition

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 48.7%Labor 51.3%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 5.6 km away).

Coalition 35.8%Labor 64.2%

12.9 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: -4.2 pp toward Coalition

Nearest polling places

  • Rapid CreekLabor 67.2% · Coalition 32.8% TPP (2025)0.8 km away
  • MillnerLabor 58.8% · Coalition 41.2% TPP (2025)1.6 km away
  • NakaraLabor 60.1% · Coalition 39.9% TPP (2025)3.5 km away
  • MoilLabor 52.5% · Coalition 47.5% TPP (2025)3.6 km away
  • WanguriLabor 55.1% · Coalition 44.9% TPP (2025)4.6 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)
9/10
IRSD decile (2021)
8/10

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 Darwin Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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