NT · Darwin Council

Rapid Creek, 0810

Est. population · Jun 2025

3,578

Growth (1 yr)

+0.9%

Growth (5 yr)

+2.5%

Median age

35

Median income

$2,208/wk

Employment rate

72.9%

University qualified

49.3%

Work from home

5.6%

Languages at home

29.3%non-English

Most common: Nepali, Gujarati, Punjabi

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

49.5/100
Average

Top 13% of Northern Territory's suburbs

Verified 90% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Beach
What Rapid Creek is known for: Beach

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Rapid Creek, NT suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Rapid Creek, NT Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/nt/rapid-creek

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Suburb profile

Rapid Creek is a mixed commercial-residential suburb of Darwin, in Darwin Council, with mainly dense residential and commercial development. The Darwin Harbour is part of the surrounding geography.

School access is strong, with school access 14% above the peer median. Working from home is a strong feature of the suburb, with working from home 32% above the peer median, and university qualifications are more common than in comparable places, with university qualifications 21% above the peer median. The clearer weaknesses are thinner dining and café options and limited walkability.

Rapid Creek is a better fit for people who value school access and university qualifications more than getting around without a car.

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

  • Working from home is a relative strength
  • School access is strong
  • University qualifications are more common than in comparable places

Weaknesses

  • Dining and cafés are a relative weakness
  • Getting around on foot is harder than in comparable places

What stands out

  • Rapid Creek Beach
  • Overseas-born and multilingual community
  • Darwin Harbour

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How Rapid Creek 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)

3,578

+0.9% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

9.8%

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

#8

among Metro Darwin · Established

Pop. growth

50th

percentile in NT

Rented dwellings

57%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

9/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

49th

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
49.5/100 — Average
State standing
Top 13% of Northern Territory's suburbs
National rank
2101st in Australia
State rank
21st in NT
Peer rank
#8 among Metro Darwin · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#17 among Metro Darwin suburbs
Data confidence
90%

Data sources & freshness

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

Population

Estimated resident population

3,578(June 2025)

+0.9% annual · +2.5% over 5 years · 50th percentile in NT

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.9%
5-year growth
+2.5%
Change in 1 year
+32
Change in 5 years
+89
Growth rank in NT
50th 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 (~3,600), extrapolated at +0.2% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
3,261
Median age
35
Median household income / week
$2,208
Dwelling vacancy
9.8%
Unoccupied private dwellings
142 of 1,447
Median monthly mortgage
$1,956
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$350
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
19.1% / 24.3% / 56.6%
Employment rate
72.9%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
5.6% / 3.6% / 72.5%
Walked or cycled to work
7.5%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
540 / 19 / 746

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

49.3% of adults have a university degree, compared with 21.4% across Northern Territory. 11.1% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified49.3% · 21.4% NT
  • Diploma qualified7.8% · 7.5% NT
  • Trade / vocational11.1% · 16.1% NT
  • Year 12 or below31.7% · 55% NT

Highest qualification field

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

  • Management and commerce19%
  • Health18.6%
  • Society and culture17%
  • Education12.6%
  • Engineering and related technologies11.2%
  • Natural and physical sciences4.8%
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

29.3% speak a language other than English at home; 34.4% born overseas

Language at home
2,200 English only · 913 other
Non-English at home
29.3%
Born overseas
1,074 (34.4%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
202 (6.2%)
Australian citizens
2,446
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
29

Top languages other than English

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

  • Nepali62 · 14.7%
  • Gujarati49 · 11.6%
  • Punjabi34 · 8%
  • Urdu31 · 7.3%
  • Greek30 · 7.1%
  • Indonesian25 · 5.9%
  • Bengali22 · 5.2%
  • Hindi22 · 5.2%

Religion

47.9%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 47.9%, while Christianity accounts for 27.3%. Hinduism is more prevalent locally than across the state.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion47.9%38.1%
Christianity27.3%40.5%
Hinduism8.5%2.7%
Islam3.9%1.4%
Buddhism2.3%2.1%
Other / not stated10.2%15.3%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic13.7%16.9%
Anglican4.7%6%
Uniting Church2.1%3.7%

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
49.1th (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
8
Median school ICSEA (8 schools)
1,004
Median ICSEA percentile
49th
School list
  • The Essington SchoolCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1128 · 91th percentile · LBOTE 40% · 782 students · Top SEA quarter 54% · 0.3 km awayView on My School →
  • St Paul's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1077 · 78th percentile · LBOTE 41% · 221 students · Top SEA quarter 40% · 0.7 km awayView on My School →
  • Nightcliff High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 986 · 40th percentile · LBOTE 51% · 409 students · Top SEA quarter 20% · 0.8 km awayView on My School →
  • Nightcliff Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1063 · 73th percentile · LBOTE 49% · 478 students · Top SEA quarter 36% · 1.0 km awayView on My School →
  • Millner Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 911 · 13th percentile · LBOTE 59% · 171 students · Top SEA quarter 10% · 1.1 km awayView on My School →
  • Nemarluk SchoolSpecial · Government · ICSEA 929 · 18th percentile · LBOTE 51% · 170 students · Top SEA quarter 13% · 1.7 km awayView on My School →
  • Jingili Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 997 · 46th percentile · LBOTE 24% · 235 students · Top SEA quarter 26% · 1.8 km awayView on My School →
  • Alawa Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1011 · 52th percentile · LBOTE 30% · 259 students · Top SEA quarter 24% · 2.0 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

15 public transport stops in this suburb

  • 100 Ryland Road
  • 122 Ryland Road
  • 144 Ryland Road
  • 82 Ryland Road
  • Ryland Rd after Nightcliff Rd

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

97 mapped amenities

1 restaurants · 1 cafes · 1 pubs · 1 playgrounds · 11 beaches

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Decent local green space — 2 parks in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
  • Reasonable bus and transport access — 15 public transport stops
Walkability proxy
29/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0.31
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0.92
Parks per 1,000 residents
0.61
Food & drink(3)
  • Central Darwin CafeCafe
  • The Beachfront HotelPub
  • Siam GatewayRestaurant
Community(3)
  • Nightcliff Middle SchoolSchool
  • St Paul’s Catholic Primary SchoolSchool
  • The Essington SchoolSchool

    22 Chapman Road, Rapid Creek

Sport & outdoors(43)
  • Beach (10)
  • Windsurfer's CornerBeach
  • Bagot Rd - Nightcliff PoolCycling route
  • Bagot Road Shared PathCycling route
  • Chapman RoadCycling route
  • Dick Ward Dr - Nightcliff PoolCycling route
  • Dick Ward Dr - Rapid Creek BridgeCycling route
  • Foreshore PathCycling route
  • Nightcliff Cut-ThroughCycling route
  • Rapid Creek MarketsCycling route
  • Rapid Creek Shared PathCycling route
  • Ryland Road LoopCycling route
  • Sunset Park - Kite Surfers PtCycling route
  • Trower Rd (N/W) Shared PathCycling route
  • Trower Rd (S/E)Cycling route
  • Drinking water (9)
  • Kite CornerPark
  • Park
  • BBQPicnic area
  • Picnic area
  • Picnic TablePicnic area
  • Playground
  • Public toilets
  • Cricket PitchSports field
  • Exercise EquipmentSports field
  • Sports field
Transport(14)

14 bus stops

Other(11)
  • Bench (2)
  • Bench; Exercise Equipment
  • Bicycle Parking (2)
  • Common
  • Exercise Equipment
  • Parking (18)
  • Parking Space
  • BBQShelter
  • Shelter (3)
  • Shower (2)
  • Water Point (2)

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

1 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Kite CornerPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
7.7%
Woodland / forest cover
7.5%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
35
Parks (OSM)
2
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 (3.5 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)
62
Participants per 1,000 residents
17.3

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 4.8 km away).

Coalition 37.2%Labor 62.8%

11.4 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: -5.2 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)1.1 km away
  • MoilLabor 52.5% · Coalition 47.5% TPP (2025)2.4 km away
  • NakaraLabor 60.1% · Coalition 39.9% TPP (2025)2.4 km away
  • WanguriLabor 55.1% · Coalition 44.9% TPP (2025)3.3 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

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.