NT · Darwin Council
The Gardens, 0820
Current weather
25.9°CClear sky
81% humidity · 10.5 km/h wind · 28.8° / 23.2° today · 1.3 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- Cycling
- High desirability
Suburb profile
The Gardens is a well-connected smaller community in Darwin with everyday amenities close at hand. Distance from the capital is noticeable, but the trade-off is space, calm and a community that knows its neighbours. Tree-lined streets and leafy pockets give the suburb a noticeably green, settled character.
Residents are mostly families and working professionals, with plenty of young families in the mix. Local shops and services cover the basics well, with more choice a short trip into neighbouring suburbs. Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls.
Housing carries a premium, but residents tend to feel the lifestyle justifies the commitment. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
The desirability score is around average, weighed down by weaker housing affordability and local dining and lifestyle amenities against similar metro suburbs, even with parks and green space and community and employment holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 726
- Median age
- 36
- Median household income / week
- $2,156
- Dwelling vacancy
- 13.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 45 of 333
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Employment rate
- 65.7%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 26 / 209 / 69
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
- 3,013
- Against the person
- 1,009
- Against property
- 2,004
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 4,150.1
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 1 residents
- State safety percentile
- 76.5th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -31.9%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- 021 Serious Assault610
- 023 Common Assault150
- 061 Burglary - Dwelling (House Break-Ins), Actual129
- 07* Other Theft961
- 11 Property Damage Offences756
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- NT Police crime statistics (reporting region / SA2) — Northern Territory Police · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Jul 2026; Jan 2026 to Jul 2026 · Updated on site · Monthly CSV; regional totals where suburb-level data unavailable
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 4
- Median school ICSEA (4 schools)
- 1,003.5
- Darwin High SchoolSecondary
- Darwin Middle SchoolSecondary
- Northern Territory School of Distance EducationSecondary
- St John's Catholic CollegeSecondary
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Public transport
7 public transport stops in this suburb
- Darwin High School
- Gilruth Ave at Casino
- Gilruth Ave at Gardens Oval
- Gilruth Ave at Mindil Beach
- Gilruth Ave opp Casino
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
Amenities
73 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bbq (2)
- Bench (5)
- Bicycle Parking (5)
- Arts Museum (828)Bus stop
- Gardens Oval (236)Bus stop
- Gilruth Avenue / Casino (076)Bus stop
- Gilruth Avenue/Casino (237)Bus stop
- Hasting on Mindil (235)Bus stop
- opp Gardens Oval (077)Bus stop
- Saltwater @ BundillaCafe
19 Conacher Street
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
3 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Gardens ParkPark
- Gilruth EscarpmentPark
- Mindil Beach ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 9/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 7/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 177
- Parks (OSM)
- 6
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
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 45.1/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 21% of Northern Territory's suburbs
- National rank
- 2614th in Australia
- State rank
- 33rd in NT
- Peer rank
- #26 among Metro Darwin · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #27 among Metro Darwin suburbs
- Data confidence
- 74%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Arts Museum (828)amenitiesbus_stop
- Bbqamenitiesbbq
- Bbqamenitiesbbq
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesoutdoor_seating
- Bicycle Parkingamenitiesbicycle_parking
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
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.