suburb.guide

NT · Darwin Council

The Gardens, 0820

Est. population · Jun 2025

806

Growth (1 yr)

+1.8%

Growth (5 yr)

+7.0%

Median age

36

Median income

$2,156/wk

Employment rate

65.7%

University qualified

38.7%

Work from home

6.7%

Languages at home

25.5%non-English

Most common: Nepali, Australian Indigenous languages, Mandarin

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

58.8/100
Good

Top 3% of Northern Territory's suburbs

Verified 90% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Beach
  • Education hub
  • Arts precinct
  • Green suburb
  • Markets
What The Gardens is known for: Beach, Education hub, Arts precinct, Green suburb, Markets

Using this data? Cite or embed. Publishers

Suburb snapshot infographic

Download PNG
The Gardens, NT suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

Embed this snapshot

The image links to the canonical suburb page. Copy the HTML as-is.

The Gardens, NT suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

Cite this suburb snapshot

Suburb Guide, “The Gardens, NT Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/nt/the-gardens-nt

No registration is required. Please keep the link to the suburb page.

Suburb profile

The Gardens is an inner metropolitan suburb of Darwin, in Darwin Council. It is primarily residential, without a particularly distinct commercial centre or landmark identity.

Dining and café access is an exceptional strength, well above typical levels for inner metropolitan suburbs. Open-space access is better than in most comparable places. Green cover is an exceptional strength, and working from home is a very strong feature of the suburb, with working from home 52% above the peer median, and university qualifications are more common than in comparable places, with university qualifications 31% above the peer median. Getting around on foot is harder than in comparable places.

The Gardens's appeal is better explained by housing, access and location than by a strong standalone precinct or destination.

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

Inner metropolitan suburb · compared with inner metropolitan suburbs in Northern Territory (13)

Strengths

  • Green cover is a relative strength
  • Working from home is a relative strength
  • Open-space access is better than in most comparable places
  • Dining and café access is a relative strength
  • University qualifications are more common than in comparable places

Weaknesses

  • Getting around on foot is harder than in comparable places

What stands out

  • The Gardens Beach
  • Mindil Beach
  • Overseas-born and multilingual community

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How The Gardens compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent (Census)

$388/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

806

+1.8% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

13.5%

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 Metro Darwin · Emerging

Pop. growth

79th

percentile in NT

Rented dwellings

64%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

9/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

70th

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
58.8/100 — Good
State standing
Top 3% of Northern Territory's suburbs
National rank
640th in Australia
State rank
4th in NT
Peer rank
#2 among Metro Darwin · Emerging suburbs
Cohort rank
#4 among Metro Darwin suburbs
Data confidence
90%

Data sources & freshness

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

Population

Estimated resident population

806(June 2025)

+1.8% annual · +7.0% over 5 years · 79th percentile in NT

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.8%
5-year growth
+7.0%
Change in 1 year
+14
Change in 5 years
+53
Growth rank in NT
79th 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 (~850), extrapolated at +1.0% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

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
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$388
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
13.6% / 22.6% / 63.8%
Employment rate
65.7%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
6.7% / 1.7% / 72.1%
Walked or cycled to work
12.2%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
6 / 209 / 69

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

38.7% of adults have a university degree, compared with 21.4% across Northern Territory. 12.9% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified38.7% · 21.4% NT
  • Diploma qualified11.2% · 7.5% NT
  • Trade / vocational12.9% · 16.1% NT
  • Year 12 or below37.2% · 55% NT

Highest qualification field

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

  • Management and commerce24%
  • Society and culture16.7%
  • Engineering and related technologies14.3%
  • Health13.8%
  • Education6.2%
  • Creative arts5.5%
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)
$73,477

71st percentile in NT · +25% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$75,456

71st percentile in NT · +16% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
18.0%

77th percentile in NT · +30% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$55,705

62nd percentile in NT · -12% vs Australia

Residents with business income
10.0%

77th percentile in NT · -4% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 0820 — 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
14,511
Taxpayers reporting net rent
2,614
Median net rent
-$1,136
Taxpayers reporting business income
1,465
Taxable income vs state median
+9%
Salary / wages vs state median
+6%
Rental investment vs state median
+29%
Super vs state median
+4%
Business income vs state median
+43%

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

25.5% speak a language other than English at home; 31.8% born overseas

Language at home
478 English only · 164 other
Non-English at home
25.5%
Born overseas
206 (31.8%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
60 (8.3%)
Australian citizens
525
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
10

Top languages other than English

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

  • Nepali14 · 20.9%
  • Australian Indigenous languages12 · 17.9%
  • Mandarin8 · 11.9%
  • Sinhalese8 · 11.9%
  • Greek6 · 9%
  • Portuguese5 · 7.5%
  • French4 · 6%
  • Spanish4 · 6%

Religion

49.3%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 49.3%, while Christianity accounts for 31.7%.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion49.3%38.1%
Christianity31.7%40.5%
Hinduism3.6%2.7%
Buddhism3.7%2.1%
Other / not stated11.7%16.7%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic18.5%16.9%
Anglican5.8%6%

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
50.9th (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
7
Median school ICSEA (7 schools)
1,054
Median ICSEA percentile
70th
School list
  • St John's Catholic CollegeSecondary · Catholic · ICSEA 957 · 28th percentile · LBOTE 59% · 287 students · Top SEA quarter 18% · 0.6 km awayView on My School →
  • Northern Territory School of Distance EducationSecondary · Government · ICSEA 837 · 4th percentile · LBOTE 59% · 252 students · Top SEA quarter 8% · 0.7 km awayView on My School →
  • Darwin High SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1050 · 68th percentile · LBOTE 51% · 1,286 students · Top SEA quarter 28% · 0.8 km awayView on My School →
  • Darwin Middle SchoolSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1065 · 74th percentile · LBOTE 57% · 663 students · Top SEA quarter 35% · 0.8 km awayView on My School →
  • Stuart Park Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1054 · 70th percentile · LBOTE 39% · 492 students · Top SEA quarter 27% · 1.2 km awayView on My School →
  • Larrakeyah Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1086 · 80th percentile · LBOTE 65% · 480 students · Top SEA quarter 36% · 1.5 km awayView on My School →
  • St Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1076 · 77th percentile · LBOTE 54% · 180 students · Top SEA quarter 34% · 1.6 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

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 (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

227 mapped amenities

2 restaurants · 2 cafes · 3 playgrounds · 1 swimming pools · 2 beaches

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life — 6 parks mapped in suburb, 3 playgrounds nearby
Walkability proxy
19/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
2.75
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
5.51
Parks per 1,000 residents
8.26
Food & drink(4)
  • Eva’s CaféCafe
  • Saltwater @ BundillaCafe

    19 Conacher Street

  • CanteenRestaurant
  • il Piatto RestaurantRestaurant
Shopping(1)
  • Mindil Beach Sunset MarketMarketplace
Community(1)
  • Darwin Middle SchoolSchool

    Atkins Drive, The Gardens

Sport & outdoors(47)
  • BBQ (2)
  • Beach
  • Mindil BeachBeach
  • Botanic Gardens AccessCycling route
  • Botanic Gardens LoopCycling route
  • Cullen Bay RouteCycling route
  • Daly Street Shared PathsCycling route
  • East Point Road Shared PathCycling route
  • Fairweather WalkCycling route
  • Gardens Rd - Geranium StCycling route
  • Gardens Road Shared PathCycling route
  • Gilruth Ave - Armidale StCycling route
  • Gilruth Avenue Shared PathCycling route
  • Lambell Tce - Daly StCycling route
  • Larrakia Coastal PathCycling route
  • Mindil Beach AccessCycling route
  • North Australia Rail TrailCycling route
  • PackardCycling route
  • Smith StreetCycling route
  • Stuart Highway Shared PathCycling route
  • Stuart Park ShopsCycling route
  • The Gardens - Tiger Brennan DrCycling route
  • Drinking water (9)
  • George Brown Darwin Botanic GardensNature reserve
  • Gardens ParkPark
  • Gilruth EscarpmentPark
  • Mindil Beach ParkPark
  • Park (3)
  • Playground (2)
  • Tree HousePlayground
  • Public toilets
  • Gardens OvalSports field
  • Sports field
  • Swimming pool
  • Nurses Walk StairsWalking trail
Places to stay(1)
  • Mindil Beach Casino & ResortHotel
Entertainment(7)
  • Museum
  • Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern TerritoryMuseum

    19 Conacher Street

  • Theatre
  • Theatre

    21 Geranium Street, The Gardens

  • Cycad Garden LookoutViewpoint
  • Viewpoint (2)
Transport(6)

6 bus stops

Other(43)
  • Artwork
  • Bench (5)
  • Bicycle Parking (5)
  • Mindil Beach Casino & ResortCasino
  • Sky City CasinoCasino
  • Darwin High SchoolCollege

    Bullocky Point, The Gardens

  • St John's College Chevalier CampusCollege
  • Fountain
  • Boab GardenGarden
  • Borassus LawnGarden
  • Brownies ToadstoolGarden
  • Central GreenGarden
  • Coconut LawnGarden
  • Cycad GardenGarden
  • Darwin AmphitheatreGarden
  • Desert RoseGarden
  • Dragon CourtyardGarden
  • Food GardenGarden
  • Garden (57)
  • Heritage LawnGarden
  • PlaygroundGarden
  • Rainforest LoopGarden
  • Secret Moonlight GardenGarden
  • Sensory GardenGarden
  • Shade GardenGarden
  • Tiwi Wet ForestGarden
  • WaterfallGarden
  • WoodlandGarden
  • Gift ShopGift
  • Information (6)
  • Visitor CentreInformation
  • Lakeside Mini GolfMiniature Golf
  • BenchOutdoor Seating
  • InfinityOutdoor Seating
  • Outdoor Seating
  • Parking (33)
  • Staff and StudentsParking
  • VisitorsParking
  • Parking Space (8)
  • Picnic Table (10)
  • Shelter
  • Shower
  • Crocodile DarwinYes

    Maria Livers Drive

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

3 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Gardens ParkPark
  • Gilruth EscarpmentPark
  • Mindil Beach ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
34.2%
Woodland / forest cover
26.2%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
178
Parks (OSM)
6
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 (11.1 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)
8
Participants per 1,000 residents
9.9

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 9.4 km away).

Coalition 45.3%Labor 54.7%

3.4 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: -6.5 pp toward Coalition

Nearest polling places

  • Stuart ParkLabor 52.2% · Coalition 47.8% TPP (2025)1.2 km away
  • DarwinLabor 56.0% · Coalition 44.0% TPP (2025)1.9 km away
  • ParapLabor 58.2% · Coalition 41.8% TPP (2025)2.1 km away
  • LudmillaLabor 56.8% · Coalition 43.2% TPP (2025)3.2 km away
  • MillnerLabor 58.8% · Coalition 41.2% TPP (2025)6.6 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)
7/10

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.