NT · Wagait Council

Wagait Beach, 0822

Est. population · Jun 2025

485

Growth (1 yr)

+1.7%

Growth (5 yr)

+3.6%

Median age

52

Median income

$1,355/wk

Employment rate

51.5%

Languages at home

7.8%non-English

Most common: Australian Indigenous languages

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

35.4/100
Below average

Top 41% of Northern Territory's suburbs

Verified 45% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Coastal
  • Green suburb
  • High desirability
What Wagait Beach is known for: Coastal, Green suburb, High desirability

Suburb profile

Life in Wagait Beach revolves around the coast at a genuine remove from Darwin. An older demographic makes it especially popular with retirees, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. Neighbourhood food and coffee spots add warmth to the local routine.

Everyday basics may be close by, but bigger shopping and services typically require a trip to a nearby centre. Local parks and tree cover add a welcome outdoor dimension to suburban life. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here than in denser, more walkable pockets.

Property prices are middling for the area: fair relative to what is nearby. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.

Desirability sits below average overall, with safety, plus community and employment the main drag compared with similar coastal suburbs. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Wagait Beach snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

485

+1.7% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

33.6%

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

#1

among Coastal & beach · Mature

Pop. growth

77th

percentile in NT

Advantage (IRSAD)

5/10

national SEIFA decile

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
35.4/100 — Below average
State standing
Top 41% of Northern Territory's suburbs
National rank
4620th in Australia
State rank
65th in NT
Peer rank
#1 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#2 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Data confidence
45%

Data sources & freshness

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

Population

Estimated resident population

485(June 2025)

+1.7% annual · +3.6% over 5 years · 77th percentile in NT

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.7%
5-year growth
+3.6%
Change in 1 year
+8
Change in 5 years
+17
Growth rank in NT
77th 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 (~500), extrapolated at +0.1% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
422
Median age
52
Median household income / week
$1,355
Dwelling vacancy
33.6%
Unoccupied private dwellings
89 of 265
Median monthly mortgage
$1,597
Employment rate
51.5%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
171 / 0 / 0 (+ 6 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

Amenities

12 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

1 restaurants · 1 bars · 1 libraries · 1 playgrounds · 1 swimming pools · 1 petrol stations

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Decent local green space0 parks in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
Walkability proxy
4/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
4.74
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink(2)
  • Cox Country ClubBar

    76 Cox Drive, Wagait Beach

  • Cox Country ClubRestaurant

    76 Cox Drive, Wagait Beach

Shopping(1)
  • Wagait Beach SupermarketConvenience store

    Wagait Tower Road

Community(2)
  • Wagait Beach LibraryLibrary
  • Wagait Shire CouncilTownhall

    Wagait Tower Road

Sport & outdoors(3)
  • Playground
  • Sports field
  • Swimming pool
Other(4)
  • Wagait Beach SupermarketPetrol station
  • Australia PostPost Box
  • Public toilets
  • Shelter

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually.

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)
7
Parks (OSM)
0

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

Nearest hospital
Darwin Private Hospital (17.2 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
10
Participants per 1,000 residents
20.6

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 (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 279.9 km away).

Coalition 42.9%Labor 57.1%

1.0 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +3.3 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • Wagait BeachLabor 57.1% · Coalition 42.9% TPP (2025)0.4 km away
  • Howard SpringsLabor 37.1% · Coalition 62.9% TPP (2025)33.2 km away
  • CoolalingaLabor 35.3% · Coalition 64.7% TPP (2025)33.4 km away
  • Bees CreekLabor 33.8% · Coalition 66.2% TPP (2025)35.4 km away
  • Berry SpringsLabor 36.1% · Coalition 63.9% TPP (2025)40.6 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)
5/10
IRSD decile (2021)
4/10

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

This suburb ranks highly for

More in Wagait Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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