NT · East Arnhem Council

Yirrkala, 0880

Est. population · Jun 2025

541

Growth (1 yr)

+0.4%

Growth (5 yr)

-0.2%

Median age

32

Median income

$1,679/wk

Employment rate

35.6%

University qualified

11%

Work from home

5%

Languages at home

87.2%non-English

Most common: Australian Indigenous languages

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

41.6/100
Average

Top 28% of Northern Territory's suburbs

Verified 73% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • Regional centre
What Yirrkala is known for: Green suburb, Regional centre

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Yirrkala, NT suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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

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Suburb profile

Yirrkala is a major regional centre in the Northern Territory, in East Arnhem Council. It is close to the Gove Peninsula.

Walkability is an exceptional strength. Park access is an exceptional strength. Working from home is more common than in comparable places, with working from home 56% above the peer median. The main trade-offs are lower school ICSEA scores and thinner local amenities, with local amenities 57% below the peer median.

Overall, the suburb suits people prioritising open space and walkability over school quality.

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

Major regional centre · compared with major regional centres in Northern Territory (33)

Strengths

  • Park access is a relative strength
  • Working from home is more common than in comparable places
  • Walkability is a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • Local school ICSEA scores sit below those of comparable places
  • Everyday shops and services are sparse

What stands out

  • Large Aboriginal community with Indigenous languages spoken at home
  • Gove Peninsula

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • StudentsInsufficient data
  • Budget buyersInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How Yirrkala compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent (Census)

$83/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

541

+0.4% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

17.7%

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

#6

among Country & regional · Established

Pop. growth

32nd

percentile in NT

Rented dwellings

98%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

1/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

0th

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
41.6/100 — Average
State standing
Top 28% of Northern Territory's suburbs
National rank
4003rd in Australia
State rank
45th in NT
Peer rank
#6 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#7 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
73%

Data sources & freshness

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

Population

Estimated resident population

541(June 2025)

+0.4% annual · -0.2% over 5 years · 32th percentile in NT

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.4%
5-year growth
-0.2%
Change in 1 year
+2
Change in 5 years
-1
Growth rank in NT
32th 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 (~550), extrapolated at -0.4% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
657
Median age
32
Median household income / week
$1,679
Dwelling vacancy
17.7%
Unoccupied private dwellings
29 of 164
Median monthly mortgage
$0
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$83
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
2.5% / 0% / 97.5%
Employment rate
35.6%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
5% / 5% / 47%
Walked or cycled to work
35.4%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
134 / 3 / 0

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

11% of adults have a university degree, compared with 21.4% across Northern Territory. 7.9% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified11% · 21.4% NT
  • Diploma qualified3.1% · 7.5% NT
  • Trade / vocational7.9% · 16.1% NT
  • Year 12 or below77.9% · 55% NT

Highest qualification field

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

  • Society and culture24.7%
  • Education22%
  • Agriculture and environment12%
  • Engineering and related technologies12%
  • Health11.3%
  • Creative arts6%
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)
$64,859

41st percentile in NT · +10% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$66,568

29th percentile in NT · +2% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
23.0%

94th percentile in NT · +67% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$37,772

35th percentile in NT · -40% vs Australia

Residents with business income
5.0%

29th percentile in NT · -52% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 0880 — 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
1,859
Taxpayers reporting net rent
427
Median net rent
-$1,428
Taxpayers reporting business income
92
Taxable income vs state median
-4%
Salary / wages vs state median
-7%
Rental investment vs state median
+64%
Super vs state median
-30%
Business income vs state median
-29%

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

87.2% speak a language other than English at home; 4.4% born overseas

Language at home
80 English only · 547 other
Non-English at home
87.2%
Born overseas
28 (4.4%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
524 (79.8%)
Australian citizens
617
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
1

Top languages other than English

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

  • Australian Indigenous languages241 · 100%

Religion

29.2%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 29.2%, while 18% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion18%38.1%
Christianity29.2%40.5%
Other / not stated52.8%21.5%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Uniting Church12.3%3.7%
Christian (not further defined)9.3%3.2%
Other Protestant3%0.9%

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.

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
2
Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
631.5
Median ICSEA percentile
0th
School list
  • Laynhapuy Homelands SchoolCombined · Government · ICSEA 639 · 0th percentile · LBOTE 100% · 120 students · Top SEA quarter 0% · 0.7 km awayView on My School →
  • Yirrkala SchoolCombined · Government · ICSEA 624 · 0th percentile · LBOTE 100% · 132 students · Top SEA quarter 0% · 1.2 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Childcare

2 childcare services from OpenStreetMap

  • Child Care Centrechildcare
  • kindergartenkindergarten

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Childcare centres per 1,000 residents

Data sources & freshness

  • Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · current · Updated

Amenities

22 mapped amenities

1 supermarkets · 1 places of worship · 1 sports centres

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Great for outdoor family life — 3 parks mapped in suburb
Walkability proxy
25/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
4.57
Shopping(1)
  • IGASupermarket
Community(6)
  • Child Care CentreChildcare
  • Kindergarten
  • Laynhapuy Homelands SchoolSchool
  • Yirrkala SchoolSchool
  • Shire OfficeTownhall
  • Townhall
Health & services(1)
  • Yirrkala Health CentreClinic
Sport & outdoors(7)
  • Dhimurru Indigenous Protected Area sea countryNature reserve
  • Marika ParkPark
  • Park
  • Rika ParkPark
  • Sports centre
  • Sports field
  • Yirrkala Football GroundSports field
Other(7)
  • Dressing Room
  • Fire station
  • Yirrkala Volunteer Fire BrigadeFire station

    Tuffin Road, Yirrkala

  • Yirrkala GalleryGallery
  • Parking
  • Yirrkala Boat RampParking
  • Place of worship

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

2 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Marika ParkPark
  • Rika ParkPark

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
1.2%
Woodland / forest cover
0.8%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
6
Parks (OSM)
3
Typical summer maximum
32°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

Places of worship

1 places of worship within ~1.5 km

  • Place of worship

From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
2
Nearest hospital
Gove District Hospital (13.4 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
Not in suburb
GP clinics in suburb
2
GPs tagged bulk billing (OSM)
0 of 2
Aged-care services
1

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

  • Yirrkala Health CentreClinic
  • Yirrkala Health CentreClinic
Aged-care services
  • Laynhapuy Homelands Aged CareYIRRKALAHome Care

Australian Government–subsidised services from the AIHW GEN list (30 June 2025), assigned to this suburb by location.

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
17
Participants per 1,000 residents
31.4

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
32° / 25°
Rainfall
674 mm · ~84 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
31° / 24°
Rainfall
547 mm · ~68 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
28° / 22°
Rainfall
33 mm · ~4 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
31° / 23°
Rainfall
45 mm · ~6 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
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 634.6 km away).

Coalition 57.4%Labor 42.6%

15.5 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +0.2 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • TindalLabor 49.4% · Coalition 50.6% TPP (2025)546.0 km away
  • Katherine EastLabor 48.5% · Coalition 51.5% TPP (2025)553.6 km away
  • Katherine NorthLabor 50.0% · Coalition 50.0% TPP (2025)555.4 km away
  • Katherine SouthLabor 43.2% · Coalition 56.8% TPP (2025)558.3 km away
  • Humpty DooLabor 37.6% · Coalition 62.4% TPP (2025)628.3 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)
1/10
IRSD decile (2021)
1/10

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 East Arnhem Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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