NT · Central Desert Council

Yuendumu, 0872

Est. population · Jun 2025

837

Growth (1 yr)

+0.5%

Growth (5 yr)

-3.2%

Median age

28

Median income

$1,322/wk

Employment rate

25.8%

Languages at home

86.6%non-English

Most common: Australian Indigenous languages

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

25.5/100
Below average

101st in NT

Verified 48% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Education hub
  • High desirability
What Yuendumu is known for: Education hub, High desirability

Suburb profile

In Central Desert Council, Yuendumu keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. A younger crowd gives the area energy, with family life visible on every street. Most local households sit in a multicultural mix, with overseas-born residents and languages other than English common at home.

The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting. Local green pockets are modest, with bigger outdoor outings usually found in neighbouring areas. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here than in denser, more walkable pockets.

Purchase and rent costs sit on the more affordable side of the local range. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.

Versus similar regional towns, the suburb reads below average on desirability, chiefly because community and employment, plus schools and education trail behind.

At a glance

Yuendumu snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

837

+0.5% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

21.7%

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

#23

among Country & regional · Established

Pop. growth

35th

percentile in NT

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
25.5/100 — Below average
National rank
6227th in Australia
State rank
101st in NT
Peer rank
#23 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#42 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
48%

Data sources & freshness

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

Population

Estimated resident population

837(June 2025)

+0.5% annual · -3.2% over 5 years · 35th percentile in NT

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.5%
5-year growth
-3.2%
Change in 1 year
+4
Change in 5 years
-28
Growth rank in NT
35th 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 (~800), extrapolated at -0.9% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
740
Median age
28
Median household income / week
$1,322
Dwelling vacancy
21.7%
Unoccupied private dwellings
44 of 203
Median monthly mortgage
$173
Employment rate
25.8%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
152 / 0 / 3

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

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
1
Median school ICSEA
632
Median ICSEA percentile
0th
School list
  • Yuendumu SchoolCombined · Government · ICSEA 632 · 0th percentile · LBOTE 97% · 157 students · Top SEA quarter 0% · 0.4 km awayView on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

13 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

1 supermarkets · 1 swimming pools · 1 petrol stations

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
Walkability proxy
25/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Shopping(1)
  • Yuendumu StoreSupermarket
Community(5)
  • Adult EducationCommunity centre
  • Womans CentreCommunity centre
  • Youth CentreCommunity centre
  • Yuendumu SchoolSchool
  • Council OfficeTownhall
Health & services(1)
  • Yuendumu Health CentreClinic
Sport & outdoors(2)
  • Sports field
  • Swimming pool
Entertainment(1)
  • Mens MuseumMuseum
Other(3)
  • Gallery
  • Petrol station
  • Yuendumu Police StationPolice

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

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
2
Nearest hospital
Alice Springs Hospital (267.5 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
On site
  • Yuendumu Health CentreClinic
  • Yuendumu Health CentreClinic

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
14
Participants per 1,000 residents
16.7

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
36° / 23°
Rainfall
187 mm · ~23 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
30° / 16°
Rainfall
86 mm · ~11 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
23° / 8°
Rainfall
28 mm · ~4 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
33° / 17°
Rainfall
64 mm · ~8 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 866.4 km away).

Coalition 45.3%Labor 54.7%

3.4 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +7.0 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • LarapintaLabor 57.3% · Coalition 42.7% TPP (2025)263.2 km away
  • BraitlingLabor 53.2% · Coalition 46.8% TPP (2025)264.6 km away
  • GillenLabor 54.8% · Coalition 45.2% TPP (2025)266.8 km away
  • Alice SpringsLabor 64.0% · Coalition 36.0% TPP (2025)267.5 km away
  • IlparpaLabor 36.2% · Coalition 63.8% TPP (2025)268.3 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 (5%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)

Data sources & freshness

More in Central Desert Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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