QLD · Aurukun Council

Aurukun, 4892

Est. population · Jun 2025

1,165

Growth (1 yr)

+0.6%

Growth (5 yr)

-2.6%

Median age

29

Median income

$1,069/wk

Employment rate

18.2%

Languages at home

90%non-English

Most common: Australian Indigenous languages

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

18.4/100
Below average

1505th in QLD

Verified 71% confidence

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

Suburb profile

Aurukun is a quieter smaller community in Aurukun Council, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. The community skews younger, with a strong presence of young families throughout. A large share of residents were born overseas, and languages other than English are widely spoken at home.

Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name. 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.

Housing is more affordable than in many parts of the state. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.

The desirability picture is below average, weighed down by softer local dining and lifestyle amenities, plus community and employment relative to similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Aurukun snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

1,165

+0.6% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

27.1%

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

#248

among Country & regional · Established

Safety

99th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

30th

percentile in QLD

Advantage (IRSAD)

1/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

1st

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
18.4/100 — Below average
National rank
6794th in Australia
State rank
1505th in QLD
Peer rank
#248 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#972 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
71%

Data sources & freshness

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

Population

Estimated resident population

1,165(June 2025)

+0.6% annual · -2.6% over 5 years · 30th percentile in QLD

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.6%
5-year growth
-2.6%
Change in 1 year
+7
Change in 5 years
-31
Growth rank in QLD
30th 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 (~1,100), extrapolated at -1.3% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
1,101
Median age
29
Median household income / week
$1,069
Dwelling vacancy
27.1%
Unoccupied private dwellings
85 of 314
Median monthly mortgage
$0
Employment rate
18.2%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
215 / 8 / 5

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.

Crime & safety

Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2026 to Aug 2026)
341
Against the person
192
Against property
86
Rate per 1,000 residents
292.7
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 6 residents
State safety percentile
99.2th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-10.6%

Most common offence types

  • Assault760
  • Good Order Offences261
  • Liquor (Excl. Drunkenness)134
  • Other Property Damage243
  • Unlawful Entry140

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

  • QPS Online Crime MapQueensland Police Service · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Aug 2026; Jan 2026 to Aug 2026 · Updated · Calendar-year aggregates

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
1
Median school ICSEA
694
Median ICSEA percentile
1th
School list
  • Aurukun State SchoolCombined · Government · ICSEA 694 · 1th percentile · LBOTE 95% · 227 students · Top SEA quarter 2%View on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.

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)
3
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

Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
1
Nearest hospital
Weipa Hospital (107.8 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
Not in suburb
  • ClinicClinic

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
74
Participants per 1,000 residents
63.5

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° / 24°
Rainfall
934 mm · ~90 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
31° / 22°
Rainfall
371 mm · ~46 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
29° / 18°
Rainfall
7 mm · ~1 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
33° / 21°
Rainfall
99 mm · ~12 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
No overlay at centroid

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Bushfire hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Hazard planning overlaysState government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Leichhardt
Member of Parliament
Matt SMITH (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
122,757
Turnout (2025)
83.0%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+9.5 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 43.9%Labor 56.1%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 339.3 km away).

Coalition 36.3%Labor 63.7%

7.6 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +21.3 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • WeipaLabor 56.4% · Coalition 43.6% TPP (2025)109.7 km away
  • PormpuraawLabor 63.9% · Coalition 36.1% TPP (2025)145.0 km away
  • CoenLabor 60.8% · Coalition 39.2% TPP (2025)159.4 km away
  • Lockhart RiverLabor 60.2% · Coalition 39.8% TPP (2025)193.3 km away
  • KowanyamaLabor 77.9% · Coalition 22.1% TPP (2025)207.8 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

This suburb ranks highly for

Comparable suburbs

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