Alawa vs Rapid Creek

In Alawa, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. In Rapid Creek, most households rent and most homes are flats or apartments. Houses cost more in Rapid Creek: a median of $998,000, against $682,000 in Alawa. On these figures, Alawa tends to suit couples and buyers on a tighter budget, while Rapid Creek suits renters and people living alone.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Alawa

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more separate houses rather than flats (88% vs 41%)
  • has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
  • is already more of a family suburb (65% vs 48%)
  • But Rapid Creek has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 2)

Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Alawa

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($682,000 vs $997,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Rapid Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (57% vs 38%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Alawa

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (70/100 vs 54/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Alawa is more walkable (70/100 vs 54/100)
  • Rapid Creek has more units and townhouses to downsize into (59% vs 13%)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.

Investors

Alawa

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (5.1% vs 3.4%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Alawa and Rapid Creek drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Alawa Rapid Creek
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Alawa Rapid Creek
Walkability 70 / 54
Alawa — Walkability: 70/100 Rapid Creek — Walkability: 54/100

Demographics

Rapid Creek has more residents (3,261 vs 2,078).

Alawa Rapid Creek
Population 2,078 3,261
+57% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -2.3% -0.6%
Median age 35
same for both
Median household income $108,316/yr $114,816/yr
+6% vs other
Median weekly rent $340/wk $350/wk
+3% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Alawa Rapid Creek
0-4 7.4% / 6.1%
Alawa — 0-4: 7.4% Rapid Creek — 0-4: 6.1%
5-14 13.7% / 11.6%
Alawa — 5-14: 13.7% Rapid Creek — 5-14: 11.6%
15-19 4.7% / 4.0%
Alawa — 15-19: 4.7% Rapid Creek — 15-19: 4.0%
20-24 6.4% / 5.1%
Alawa — 20-24: 6.4% Rapid Creek — 20-24: 5.1%
25-34 17.3% / 23.1%
Alawa — 25-34: 17.3% Rapid Creek — 25-34: 23.1%
35-44 15.4% / 16.7%
Alawa — 35-44: 15.4% Rapid Creek — 35-44: 16.7%
45-54 12.3% / 12.6%
Alawa — 45-54: 12.3% Rapid Creek — 45-54: 12.6%
55-64 9.6% / 10.5%
Alawa — 55-64: 9.6% Rapid Creek — 55-64: 10.5%
65-74 8.6% / 7.1%
Alawa — 65-74: 8.6% Rapid Creek — 65-74: 7.1%
75-84 3.9% / 2.6%
Alawa — 75-84: 3.9% Rapid Creek — 75-84: 2.6%
85+ 0.5% / 0.6%
Alawa — 85+: 0.5% Rapid Creek — 85+: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.1%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Alawa 45.2% couple families
Alawa — Couple Families: 45.2% Alawa — Lone Person: 22.9% Alawa — One Parent Families: 20.2% Alawa — Group Household: 9.3% Alawa — Other Families: 2.3%
Rapid Creek 35.2% couple families
Rapid Creek — Couple Families: 35.2% Rapid Creek — Lone Person: 39.9% Rapid Creek — One Parent Families: 12.5% Rapid Creek — Group Household: 11.2% Rapid Creek — Other Families: 1.2%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Alawa 37.6% renting
Alawa — Owned Outright: 23.8% Alawa — Mortgage: 38.6% Alawa — Renting: 37.6%
Rapid Creek 56.6% renting
Rapid Creek — Owned Outright: 19.1% Rapid Creek — Mortgage: 24.3% Rapid Creek — Renting: 56.6%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Alawa Rapid Creek
Bachelor Degree 13.6% / 21.5%
Alawa — Bachelor Degree: 13.6% Rapid Creek — Bachelor Degree: 21.5%
Postgraduate Degree 7.6% / 14.7%
Alawa — Postgraduate Degree: 7.6% Rapid Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 14.7%
Certificate III & IV 11.0% / 9.2%
Alawa — Certificate III & IV: 11.0% Rapid Creek — Certificate III & IV: 9.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.8% / 6.4%
Alawa — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.8% Rapid Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.5% / 4.4%
Alawa — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.5% Rapid Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.5%).

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Alawa Rapid Creek
India 3.5% / 7.3%
Alawa — India: 3.5% Rapid Creek — India: 7.3%
Philippines 4.5% / 1.9%
Alawa — Philippines: 4.5% Rapid Creek — Philippines: 1.9%
Nepal 2.9% / 3.5%
Alawa — Nepal: 2.9% Rapid Creek — Nepal: 3.5%
England 1.9% / 3.4%
Alawa — England: 1.9% Rapid Creek — England: 3.4%
New Zealand 2.0% / 1.8%
Alawa — New Zealand: 2.0% Rapid Creek — New Zealand: 1.8%
Greece 2.6% / —
Alawa — Greece: 2.6% Rapid Creek — Greece: not among its largest
China 2.2% / —
Alawa — China: 2.2% Rapid Creek — China: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Alawa 87.5% houses
Alawa — Houses: 87.5% Alawa — Flats / Apartments: 10.2% Alawa — Townhouses: 2.4%
Rapid Creek 41.3% houses
Rapid Creek — Houses: 41.3% Rapid Creek — Flats / Apartments: 57.3% Rapid Creek — Townhouses: 1.5%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Property market

Alawa Rapid Creek
Median house price $682,000 $997,500
Median unit price $430,000 $447,500
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 22 days
from 10 sales
 18 days
from 13 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Alawa Rapid Creek
3 bed $650K / $818K
Alawa — 3 bed: $650K (26 sales) Rapid Creek — 3 bed: $818K (16 sales)

26 vs 16 sales

4 bed $794K / $1M
Alawa — 4 bed: $794K (16 sales) Rapid Creek — 4 bed: $1M (17 sales)

16 vs 17 sales

Development activity

Alawa Rapid Creek
New dwellings approved 171
across Darwin
same for both
Approvals change year on year +47%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Alawa Rapid Creek
Houses 5.1%
$700/wk on $720K
 3.4%
$680/wk on $1.04M
Units — 6.7%
$600/wk on $469K

Ranking within NT

Alawa Rapid Creek
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 70% of NT Higher than 76% of NT
Schools — Higher than 44% of NT
Walkability Higher than 94% of NT Higher than 85% of NT
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 83% of NT Higher than 88% of NT
NBN connectivity Higher than 82% of NT Higher than 81% of NT
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 42% of NT Higher than 4% of NT
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 42% of NT

Liveability

Alawa is more walkable (70 vs 54).

Alawa Rapid Creek
Grade B
same for both
Score 65/100 64/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Alawa Rapid Creek
Bushfire Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Crime Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 3
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Alawa Rapid Creek
Inside the suburb 2 4
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 2
Casuarina Campus, 1.2 km
 2
Casuarina Campus, 3.1 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.1% 1.2%

Schools in Alawa

  • Alawa Primary School Government · Primary above peers
  • Nemarluk School Government · Primary · Special school

Schools in Rapid Creek

  • St Paul's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Nightcliff Middle School Government · Secondary
  • The Essington School Independent · Combined
  • The Essington School - Senior Campus Independent · Secondary

Amenities in the suburb

Alawa Rapid Creek
Cafes & restaurants 0 2
Parks & reserves 1
same for both
Childcare 2 3
GPs 0 1
Beaches 0 1
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Alawa Rapid Creek
Walkability score 70/100 54/100
Distance to Darwin 12.5 km
+5% vs other
 11.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 18 min
same for both
Public transport score 92/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 45.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 37.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 0810
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 35
postcode 0810
same for both

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Alawa Rapid Creek
Car (driver) 76.5% / 74.9%
Alawa — Car (driver): 76.5% Rapid Creek — Car (driver): 74.9%
Car (passenger) 7.9% / 5.8%
Alawa — Car (passenger): 7.9% Rapid Creek — Car (passenger): 5.8%
Worked from Home 4.9% / 6.4%
Alawa — Worked from Home: 4.9% Rapid Creek — Worked from Home: 6.4%
Bicycle 3.5% / 6.0%
Alawa — Bicycle: 3.5% Rapid Creek — Bicycle: 6.0%
Bus 4.3% / 4.3%
Alawa — Bus: 4.3% Rapid Creek — Bus: 4.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (76.5%).

Setting

Alawa Rapid Creek
Elevation 12 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 15 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.6 km
2.1 km to a named beach
 162 m
133 m to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Alawa Rapid Creek
Connectivity score 100/100 98/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 100%
816 premises
 94%
1,593 premises

Climate

Alawa Rapid Creek
Annual rainfall 1,836 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 32.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 19.8°C
same for both

Council rates

Alawa Rapid Creek
Average residential rate $1,870/yr
same for both
Council Darwin
same for both

Federal electorate

Alawa Rapid Creek
Division Solomon
same for both
Member Luke John Gosling
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Alawa Rapid Creek
Grant amount $50,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Alawa

Coastal Easy Commute Large Blocks Middle-Ring Multicultural Quiet River Transport Hub

Rapid Creek

Apartments Beach Beachfront Coastal Easy Commute Middle-Ring Professionals Transport Hub

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Alawa

Alawa vs Millner Alawa vs Wagaman Alawa vs Moil Alawa vs Nakara Alawa vs Jingili Alawa vs Brinkin

Other comparisons with Rapid Creek

Rapid Creek vs Nightcliff Rapid Creek vs Coconut Grove Rapid Creek vs Millner Rapid Creek vs Jingili Rapid Creek vs Brinkin
Full data on Alawa Full data on Rapid Creek
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Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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