Ampilatwatja vs Sandover
Ampilatwatja is the younger of the two, with a median age of 24 against 28 in Sandover. In both, the large majority of households rent and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Ampilatwatja, most households are couple families. In Sandover, about half of households are couple families.
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
Ampilatwatja
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more childcare (3 vs 0)
- is already more of a family suburb (96% vs 78%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
Renters
Sandover
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($50/wk vs $65/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Ampilatwatja
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (1030 min vs 1357 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (1298.3 km vs 1707.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Ampilatwatja
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (5.0% vs -10.3%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Ampilatwatja and Sandover drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Ampilatwatja has higher household incomes ($109,772 vs $70,096); Ampilatwatja rents higher ($65/wk vs $50/wk).
| Ampilatwatja | Sandover | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 439 | 569 +30% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +5.0% | -10.3% |
| Median age | 24 | 28 |
| Median household income | $109,772/yr +36% vs other | $70,096/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $65/wk +23% vs other | $50/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.3%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (1.2%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Development activity
| Ampilatwatja | Sandover | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 2 across Barkly same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -100% same for both | |
Ranking within NT
| Ampilatwatja | Sandover | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 71% of NT | Higher than 36% of NT |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 12% of NT | Higher than 47% of NT |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 11% of NT | Higher than 51% of NT |
Liveability
| Ampilatwatja | Sandover | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | D |
| Score | — | 7/100 |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Ampilatwatja | Sandover | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Ampilatwatja | Sandover | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 same for both | |
Schools in Ampilatwatja
- Ampilatwatja School Government · Combined below peers
Schools in Sandover
- Arlparra School Government · Combined below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Ampilatwatja | Sandover | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 1 |
| Childcare | 3 | 0 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 0 | 2 |
Mobility
Sandover sits further from the CBD (1707.7 km vs 1298.3 km).
| Ampilatwatja | Sandover | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Darwin | 1298.3 km | 1707.7 km +32% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 1030 min | 1357 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 0872 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 8 postcode 0872 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (75.0%).
Setting
| Ampilatwatja | Sandover | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 394 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 390 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Ampilatwatja | Sandover | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 28 premises | 0% 99 premises |
Council rates
| Ampilatwatja | Sandover | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,475/yr same for both | |
| Council | Barkly same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Ampilatwatja | Sandover | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lingiari same for both | |
| Member | Marion Scrymgour same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Ampilatwatja | Sandover | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $50,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Ampilatwatja
Sandover
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.