Arnold vs Birdum
Arnold is the younger of the two, with a median age of 28 against 34 in Birdum. In both, most homes are detached houses. In Birdum, about half of households rent and most households are people living alone. On these figures, Arnold tends to suit young adults.
Arnold and Birdum are both very small, remote NT communities with minimal walkability and no recorded rental market. Birdum is closer to the CBD at 589.6 km versus Arnold's 807.6 km, which may matter if you need regular access to services. Birdum also has a higher median household income of $117,000 compared to Arnold's $107,848, though Arnold has a slightly younger population at a median age of 28 years. Both suburbs show no bushfire, crime, or flood risk and sit at the same socio-economic level.
Written by an AI language model from the figures below. Every number in it is checked against those figures before it is published.
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
Arnold
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 67%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, and childcare.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Birdum
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (374 min vs 664 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (589.6 km vs 807.6 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
Arnold
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (177.8% vs -26.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Arnold and Birdum 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
Birdum skews older (34 vs 28).
| Arnold | Birdum | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 75 +16% vs other | 63 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +177.8% | -26.7% |
| Median age | 28 | 34 |
| Median household income | $107,848/yr | $117,000/yr +8% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | — same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.7%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (12.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Development activity
| Arnold | Birdum | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 36 across Roper Gulf same for both | |
Ranking within NT
| Arnold | Birdum | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 69% of NT | Higher than 80% of NT |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 49% of NT | Higher than 36% of NT |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 54% of NT | Higher than 39% of NT |
Liveability
| Arnold | Birdum | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Arnold | Birdum | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Arnold | Birdum | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Arnold | Birdum | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 1 |
| Waterways | 3 | 2 |
Mobility
Arnold sits further from the CBD (807.6 km vs 589.6 km).
| Arnold | Birdum | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Darwin | 807.6 km +27% vs other | 589.6 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 664 min | 374 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 0852 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 24 postcode 0852 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 (57.1%).
Setting
| Arnold | Birdum | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 233 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 217 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Arnold | Birdum | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 13 premises | 0% 29 premises |
Council rates
| Arnold | Birdum | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,569/yr same for both | |
| Council | Roper Gulf same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Arnold | Birdum | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lingiari same for both | |
| Member | Marion Scrymgour same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Arnold | Birdum | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $50,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Arnold
Birdum
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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.