Petermann vs Yulara
Yulara is the younger of the two, with a median age of 30 against 34 in Petermann. In both, most households rent. In Petermann, most homes are flats or apartments. In Yulara, the large majority of households are people living alone. On these figures, Yulara tends to suit renters, young adults, and people living alone.
Petermann and Yulara are both remote Northern Territory communities, but they differ significantly in scale and character. Yulara is substantially larger with 853 residents compared to Petermann's 138, and offers considerably more rental availability at $134 per week versus $20 per week in Petermann. Petermann has a slightly higher median household income of $68,224 annually and a marginally older population, but Yulara ranks much higher on the socio-economic decile at 7 compared to Petermann's 1. Petermann carries a notable bushfire risk rating of 66, while Yulara has none, making it the safer choice in that regard.
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
Petermann
ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more parks and reserves (5 vs 0)
- is already more of a family suburb (58% vs 11%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (44% vs 11%)
- But Yulara has more childcare (3 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Petermann
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (2% vs 11%)
- has cheaper rent ($20/wk vs $134/wk)
- But Yulara has a bigger rental market to choose from (97% vs 62%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Yulara
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (1238 min vs 1277 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (1944.7 km vs 2005.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Yulara
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (89% vs 56%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Petermann and Yulara 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
Yulara rents higher ($134/wk vs $20/wk); Yulara has more residents (853 vs 138).
| Petermann | Yulara | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 138 | 853 +518% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -25.4% | -22.4% |
| Median age | 34 | 30 |
| Median household income | $68,224/yr +3% vs other | $65,884/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $20/wk | $134/wk +570% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (30.9%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.4%).
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 (3.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Development activity
| Petermann | Yulara | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 7 across MacDonnell | 89 across Unincorporated NT |
| Approvals change year on year | -100% | -67% |
Ranking within NT
| Petermann | Yulara | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 35% of NT | Higher than 33% of NT |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 51% of NT | Higher than 26% of NT |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | — same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 55% of NT | Higher than 29% of NT |
Liveability
| Petermann | Yulara | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 33/100 |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
| Petermann | Yulara | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 within 5 km |
Schools
| Petermann | Yulara | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 2 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Petermann
- Watarrka School Government · Combined
Schools in Yulara
- Nyangatjatjara College Independent · Secondary
- Yulara School Government · Combined
Amenities in the suburb
| Petermann | Yulara | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 3 | 10 |
| Parks & reserves | 5 | 0 |
| Childcare | 0 | 3 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 3 | 2 |
| Waterways | 113 | 0 |
Mobility
Petermann sits further from the CBD (2005.6 km vs 1944.7 km).
| Petermann | Yulara | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Darwin | 2005.6 km +3% vs other | 1944.7 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 1277 min | 1238 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 (68.5%).
Setting
| Petermann | Yulara | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 506 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 504 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Petermann | Yulara | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 81 premises | 0% 44 premises |
Climate
| Petermann | Yulara | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 249 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 37.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.3°C same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Petermann | Yulara | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lingiari same for both | |
| Member | Marion Scrymgour same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Petermann | Yulara | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $50,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Petermann
Yulara
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.