Rum Jungle vs Batchelor
Batchelor is the younger of the two, with a median age of 45 against 55 in Rum Jungle. In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Rum Jungle, the large majority of households own their home and most households are people living alone. In Batchelor, about half of households rent and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Rum Jungle: a median of $465,000, against $311,000 in Batchelor, though rent is higher in Batchelor. On these figures, Rum Jungle tends to suit people living alone and share households, while Batchelor suits families with children and buyers on a tighter budget.
Rum Jungle and Batchelor are small Northern Territory communities with quite different profiles. Batchelor is significantly larger with 396 residents compared to Rum Jungle's 88, and offers a younger median age of 45 years versus 55 years. Batchelor also has notably higher median household income at $46,800 annually against Rum Jungle's $32,448, and rental options are available at $150 per week, whereas Rum Jungle shows no rental market. Rum Jungle's median house price of $465,000 is considerably higher than Batchelor's $315,000, though both are remote from Darwin's CBD at around 104–108 kilometres away. Batchelor may suit those seeking a slightly more established community with better income levels and rental availability, while Rum Jungle appeals to buyers prioritising property ownership in a quieter, more established settlement.
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
Batchelor
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (36% vs 18%)
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Batchelor
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($311,000 vs $465,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Rum Jungle
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $150/wk)
Weighs rent.
Commuting to the city
Batchelor
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (92 min vs 101 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (103.9 km vs 108.3 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Rum Jungle
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 19%)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.
Investors
Rum Jungle
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (4.8% vs -21.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Rum Jungle and Batchelor 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
Batchelor rents higher ($150/wk vs $0/wk); Batchelor has more residents (396 vs 88).
| Rum Jungle | Batchelor | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 88 | 396 +350% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +4.8% | -21.9% |
| Median age | 55 | 45 |
| Median household income | $32,448/yr | $46,800/yr +44% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | — | $150/wk (not reported on the other side) |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (33.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.2%).
Property market
| Rum Jungle | Batchelor | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $465,000 | $311,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 113 days from 8 sales |
Ranking within NT
| Rum Jungle | Batchelor | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 6% of NT | Higher than 18% of NT |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 3% of NT | Higher than 40% of NT |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 7% of NT | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 4% of NT | Higher than 45% of NT |
Liveability
| Rum Jungle | Batchelor | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | high-need area decile 1/10 |
Risk profile
| Rum Jungle | Batchelor | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Rum Jungle | Batchelor | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Rum Jungle
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Batchelor
- Batchelor Area School Government · Combined above peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Rum Jungle | Batchelor | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 0 | 1 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 2 |
| Childcare | 0 | 1 |
| Police stations | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel stations | 0 | 3 |
| Waterways | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
Rum Jungle sits further from the CBD (108.3 km vs 103.9 km).
| Rum Jungle | Batchelor | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Darwin | 108.3 km +4% vs other | 103.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 101 min | 92 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 0822 | 0.0% postcode 0845 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 26 postcode 0822 | 46 postcode 0845 |
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 (100.0%).
Setting
| Rum Jungle | Batchelor | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 72 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 132 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Rum Jungle | Batchelor | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 44 premises | 0% 83 premises |
Council rates
| Rum Jungle | Batchelor | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,132/yr same for both | |
| Council | Coomalie same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Rum Jungle | Batchelor | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lingiari same for both | |
| Member | Marion Scrymgour same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Rum Jungle | Batchelor | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $50,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Batchelor
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Rum Jungle
Other comparisons with Batchelor
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.