Southport vs Tumbling Waters
Tumbling Waters is the younger of the two, with a median age of 37 against 43 in Southport. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Southport, about half of households are people living alone. In Tumbling Waters, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Tumbling Waters: a median of $815,000, against $302,000 in Southport. On these figures, Southport tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while Tumbling Waters suits families with children and couples.
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
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Southport has more separate houses rather than flats (101% vs 85%)
- Tumbling Waters is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 49%)
Weighs schools, house stock, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Southport
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($302,500 vs $815,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Tumbling Waters
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (22% vs 10%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
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.
Where they sit
Southport and Tumbling Waters 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
Southport skews older (43 vs 37).
| Southport | Tumbling Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 215 | 254 +18% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -7.3% | — |
| Median age | 43 | 37 |
| Median household income | $88,348/yr | $93,600/yr +6% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $335/wk | $350/wk +4% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.6%).
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 (19.1%).
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 (5.6%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Southport | Tumbling Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $302,500 | $815,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $200,000 | — |
Development activity
| Southport | Tumbling Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 130 across Litchfield same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +0% same for both | |
Ranking within NT
| Southport | Tumbling Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 55% of NT | Higher than 57% of NT |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 23% of NT | Higher than 20% of NT |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 22% of NT | Higher than 21% of NT |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 64% of NT same for both | |
Liveability
| Southport | Tumbling Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
| Southport | Tumbling Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Southport | Tumbling Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Southport | Tumbling Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 0 | 1 |
Mobility
| Southport | Tumbling Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Darwin | 58.3 km +3% vs other | 56.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 52 min | 49 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.1% postcode 0822 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 26 postcode 0822 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 (88.6%).
Setting
| Southport | Tumbling Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 17 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 35 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 9.0 km | 11.9 km |
NBN connectivity
| Southport | Tumbling Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 95 premises | 0% 101 premises |
Climate
| Southport | Tumbling Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Southport | Tumbling Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,153/yr same for both | |
| Council | Litchfield same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Southport | Tumbling Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Lingiari same for both | |
| Member | Marion Scrymgour same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Southport | Tumbling Waters | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $50,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Tumbling Waters
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Southport
Other comparisons with Tumbling Waters
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.