Bamaga QLD 4876
Bamaga sits 2,683 km from Brisbane CBD in Queensland, around 37 hours 30 minutes by car. Census data records 1,186 residents with a median age of 25 and a median household income of $84,760 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The town grew 1.9% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $120 per week. Bamaga is characterised by high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. 3 schools sit within the town boundary, and walkability is low.
Is Bamaga a good town?
Bamaga scores a D (15/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on schools, transit, safety, and community.
Trailing peer schools
3 schools
Car-dependent
Walkability 0/100 · 2682.7 km · 2252 min drive to Brisbane
High crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 91/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 1/10 · median age 25 · 1,186 residents
Liveability Rating
15 / 100 · Ranked #1061 in QLDEach bar is Bamaga's rank among QLD suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).
Flood data for Queensland covers only the areas mapped there — a blank here is not an all-clear.
How do you rate the liveability in Bamaga?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
15 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Is Bamaga safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Bamaga sits in the high band, with 61 incidents recorded in 2025 — up about 7% on the prior year. The longer-run trend has eased steadily across the available years.
61 offences
7.0% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2020–20242 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the town carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Schools
Three schools serve Bamaga, but none have published comparable ratings yet.
- • 563 students in one school (avg 563)
- • Largest: Northern Peninsula Area State College (563 students)
Primary
Secondary
Combined
Walkability
Bamaga is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car.
We hold no public transport timetable data for this area, so public transport is not rated here and the score is spread across the remaining components. It is not counted as zero.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Bamaga.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 154
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Northern Peninsula Area: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this town alone — this town's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
Bamaga is home to about 1,200 residents, and skews young, with a median age of 25 against the national 38. Median household income runs at $85,000 a year, with unemployment at 9.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,186
Median Age
25
Median Household Income
$84,760/yr
Census Median Rent
$120/wk
Census Median Mortgage
—
Avg Household Size
3.4
Median Personal Income
$38,948/yr
Unemployment Rate
9.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
18.4%
Total Dwellings
288
Owner-Occupier Rate
1.1%
Houses
75.0%
Rental Stress
7.4%
Mortgage Stress
—
Work From Home
2.4%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
188 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 36 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 270 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 85.9%
- English Spoken at Home
- 16.5%
- Employment Rate
- 55.1%
- Completed Year 12
- 34.7%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,061 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Building Approvals: Northern Peninsula Area
In the year to May 2026, 7 new dwellings were approved across Northern Peninsula Area. Almost all of the pipeline is detached houses. Approvals are down 100.0% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
The Aboriginal party for this area is Northern Cape York Group #1.
Under Queensland's Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 the Aboriginal party for an area follows native title. Native title over this area has been determined.
Setting
- Elevation
- 53 m
- above sea level, at the town centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 5.6 km
Elevation is the ground at the town centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
EV adoption
In postcode 4876, 0 of 1,042 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.2% (12 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.2%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 4876, 37 rooftop-solar systems totalling 0.8 MW have been installed since 2001, against 804 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 1 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$30,000 for new homes priced up to $750,000.
$30,000 for contracts signed on or after 20 November 2023, with no end date. IT DID NOT REVERT TO $15,000: the tier was due to end 30 June 2026 and the 2026-27 Queensland Budget (23 June 2026) continued it for contracts signed from 1 July 2026. This file carried a "due to revert" note until 2026-09-18 — it was never true, and a note predicting a change is not the same as a change. Cap is "less than $750,000" including land and contract variations — less than, not up to. New homes only: "There are no home owner grants for established homes."
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Matt Smith Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Matt Smith | 56.1% | 43.9% | +9.5 |
| 2022 | Warren Entsch | 46.6% | 53.4% | -0.7 |
| 2019 | Warren Entsch | 45.8% | 54.2% | +0.2 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact town's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by David Kempton Liberal National Party of Queensland
Next state election: 28 October 2028.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | David Kempton LNP | 55.0% |
| 2020 | Cynthia Lui ALP | 56.3% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2017, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this town's voters. Results: Electoral Commission of Queensland.
Looking at a specific address in Bamaga?
Every figure above is a town average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 1,186 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Nearby suburbs
Compare Bamaga to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other QLD suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Bamaga
Is Bamaga a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Bamaga is high (91/100, ranked against other QLD suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Bamaga?
Bamaga has no recorded bushfire history. These are town-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Bamaga a good place to live?
Bamaga has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (15/100), ranked against other QLD suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Bamaga?
Bamaga, QLD had a population of 1,186 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Bamaga, QLD?
The postcode for Bamaga, QLD is 4876.
How far is Bamaga from Brisbane?
Bamaga is 2,683 km from Brisbane CBD by road, about 2252 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Bamaga?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Bamaga was $84,760 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Bamaga?
There are too few current rental listings in Bamaga for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $120, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Bamaga?
The median age of residents in Bamaga was 25 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Bamaga?
There are 3 schools inside the Bamaga boundary, none of which has enough NAPLAN and ICSEA data for a quality band.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Bamaga?
First-home buyers in QLD may be eligible for $30,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $750,000. The grant is administered by Queensland Revenue Office; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Bamaga belong to?
Bamaga sits within the Northern Peninsula Area local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much is being built near Bamaga?
Across Northern Peninsula Area, 7 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to May 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 100.0% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Bamaga in?
Bamaga sits within the federal Division of Leichhardt, currently held by Matt Smith (Australian Labor Party).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Building approvals · May 2026
- Schools · 2025
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Road crashes · 2020–2024
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2024
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.