East Arnhem NT 0822

Located in Northern Territory, East Arnhem sits 863 km from Darwin CBD, around 13 hours 50 minutes by car. The town has 1,194 residents, a median age of 27, and a median household income of $63,648 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the bottom 20% nationally. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $35 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,500. The area shows high coastal erosion risk. 3 schools sit within the town boundary, and walkability is low.

Is East Arnhem a good town?

East Arnhem scores a D (21/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on schools, transit, and community.

Schools

Trailing peer schools

3 schools

Transit

Car-dependent

Walkability 0/100 · 862.7 km · 829 min drive to Darwin

Community

Highly disadvantaged

SEIFA decile 1/10 · median age 27 · 1,194 residents

D

Liveability Rating

21 / 100 · Ranked #88 in NT

Each bar is East Arnhem's rank among NT suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no safety data, so the other factors carry its weight.

Schools quality
38
Few above similar
Safety no data

No bushfire or crime or flood data is published for Northern Territory — a blank here means we hold no data, not that there is no risk.

Socio-economic
8
Very disadvantaged
Walkability
10
Very car-dependent
CBD access
26
862.7 km · 829 min drive to Darwin
How it's calculated: Schools rank 38 × 25% + Socio-economic rank 8 × 25% + Walkability rank 10 × 15% + CBD access rank 26 × 10% = 21 / 100. Missing components rebalance the remaining weights.
Additional risks: Coastal erosion High

How do you rate the liveability in East Arnhem?

Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.

Our score

21 / 100

From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.

Residents say

…

AwfulPoorAverageGoodGreat
What applies here? (optional)

One rating per person. You can change yours at any time.

Crime in the East Arnhem area

Crime recorded across the whole area over the 12 months to Aug 2026, not in East Arnhem alone. NT Police publish by town and district, not by suburb, and recent months can take several months to settle.

Type Count Per 1,000 residents
All offences 932 114.6
Assault 346 42.6
Domestic violence assault 261 32.1
Sexual offences 23 2.8
House burglary 64 7.9
Commercial burglary 124 15.3
Theft 92 11.3
Property damage 233 28.7
Robbery and extortion 6 0.7
Endangering people 41 5.0

Rates use the East Arnhem area’s 8,130 residents. The latest month is preliminary and may be revised.

Coastal Erosion

100
monitoring points
within 5 km
76
actively eroding
> 0.1 m/yr retreat
-2.75
worst rate (m/yr)
Significant
18.2 km
nearest coastline
monitoring point

Shoreline Change Summary

1988–2025
Stable or accreting 47 (47%)
Moderate erosion (0.1–0.3 m/yr) 37 (37%)
Significant erosion (> 0.3 m/yr) 16 (16%)

Nearest Eroding Coastline

Distance
18.2 km
Rate
-0.29 m/yr
Net Movement
-12.6 m
Certainty
good

Data Quality

High certainty: 97 of 100 points (97%)

Schools

Three schools serve East Arnhem, but none have published comparable ratings yet.

—
No rated schools
3 schools in this town
3 unrated
  • • 101 students across 3 schools (avg 34)
  • • Sectors: 2 Independent, 1 Government
  • • ICSEA 608-1000, median 661 (below the national baseline of 1000)
  • • Largest: Gawa Christian School (53 students)

Combined

Government · T-11 · 22 students
ICSEA 608 (higher than 0% of Australian schools) · 0% top-SEA students
Independent · T-10 · 53 students
ICSEA 661 (higher than 1% of Australian schools) · 0% top-SEA students
Independent · 2-10 · 26 students
ICSEA 1000 (higher than 0% of Australian schools) · 0% top-SEA students

Walkability

East Arnhem is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car.

0
out of 100
Very Car-Dependent
Public Transport within 1 km not measured
Schools within 1.5 km 0
Parks within 800 m 0
Supermarkets within 1 km 0
GPs within 1 km 0
Pharmacies within 1 km 0
Childcare within 1 km 0
Hospitals within 5 km 0

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 East Arnhem.

15
connectivity score / 100
Most common
Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
0%
Premises covered
81
Technology mix
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 100%

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

Supermarkets
None
Shopping Centres
None
Cafes & Restaurants
None
Parks & Reserves
4 in town
Sport & Recreation
3 in town
Beaches
1 in town
Waterways
13 in town
Childcare
None
GPs
None
Pharmacies
None
Hospitals
None
Police Stations
None
Banks & Bank@Post
1 in town
Fuel Stations
None
EV Chargers
None
Pubs & Bars
None
Arts & Culture
1 in town
Places of Worship
None

Socio-economic profile

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
1/10
2/10 within NT
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
1/10
2/10 within NT
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
1/10
4/10 within NT
qualifications and job type, income excluded
How evenly that is spread

The ABS scores 7 small areas inside this town and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 2 different deciles — a narrow range, so the average describes the town closely.

East Arnhem is home to about 1,200 residents, and skews young, with a median age of 27 against the national 38. Median household income runs at $64,000 a year, with unemployment at 29.5%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

1,194

Median Age

27

Median Household Income

$63,648/yr

Census Median Rent

$35/wk

Census Median Mortgage

$2,500/mo

Avg Household Size

4.9

Median Personal Income

$14,612/yr

Unemployment Rate

29.5%

Unoccupied Dwellings

56.6%

Total Dwellings

173

Owner-Occupier Rate

20.4%

Houses

96.0%

Rental Stress

2.9%

Mortgage Stress

47.1%

Work From Home

5.1%

Dwelling Types

Houses 166 (96.0%)
Flats / Apartments 7 (4.0%)

Property Ownership

Renting 78 (79.6%)
Owned Outright 20 (20.4%)
Of those rentals, social housing 72 (92.3%)

31 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 41 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 78 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.

Demographics

Born in Australia
95.0%
English Spoken at Home
2.1%
Employment Rate
17.6%
Completed Year 12
20.4%

Occupations

Professionals 55 (34.6%)
Community & Personal Service 31 (19.5%)
Technicians & Trades 20 (12.6%)
Managers 10 (6.3%)
Clerical & Administrative 9 (5.7%)
Labourers 9 (5.7%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 7 (4.4%)
Sales 5 (3.1%)

Religion

Christianity 613 (51.3%)
Other Religions 363 (30.4%)
No Religion 117 (9.8%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

Fiji 4 (0.3%)

Age Distribution

0-4 73 (6.1%)
5-14 203 (17.0%)
15-19 133 (11.1%)
20-24 132 (11.1%)
25-34 188 (15.7%)
35-44 159 (13.3%)
45-54 151 (12.6%)
55-64 90 (7.5%)
65-74 44 (3.7%)
75-84 15 (1.3%)

Family & Household Composition

One Parent Families 98 (45.4%)
Couple Families 95 (44.0%)
Other Families 17 (7.9%)
Lone Person 6 (2.8%)

Commute to Work

Walked Only 78 (56.5%)
Car (passenger) 29 (21.0%)
Car (driver) 21 (15.2%)
Worked from Home 7 (5.1%)
Bus 3 (2.2%)

Local Jobs

People who work in this town against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.

About 1,148 people work here; 159 employed residents live here.

A jobs hub: 7.2 jobs for every working resident. At least 83% of the people who work here must live elsewhere.

Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.

Education

Certificate III & IV 31 (2.6%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 12 (1.0%)
Bachelor Degree 9 (0.8%)
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4 (0.3%)
Postgraduate Degree 3 (0.3%)

Cars per Dwelling

0 cars 86 (52.4%)
1 car 56 (34.1%)
2 cars 10 (6.1%)
3 cars 5 (3.0%)

Council Rates

East Arnhem
FY 2026-27

Households face an average residential rates bill of $3,294 a year through East Arnhem based on 2026 figures.

Avg residential rate
$3,294/yr
Valuation basis
Unimproved Value
land only

Building Approvals: East Arnhem

The whole council area, not just East Arnhem · new residential dwellings
to 2026-05

In the year to May 2026, 13 new dwellings were approved across East Arnhem. That mix is 5 houses and 8 units. Approvals are down 100.0% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
13dwellings
-100.0% YoY
Houses
5
detached dwellings
Units
8
townhouses + apartments

Setting

Elevation
55 m
above sea level, at the town centre
Distance to the ocean
18.2 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

0.1%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.00% in 2021
+0.0 points this year

In postcode 0822, 9 of 6,890 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.7% (119 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.9%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.00%
2022
0.05%
2023
0.00%
2024
0.09%
2025
0.13%

Rooftop solar

26
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 12.7 kW each

In postcode 0822, 1,382 rooftop-solar systems totalling 17.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 5,409 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 77 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.

Systems installed, year by year
2019
178
2020
187
2021
106
2022
123
2023
86
2024
90
2025
71
2026
38

2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.

First Home Owner Grant

FY2026-27

$50,000 for new homes.

Administered as the HomeGrown Territory Grant. Established-home buyers may also be eligible for the separate BuildBonus Grant.

Verify eligibility with Territory Revenue Office

Federal Electorate

Division of Lingiari

Currently held by Marion Scrymgour Australian Labor Party

Year Winner 2PP ALP 2PP LNP Swing
2025 Marion Scrymgour 58.1% 41.9% +6.5
2022 Marion Scrymgour 51.0% 49.0% +4.5
2019 Warren Snowdon 55.5% 44.5% +2.7

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

Division of Arnhem

Currently held by Selena Uibo Labor

Next state election: 26 August 2028.

Year Winner Won with
2024 Selena Uibo ALP 64.3%

Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2023, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this town's voters. Results: Northern Territory Electoral Commission.

Looking at a specific address in East Arnhem?

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.

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Nearby suburbs

Compare East Arnhem to another suburb

Side-by-side stats for any other NT suburb — type a name and pick one.

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Common questions about East Arnhem

Is East Arnhem a safe place to live?

NT does not publish suburb-level crime statistics, so there is no crime figure for East Arnhem.

Is East Arnhem a good place to live?

East Arnhem has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (21/100), ranked against other NT 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 East Arnhem?

East Arnhem, NT had a population of 1,194 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for East Arnhem, NT?

The postcode for East Arnhem, NT is 0822.

How far is East Arnhem from Darwin?

East Arnhem is 863 km from Darwin CBD by road, about 829 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in East Arnhem?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in East Arnhem was $63,648 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 East Arnhem?

There are too few current rental listings in East Arnhem for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $35, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in East Arnhem?

The median age of residents in East Arnhem was 27 at the 2021 ABS Census.

How are the schools in East Arnhem?

There are 3 schools inside the East Arnhem boundary, none of which has enough NAPLAN and ICSEA data for a quality band.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in East Arnhem?

First-home buyers in NT may be eligible for $50,000 towards new homes. The grant is administered by Territory Revenue Office; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.

What council does East Arnhem belong to?

East Arnhem sits within the East Arnhem local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in East Arnhem?

The average residential rates bill through East Arnhem is $3,294 a year (2026). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near East Arnhem?

Across East Arnhem, 13 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 East Arnhem in?

East Arnhem sits within the federal Division of Lingiari, currently held by Marion Scrymgour (Australian Labor Party).

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