Gunbalanya NT 0822
Gunbalanya sits 300 km from Darwin CBD in Northern Territory, around 3 hours 45 minutes by car. Census data records 1,177 residents with a median age of 27 and a median household income of $66,404 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the bottom 20% nationally. Population grew 5.5% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $70 per week. 1 school sits within the town boundary, and walkability is low.
Is Gunbalanya a good town?
Gunbalanya scores a D (15/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on transit and community.
Mixed results
1 school
Car-dependent
Walkability 0/100 · 300.4 km · 226 min drive to Darwin
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 1/10 · median age 27 · 1,177 residents
Liveability Rating
15 / 100 · Ranked #93 in NTEach bar is Gunbalanya's rank among NT suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 3 of 5 factors: no school or safety data, so the other factors carry its weight.
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.
How do you rate the liveability in Gunbalanya?
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
…
Crime in the West Arnhem area
Crime recorded across the whole area over the 12 months to Aug 2026, not in Gunbalanya 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 | 492 | 77.2 |
| Assault | 215 | 33.7 |
| Domestic violence assault | 180 | 28.2 |
| Sexual offences | 12 | 1.9 |
| House burglary | 45 | 7.1 |
| Commercial burglary | 30 | 4.7 |
| Theft | 57 | 8.9 |
| Property damage | 112 | 17.6 |
| Robbery and extortion | 2 | 0.3 |
| Endangering people | 19 | 3.0 |
Rates use the West Arnhem area’s 6,377 residents. The latest month is preliminary and may be revised.
Schools
One school serve Gunbalanya, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 231 students in one school (avg 231)
Combined
Walkability
Gunbalanya 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 Gunbalanya.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 26
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
West Arnhem: 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
Gunbalanya 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 $66,000 a year, with unemployment at 18.9%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,177
Median Age
27
Median Household Income
$66,404/yr
Census Median Rent
$70/wk
Census Median Mortgage
—
Avg Household Size
4.6
Median Personal Income
$14,352/yr
Unemployment Rate
18.9%
Unoccupied Dwellings
16.7%
Total Dwellings
222
Owner-Occupier Rate
1.6%
Houses
87.8%
Rental Stress
5.5%
Mortgage Stress
—
Work From Home
1.9%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
152 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 13 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 185 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 92.7%
- English Spoken at Home
- 11.6%
- Employment Rate
- 29.7%
- Completed Year 12
- 20.8%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
5% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (13 of 262).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Local Jobs
People who work in this town against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 239 people work here; 262 employed residents live here.
Roughly as many jobs as working residents (0.9 per resident). At least 9% of employed residents must work outside the town.
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
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,233 a year through West Arnhem based on 2026 figures.
Building Approvals: West Arnhem
In the year to August 2026, 34 new dwellings were approved across West Arnhem. That mix is 10 houses and 24 units. Approvals are up 500.0% on the same period a year earlier.
Climate & Setting
from Oenpelli, 2.8 kmHigh rainfall — very hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 23 m
- above sea level, at the town centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 35.6 km
- Annual rainfall
- 1,742 mm
- 87 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 33.8°C
- 101 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 18.8°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
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.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
1 facility within 5 km- 1.9 kmFossil Fuel Electricity GenerationTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Particulate Matter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5)
EV adoption
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%.
Rooftop solar
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.
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.
Federal Electorate
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
Currently held by Manuel Brown Labor
Next state election: 26 August 2028.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Manuel Brown ALP | 69.7% |
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 Gunbalanya?
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 1,177 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 Gunbalanya to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other NT suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Gunbalanya
Is Gunbalanya a safe place to live?
NT does not publish suburb-level crime statistics, so there is no crime figure for Gunbalanya.
Is Gunbalanya a good place to live?
Gunbalanya has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (15/100), 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 Gunbalanya?
Gunbalanya, NT had a population of 1,177 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Gunbalanya, NT?
The postcode for Gunbalanya, NT is 0822.
How far is Gunbalanya from Darwin?
Gunbalanya is 300 km from Darwin CBD by road, about 226 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Gunbalanya?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Gunbalanya was $66,404 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 Gunbalanya?
There are too few current rental listings in Gunbalanya for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $70, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Gunbalanya?
The median age of residents in Gunbalanya was 27 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Gunbalanya?
There is 1 school inside the Gunbalanya boundary: 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
What is the weather like in Gunbalanya?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Gunbalanya, Oenpelli (2.8 km away), summer days average 33.8°C, winter nights 18.8°C, 1,742 mm of rain a year over 87 rainy days, and 101 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Gunbalanya?
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 Gunbalanya belong to?
Gunbalanya sits within the West Arnhem local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Gunbalanya?
The average residential rates bill through West Arnhem is $1,233 a year (2026). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Gunbalanya?
Across West Arnhem, 34 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 500.0% 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 Gunbalanya in?
Gunbalanya sits within the federal Division of Lingiari, currently held by Marion Scrymgour (Australian Labor Party).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Council rates · FY 2026–27
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- 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.