Wulagi

Schools in Wulagi iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged

Demographics

The median age of 36 is 4.0 years below the national figure, making Wulagi relatively younger than the national average despite an aging trajectory where the senior share rose 4.8 points over the decade. Overseas-born residents account for 25.0% of the population, 3.4 points above the national rate, with English (601), Irish (191), and Scottish (154) ancestries leading alongside a significant Other category (482). University qualifications reach 29.6%, just 0.5 points below the national rate, indicating a broadly educated resident base consistent with the suburb's Public Administration and Healthcare workforce. Average household size is 2.9, which is 0.4 above the national figure, reflecting the prevalence of couple families with children, who make up the largest family type at 948 households. Volunteering runs at 18.4% of residents.

The housing stock here is defined by its uniformity: 98.2% of dwellings are separate houses, compared to the national mix that includes substantial apartment and semi-detached shares. Three-bedroom homes account for 75.0% of dwellings and four-bedroom or larger a further 22.5%, with two-bedroom stock at only 2.5%, so the suburb is strongly oriented toward family-sized detached housing. Tenure splits into 48.3% on a mortgage, 23.4% owning outright, and 28.2% renting. Rent-to-income sits at 18.2%, and mortgage-to-income at 19.8%, meaning neither renters nor buyers here are in housing stress, which is notable compared to eastern capital markets where both ratios often exceed 30%. The vacancy rate of 5.4% is moderately elevated, suggesting landlords may face longer letting periods than in tighter markets.

Community Profile

Economy & Employment

Public Administration is the dominant industry at 21.7% of employed residents (175 workers), consistent with Darwin's role as the NT capital and a hub for federal and territory government functions. Healthcare follows at 17.1% (138 workers) and Education at 13.1% (106 workers), creating a workforce heavily weighted toward public-sector and essential-services employment. Construction accounts for 9.4% (76 workers) and Professional/Technical services for 6.7% (54 workers). By occupation, Professionals are the largest group at 254, followed by Clerical/Admin at 189 and Community/Personal Services at 164. The unemployment rate of 5.2% is above the typical capital-city average, and the participation rate of 62.2% reflects the 446 residents not in the labour force. Wulagi ranks at SEIFA IRSAD decile 6, indicating moderate advantage relative to national benchmarks.

Transport to Work

Car dependency is high: 85.6% of residents drive to work, which is above the national average, reflecting Darwin's limited public transport coverage. Only 2.5% use public transport and 2.8% walk or cycle. No schools are recorded within the 1.26 km2 suburb boundary, so families rely on nearby institutions in Casuarina and surrounding Darwin northern suburbs. SEIFA IRSAD decile 6 puts the suburb in moderate-advantage territory nationally, consistent with its household income at the 88.8th income percentile. The need-for-assistance rate is 4.3% (97 residents), which is in line with the broader Darwin population. Housing stress is not a significant factor here: rent-to-income at 18.2% and mortgage-to-income at 19.8% both sit below common stress thresholds, giving residents more financial headroom than in most comparable capital cities.

Population Forecast

Wulagi's population has been declining: a 4.2% fall over 10 years, with the three most recent years recording 2,745 (2023), 2,741 (2024), and 2,738 (2025). The medium forecast holds population near 2,712 by 2031, essentially flat at current levels rather than recovering lost ground. Net internal migration is running at minus 31 people per year, meaning more residents are leaving for other parts of Australia than arriving, a pattern common to Darwin suburbs as residents return to southeast cities. Overseas migration adds 36 arrivals per year on average, which partially offsets the internal outflow. The suburb is classified as not gentrifying, with a gentrification score of zero. Affordability has improved from 47.9% in 2011 to 40.4% in 2021, which is a positive structural signal, though population growth remains the key missing ingredient.

National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs

How Wulagi compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions