Your Property Guide

Family-friendly ranking · Greater Darwin

Best Suburbs for Families in Darwin 2026

By the average ICSEA of their schools, among suburbs where families with dependants are at least 40% of households, the ten best Greater Darwin suburbs for families are Rapid Creek, Larrakeyah, Parap, Stuart Park, Nakara, Nightcliff, Leanyer, Durack, Wanguri and Zuccoli.

Updated 1 October 2026. Medians for 2024. Ranked from 38 Greater Darwin suburbs.

How we ranked them.

  • Ranked by the average ICSEA (ACARA's Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) of the schools we hold for each suburb, highest first, from 38 Greater Darwin suburbs where families with dependants are at least 40% of households (2021 Census) and 1,000 or more people live.
  • Prices for the Northern Territory are ABS statistical-area (SA2) medians: each is the median for the area that carries the suburb's name. An SA2 can take in surrounding localities, so a figure can differ from sales in the suburb itself. The medians are for 2024.
  • These ABS medians come without a 12-month change, so none is printed or ranked here.
  • The price beside a suburb is the median its own page publishes; a dash means none is published.
  • Greater Darwin is the suburbs in postcodes 0800 to 0832. Postal delivery names and institutions are left out.
  • Distance to the CBD is a straight line from the suburb's postcode centroid to the Darwin GPO, rounded to the kilometre.

Full methodology →

The ten, in order

1. Rapid Creek, 0810

Rapid Creek (0810) is about 9 km from the Darwin CBD. The two schools we hold for the suburb average an ICSEA of 1103 (ACARA), the highest in Greater Darwin among suburbs where families are at least 40% of households. Families with dependants are 61% of households. The median house price is $800,000 (the ABS statistical-area median for the area that carries its name). 3,261 people lived there at the 2021 Census.

Avg school ICSEA
1103
Family households
61%
Median house price
$800,000 area
Km to CBD
9

Rapid Creek suburb profile →

2. Larrakeyah, 0820

Larrakeyah (0820) is about 3 km from the Darwin CBD. The one school we hold for the suburb has an ICSEA of 1086 (ACARA), the 2nd highest in Greater Darwin among suburbs where families are at least 40% of households. Families with dependants are 61% of households. The median house price is $1,775,000 (the ABS statistical-area median for the area that carries its name). 3,943 people lived there at the 2021 Census.

Avg school ICSEA
1086
Family households
61%
Median house price
$1,775,000 area
Km to CBD
3

Larrakeyah suburb profile →

3. Parap, 0820

Parap (0820) is about 3 km from the Darwin CBD. The one school we hold for the suburb has an ICSEA of 1066 (ACARA), the 3rd highest in Greater Darwin among suburbs where families are at least 40% of households. Families with dependants are 60% of households. The median house price is $945,000 (the ABS statistical-area median for the area that carries its name). 2,819 people lived there at the 2021 Census.

Avg school ICSEA
1066
Family households
60%
Median house price
$945,000 area
Km to CBD
3

Parap suburb profile →

4. Stuart Park, 0820

Stuart Park (0820) is about 2 km from the Darwin CBD. The one school we hold for the suburb has an ICSEA of 1054 (ACARA), the 4th highest in Greater Darwin among suburbs where families are at least 40% of households. Families with dependants are 62% of households. The median house price is $820,000 (the ABS statistical-area median for the area that carries its name). 4,101 people lived there at the 2021 Census.

Avg school ICSEA
1054
Family households
62%
Median house price
$820,000 area
Km to CBD
2

Stuart Park suburb profile →

5. Nakara, 0810

Nakara (0810) is about 11 km from the Darwin CBD. The one school we hold for the suburb has an ICSEA of 1051 (ACARA), the 5th highest in Greater Darwin among suburbs where families are at least 40% of households. Families with dependants are 78% of households. No house median is published for it yet. 1,906 people lived there at the 2021 Census.

Avg school ICSEA
1051
Family households
78%
Median house price
–
Km to CBD
11

Nakara suburb profile →

6. Nightcliff, 0810

Nightcliff (0810) is about 9 km from the Darwin CBD. The two schools we hold for the suburb average an ICSEA of 1025 (ACARA), the 6th highest in Greater Darwin among suburbs where families are at least 40% of households. Families with dependants are 61% of households. The median house price is $965,000 (the ABS statistical-area median for the area that carries its name). 3,884 people lived there at the 2021 Census.

Avg school ICSEA
1025
Family households
61%
Median house price
$965,000 area
Km to CBD
9

Nightcliff suburb profile →

7. Leanyer, 0812

Leanyer (0812) is about 11 km from the Darwin CBD. The one school we hold for the suburb has an ICSEA of 1024 (ACARA), the 7th highest in Greater Darwin among suburbs where families are at least 40% of households. Families with dependants are 74% of households. The median house price is $597,500 (the ABS statistical-area median for the area that carries its name). 4,597 people lived there at the 2021 Census.

Avg school ICSEA
1024
Family households
74%
Median house price
$597,500 area
Km to CBD
11

Leanyer suburb profile →

8. Durack, 0830

Durack (0830) is about 14 km from the Darwin CBD. The one school we hold for the suburb has an ICSEA of 1017 (ACARA), the 8th highest in Greater Darwin among suburbs where families are at least 40% of households. Families with dependants are 81% of households. No house median is published for it yet. 3,730 people lived there at the 2021 Census.

Avg school ICSEA
1017
Family households
81%
Median house price
–
Km to CBD
14

Durack suburb profile →

9. Wanguri, 0810

Wanguri (0810) is about 11 km from the Darwin CBD. The two schools we hold for the suburb average an ICSEA of 1011 (ACARA), the 9th highest in Greater Darwin among suburbs where families are at least 40% of households. Families with dependants are 78% of households. The median house price is $627,500 (the ABS statistical-area median for the area that carries its name). 1,836 people lived there at the 2021 Census.

Avg school ICSEA
1011
Family households
78%
Median house price
$627,500 area
Km to CBD
11

Wanguri suburb profile →

10. Zuccoli, 0832

Zuccoli (0832) is about 18 km from the Darwin CBD. The two schools we hold for the suburb average an ICSEA of 1008 (ACARA), the 10th highest in Greater Darwin among suburbs where families are at least 40% of households. Families with dependants are 82% of households. No house median is published for it yet. 4,131 people lived there at the 2021 Census.

Avg school ICSEA
1008
Family households
82%
Median house price
–
Km to CBD
18

Zuccoli suburb profile →

The ten compared.

#SuburbAvg school ICSEAFamily householdsMedian house priceKm to CBDProfile
1Rapid Creek

0810

110361%$800,000 area9View profile →
2Larrakeyah

0820

108661%$1,775,000 area3View profile →
3Parap

0820

106660%$945,000 area3View profile →
4Stuart Park

0820

105462%$820,000 area2View profile →
5Nakara

0810

105178%–11View profile →
6Nightcliff

0810

102561%$965,000 area9View profile →
7Leanyer

0812

102474%$597,500 area11View profile →
8Durack

0830

101781%–14View profile →
9Wanguri

0810

101178%$627,500 area11View profile →
10Zuccoli

0832

100882%–18View profile →

A dash means the suburb’s own page publishes no figure. “Area” marks an ABS statistical-area median.

Five more worth a look.

Ranks 11 to 15 on the same rule, for a shortlist that runs past the ten.

  1. Anula, 0812: Average school ICSEA 1006, families 80% of households
  2. Johnston, 0832: Average school ICSEA 1001, families 78% of households
  3. Jingili, 0810: Average school ICSEA 997, families 78% of households
  4. Fannie Bay, 0820: Average school ICSEA 980, families 63% of households
  5. Bakewell, 0832: Average school ICSEA 978, families 70% of households

Common questions

For families in Darwin: what people ask.

What are the best suburbs in Darwin for families?

By the average ICSEA of their schools, among Greater Darwin suburbs where families with dependants are at least 40% of households, the top three are Rapid Creek (ICSEA 1103), Larrakeyah (ICSEA 1086) and Parap (ICSEA 1066). ICSEA is ACARA's index of the socio-educational backgrounds of a school's students, published for every Australian school; it is a proxy for resourcing and outcomes, not a measure of teaching, so check the in-catchment school for an address before buying. The ranking is drawn from 38 suburbs.

How much does a house cost in the top family suburbs in Darwin?

Seven of the ten suburbs on this page have a published median house price, from $597,500 in Leanyer to $1,775,000 in Larrakeyah. Prices for the Northern Territory are ABS statistical-area (SA2) medians: each is the median for the area that carries the suburb's name. An SA2 can take in surrounding localities, so a figure can differ from sales in the suburb itself. A dash in the table means the suburb's own page publishes no median, because its source is distrusted or it rests on fewer than five recorded sales.

What suburbs should I stay away from in Darwin?

We do not publish a list of suburbs to avoid. This page ranks suburbs for families on measured figures, and a suburb missing from it may simply have no school with an ICSEA we hold, a family share under 40% of households or fewer than 1,000 residents. Each suburb's own page shows its crime figures where the state publishes them and its rents and sales, so check those for the address you are looking at rather than the suburb's reputation.

Which suburbs will boom in Darwin in 2026?

We do not predict which suburbs will boom, and we hold no growth figure to rank Darwin suburbs on: the medians we publish for the Northern Territory are ABS statistical-area (SA2) medians for 2024, and they come without a 12-month change. A figure beside a suburb here is a median, a rent, a yield, a walk score or a school ICSEA, each measured and sourced, never a forecast. Each suburb's own page shows its published median and says where it comes from.

Keep exploring

Best Suburbs for Families in Northern TerritoryBest Suburbs for Families in AustraliaNT most affordable suburbsDarwin house prices and property market

More Darwin lists

Cheapest suburbs in DarwinMost walkable suburbs in Darwin

Other cities

Best suburbs for families in SydneyBest suburbs for families in MelbourneBest suburbs for families in BrisbaneBest suburbs for families in PerthBest suburbs for families in AdelaideBest suburbs for families in HobartBest suburbs for families in Canberra

Shortlisted a suburb? Buy it well.

The complete buying guide: what you can actually spend, the 2026 schemes for your state, how the selling side plays you, and a 12-week plan from pre-approval to keys. Free PDF, in your inbox in 60 seconds.

Get the free buying guide