ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
Yirrkala is a regional centre in Northern Territory, Australia, with a population of approximately 657, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 656 km from the Darwin CBD, Yirrkala is a regional area in Northern Territory. The median household income is $87,308 per year.
Yirrkala has a solid income profile that supports reliable occupancy rates. Distance from major centres is a consideration, though regional markets can offer higher rental yields.
Official Australia Post postcode for Yirrkala. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.
Australia Post Postcode Finder →Usual resident population at the most recent census.
Weekly median rent for occupied homes. Live rental data integration coming soon.
Annual median household income (before tax) across all households.
Straight-line distance from the suburb centroid to the nearest capital city CBD. Actual driving distance will be longer.
Estimated 1 school within or near this suburb.
Find schools near Yirrkala on My School →Estimated 1 park and green spaces near this suburb.
Monthly median mortgage repayment for households currently paying off a mortgage.
Proportion of separate houses versus units, townhouses, and other home types. Useful for investors assessing rental demand mix.
Yirrkala is a smaller community of 657 — about 21% of the Northern Territory suburb median (3,057) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. Yirrkala's median household income of $87,308/year is 23% below the Northern Territory suburb median ($113,308) — this is an affordability play where returns lean on yield and patient capital growth rather than demographic premium. The median weekly rent of $83 translates to approximately $4,316/year in gross rental income, setting the upper bound on yield before vacancy, rates, insurance and maintenance. Yirrkala is 656 km from Darwin, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand.
How Yirrkala stacks up against the median of all Northern Territory suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Yirrkala sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | Yirrkala | NT median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 657 | 3,057 | -79% |
| Median household income | $87,308/yr | $113,308/yr | -23% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $83 | $360 | -77% |
| Distance to CBD | 656 km | 15 km | +4273% |
| Separate houses | 82% | 68% | +14pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for Yirrkala — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Limited buy-and-hold upside: a small population of 657 means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider Northern Territory market over full cycles.
Gross rent of $83/week (~$4,316/year) sets the yield ceiling. Cross-check against your purchase price to confirm whether this suburb hits the 4–5% gross yield most Australian investors target.
With 82% houses in a 657-person market, renovation margins depend on individual street and aspect rather than any suburb-wide story — do comparable-sales analysis before committing capital.
Run the numbers on a Yirrkala property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Capital-growth expectations for Yirrkala are modest for 2026 — incomes 23% below the NT median of $113,308 and a population of 657 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rents sit around $83/week, setting the baseline gross rental income at roughly $4,316/year — refine this against current listings before running your numbers. The EquitySight investment score of 34/100 places Yirrkala in the lower tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is cautious heading into the second half of 2026.
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Yirrkala scores 34/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a weak rating. That score is driven by a population of 657, median household income of $87,308/year and median weekly rent of $83. Whether it fits your portfolio depends on whether you are targeting cash flow, capital growth, or a value-add renovation — all three are scored with suburb-specific numbers elsewhere on this page.
The main demand drivers in Yirrkala are a median household income of $87,308/year, a dwelling mix that is 82% separate houses, roughly 1 schools and 1 parks within the catchment. Together these shape both owner-occupier and tenant demand and are the factors we weight most heavily in the suburb's investment score.
Yirrkala has a usual resident population of approximately 657, compared with a Northern Territory suburb median of 3,057 — placing it in the lower half of the state's suburbs by size. Population is the clearest proxy for market depth: more residents mean more transactions and typically a shorter average days-on-market on resale.
Yirrkala sits 656 km straight-line from the Darwin CBD. This is a regional market where CBD distance is only indicative — local industry diversity and commute alternatives matter more.
The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $83 in Yirrkala, equating to approximately $4,316/year in gross rental income (state median $360/week). Market rents have typically drifted above the recorded figure — verify against current listings on realestate.com.au and Domain before making an offer.
A reliable median mortgage figure was not captured for Yirrkala. Use our loan serviceability calculator to estimate a realistic monthly repayment for your target purchase price and deposit.
Census data was not complete enough in Yirrkala to compute a clean rent-to-mortgage coverage. Use current listings to benchmark weekly rent, then plug your expected purchase price into our rental yield calculator to see whether the investment runs cash-flow positive or negative.
The main risks are a thin buyer pool (657 residents), interest-rate sensitivity, below-median household incomes ($87,308 vs $113,308 state median), the broader Northern Territory market cycle. Each of these is covered in the Risk Factors section above with suburb-specific numbers rather than generic warnings.
Every number on this page comes from the ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing, Australia Post postcode reference data, and OpenStreetMap amenity tiles. The investment score, strategy verdicts, and comparison table are computed deterministically from those inputs — no opinion, no estimation. See our full methodology and the data sources and licences for the formulas we use.