Adelaide River, NT
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Adelaide River is a small town in the Top End of the Northern Territory, on the Stuart Highway about 113 kilometres south of Darwin in the Coomalie Shire. The Kungarrakan and Awarai peoples are acknowledged as the traditional owners of the surrounding country. The town grew from the building of the Overland Telegraph Line and the railway, which reached it in 1888 after the discovery of gold at nearby Pine Creek drew people to the region. During the Second World War the district became a major staging area for the defence of northern Australia, and the Adelaide River War Cemetery, established in 1942, commemorates those who died in the campaign. A heritage steel railway bridge dating from 1888 still stands nearby.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Adelaide River is more socio-economically advantaged than about 9% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 884, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Adelaide River at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 317
- Median age
- 52
- Median weekly household income
- $992
- SEIFA score
- 884
- Coordinates
- -13.1661, 131.1674
Adelaide River demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Adelaide River using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is mid-life (45–64) at 32%, 25% of homes are rented, and 15% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 52 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 21 | 6% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 62 | 19% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 104 | 32% |
| Seniors (65+) | 85 | 26% |
Share of the 324 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 49 | 45% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 17 | 15% |
| Rented | 28 | 25% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 89 | 78% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 114 occupied private dwellings in Adelaide River.
- Median weekly rent
- $200
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,333
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,281
- Median weekly personal income
- $583
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 38 (15%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 7 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 83 (26%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 62 (24%)
- Labour-force participation
- 41.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.5%
- Employed full-time
- 56
- Employed part-time
- 35
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Common questions about Adelaide River
Where is Adelaide River?
Adelaide River is a suburb of Northern Territory, Australia.
What is the population of Adelaide River?
At the 2021 Census, Adelaide River had a population of about 317.
Is Adelaide River an advantaged area?
Adelaide River has an ABS SEIFA score of 884, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 9 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 9% of Australian suburbs.
Nearby suburbs in Northern Territory
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