Normanton, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Normanton is the main town of the Gulf Country in north-west Queensland, on the Norman River about 678 kilometres west of Cairns and not far from the fishing port of Karumba at the river mouth. The Gkuthaarn and Kukatj peoples are recognised as the traditional owners of the surrounding country. The town and the river take their name from William Henry Norman, a naval officer who surveyed the Gulf of Carpentaria. The site was chosen in 1867 and gazetted in 1868, and in 1889 a railway was completed to the goldfield at Croydon, still travelled today by the historic Gulflander train. Cattle, fishing and tourism sustain the town, which is famous for Krys, a life-size statue of the largest crocodile ever recorded, shot nearby in 1957.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Normanton is more socio-economically advantaged than about 4% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 848, 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.
Normanton at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,391
- Median age
- 31
- Median weekly household income
- $1,691
- SEIFA score
- 848
- Coordinates
- -17.9075, 140.9331
Normanton demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Normanton 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 children (0–14) at 27%, 64% of homes are rented, and 5% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 374 | 27% |
| Youth (15–24) | 184 | 13% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 369 | 27% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 322 | 23% |
| Seniors (65+) | 137 | 10% |
Share of the 1,386 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 69 | 18% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 27 | 7% |
| Rented | 252 | 64% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 334 | 84% |
| Townhouses & semis | 7 | 2% |
| Flats & apartments | 34 | 9% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 396 occupied private dwellings in Normanton.
- Median weekly rent
- $170
- Median monthly mortgage
- $992
- Average household size
- 3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,718
- Median weekly personal income
- $750
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 62 (5%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 51 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 774 (56%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 316 (31%)
- Labour-force participation
- 55.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 9.5%
- Employed full-time
- 359
- Employed part-time
- 96
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 Normanton
Where is Normanton?
Normanton is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Normanton?
At the 2021 Census, Normanton had a population of about 1,391.
Is Normanton an advantaged area?
Normanton has an ABS SEIFA score of 848, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 4 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 4% of Australian suburbs.
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