NT · Palmerston Council
Driver, 0830
Current weather
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57% humidity · 4.1 km/h wind · 31° / 21.5° today · 0.5 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Affordable
- Transport
- Green space
- Schools
- Shops
Suburb profile
Driver is a practical mid-sized suburb in Palmerston, well placed for families who want metro access without the inner-city squeeze. Set in the wider countryside, it offers distance from the capital and a strong sense of place. Young professionals and new households shape much of the local mix, with a strong presence of young families throughout.
Daily life is practical and well connected, with the city and nearby suburbs easy to tap into. Pocket parks and green corners give residents room to get outside without leaving the neighbourhood. Transport options are solid enough for daily errands and regular trips further afield.
Homes are relatively affordable, which helps families and first-time residents put down roots. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker housing affordability and local dining and lifestyle amenities against similar metro suburbs, even with transport and access and parks and green space holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 2,747
- Median age
- 33
- Median household income / week
- $1,984
- Dwelling vacancy
- 10.8%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 113 of 1,049
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,950
- Employment rate
- 66.6%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 95 / 49 / 268
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2026 to Jul 2026)
- 1,495
- Against the person
- 461
- Against property
- 1,034
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 544.2
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 6 residents
- State safety percentile
- 19.4th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -21.8%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- 021 Serious Assault311
- 023 Common Assault48
- 061 Burglary - Dwelling (House Break-Ins), Actual64
- 07* Other Theft449
- 11 Property Damage Offences444
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- NT Police crime statistics (reporting region / SA2) — Northern Territory Police · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Jul 2026; Jan 2026 to Jul 2026 · Updated on site · Monthly CSV; regional totals where suburb-level data unavailable
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 2
- Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
- 899
- Driver Primary SchoolPrimary
- Palmerston CollegeSecondary
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Public transport
15 public transport stops in this suburb
- 51 Dwyer Circuit
- 79 Dwyer Circuit
- Driver Ave at Driver School
- Temple Tce after Tilston Ave
- opp 12 Dwyer Circuit
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
Amenities
21 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bicycle Parking
- Driver Avenue (464)Bus stop
Driver
- Driver Avenue (465)Bus stop
Driver
- Driver Avenue (476)Bus stop
Driver
- Driver Avenue Shops (463)Bus stop
Driver
- Driver Primary School (462)Bus stop
Driver
- Dwyer Circuit (341)Bus stop
- Dwyer Circuit (342)Bus stop
- Dwyer Circuit (343)Bus stop
- Elrundie Avenue (466)Bus stop
Driver
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
4 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Gwyn ParkPark
- President ParkPark
- Pretty ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 3/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 3/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 7
- Parks (OSM)
- 7
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 34.6/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 4362nd in Australia
- State rank
- 84th in NT
- Peer rank
- #42 among Metro Darwin · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #44 among Metro Darwin suburbs
- Data confidence
- 74%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- 021 Serious Assaultcrime311
- 023 Common Assaultcrime48
- 061 Burglary - Dwelling (House Break-Ins), Actualcrime64
- 07* Other Theftcrime449
- 11 Property Damage Offencescrime444
- Gwyn Parkgovernmentpark
- President Parkgovernmentpark
- President Parkgovernmentpark
- Pretty Parkgovernmentpark
- 51 Dwyer Circuittransport
Data sources & freshness
- NT Police crime statistics (reporting region / SA2) — Northern Territory Police · Updated on site · Monthly CSV; regional totals where suburb-level data unavailable
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
More in Palmerston Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Northern Territory.