NT · Palmerston Council
Gray, 0830
Current weather
29.3°CClear sky
57% humidity · 4.1 km/h wind · 31° / 21.5° today · 0.5 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Gray is a practical mid-sized suburb in Palmerston, well placed for families who want metro access without the inner-city squeeze. Out in the wider region, it rewards those who value open country and a pace set by the land, not the clock. Leafy streets and shaded corners make the suburb feel greener and more established than many nearby.
Working households and growing families are the backbone of local life, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Local shops and services cover the basics well, with more choice a short trip into neighbouring suburbs. Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls.
Reasonable public transport access helps with commuting and getting around locally. The area offers approachable housing costs alongside a lifestyle that still feels complete.
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
- 3,142
- Median age
- 34
- Median household income / week
- $1,479
- Dwelling vacancy
- 11.1%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 141 of 1,276
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,725
- Employment rate
- 55.9%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 103 / 15 / 442
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
- 475.8
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 7 residents
- State safety percentile
- 15.3th (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
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 808
- Gray Primary SchoolPrimary
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
- 29 Victoria Drive
- 55 Victoria Drive
- 65 Emery Avenue
- Emery Ave opp Sacred Heart Primary School
- Victoria Dve before Priest Cct
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
24 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bench (2)
- Chung Wah Terrace (446)Bus stop
- Emery Avenue (434)Bus stop
- Emery Avenue (445) (Unused)Bus stop
- Essington Avenue (447)Bus stop
- Essington Avenue (448)Bus stop
- Essington Avenue (454)Bus stop
- Gray Shops (453)Bus stop
- Raffles Road (450)Bus stop
- Raffles Road (451)Bus stop
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
7 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Allamurr ParkPark
- Confalonieri ParkPark
- Dillon ParkPark
- Dunbar ParkPark
- Essington ParkPark
- Reedbeds ParkPark
- Roberts ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 2/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 1/10
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)
- 8
- Parks (OSM)
- 8
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
- 30.8/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5194th in Australia
- State rank
- 113th in NT
- Peer rank
- #49 among Metro Darwin · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #51 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
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Benchamenitiesbench
- Chung Wah Terrace (446)amenitiesbus_stop
- City Of Palmerstonamenitieswaste_basket
- Drinking wateramenitiesdrinking_water
- East Dunbar Park Playgroundamenitiesplayground
- Emery Avenue (434)amenitiesbus_stop
- Emery Avenue (445) (Unused)amenitiesbus_stop
- Essington Avenue (447)amenitiesbus_stop
- Essington Avenue (448)amenitiesbus_stop
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
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.