NT · Darwin Council
Rapid Creek, 0810
Current weather
25.9°CClear sky
81% humidity · 10.5 km/h wind · 28.8° / 23.2° today · 1.3 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
- Cycling
- Education hub
- Café precinct
Suburb profile
Rapid Creek is a practical mid-sized suburb in Darwin, 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. Tree-lined streets and leafy pockets give the suburb a noticeably green, settled character.
Families and commuters make up much of the community, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Everyday errands and local outings are straightforward, with the wider metro area adding variety. Outdoor life is easy here, with generous parks and room for kids, dogs and weekend strolls.
Transport options are solid enough for daily errands and regular trips further afield. Property is in demand, reflecting the appeal of living in a place people actively choose.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits around average overall, mainly because housing affordability and local dining and lifestyle amenities lag similar metro suburbs, despite relative strength in transport and access and parks and green space. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 3,261
- Median age
- 35
- Median household income / week
- $2,208
- Dwelling vacancy
- 9.8%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 142 of 1,447
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,956
- Employment rate
- 72.9%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 79 / 19 / 746
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)
- 3,013
- Against the person
- 1,009
- Against property
- 2,004
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 923.9
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 3 residents
- State safety percentile
- 40.8th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
- -31.9%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- 021 Serious Assault610
- 023 Common Assault150
- 061 Burglary - Dwelling (House Break-Ins), Actual129
- 07* Other Theft961
- 11 Property Damage Offences756
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)
- 1,102.5
- St Paul's Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary
- The Essington SchoolCombined
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
- 100 Ryland Road
- 122 Ryland Road
- 144 Ryland Road
- 82 Ryland Road
- Ryland Rd after Nightcliff Rd
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
35 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bench (2)
- Bicycle Parking (2)
- Cummins Street (159)Bus stop
- Nightcliff Middle - Ryland Rd (221)Bus stop
- Nightcliff Middle School (091)Bus stop
- opp Rapid Creek Shops (096)Bus stop
- Ryland Road (092)Bus stop
- Ryland Road (093)Bus stop
- Ryland Road (094)Bus stop
- Ryland Road (218)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
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Kite CornerPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 9/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 8/10
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)
- 35
- Parks (OSM)
- 2
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
- 46.7/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 11% of Northern Territory's suburbs
- National rank
- 2173rd in Australia
- State rank
- 17th in NT
- Peer rank
- #13 among Metro Darwin · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #14 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 Assaultcrime610
- 023 Common Assaultcrime150
- 061 Burglary - Dwelling (House Break-Ins), Actualcrime129
- 07* Other Theftcrime961
- 11 Property Damage Offencescrime756
- Kite Cornergovernmentpark
- 100 Ryland Roadtransport
- 122 Ryland Roadtransport
- 144 Ryland Roadtransport
- 82 Ryland Roadtransport
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 Darwin Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Northern Territory.