QLD · Northern Peninsula Area Council
Bamaga, 4876
Current weather
24.7°CMainly clear
77% humidity · 17 km/h wind · 29.2° / 24.1° today · 0.4 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Bamaga is a quieter smaller community in Northern Peninsula Area, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. Remote from the metro area in the best sense: quiet streets, big skies and a town that runs on its own timetable. Leafy streets and shaded corners make the suburb feel greener and more established than many nearby.
The community skews younger, with a strong presence of young families throughout. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting. There is enough green space nearby for walks, picnics and after-school play.
Housing remains accessible compared with many parts of the state. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and schools and education against similar regional towns, even with transport and access holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 1,186
- Median age
- 25
- Median household income / week
- $1,630
- Dwelling vacancy
- 15.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 53 of 343
- Median monthly mortgage
- $0
- Employment rate
- 55.1%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 19 / 35 / 8
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)
- 127
- Against the person
- 44
- Against property
- 47
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 107.1
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 27 residents
- State safety percentile
- 92.7th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate, partial year)
- +3.8%
Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Assault44
- Good Order Offences45
- Other Property Damage32
- Traffic And Related Offences38
- Unlawful Entry45
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Period: Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Jul 2026; Jan 2026 to Jul 2026 · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 681
- Northern Peninsula Area State CollegeCombined
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
Amenities
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
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
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 2
- Emergency department
- On site
- Bamaga Hospitalhospital
- Bamaga Primary Health Care Centreyes
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 1/10
- 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
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- No overlay at centroid
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Queensland Bushfire Prone Area mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 11
- Parks (OSM)
- 0
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
- 24.7/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 6112th in Australia
- State rank
- 1410th in QLD
- Peer rank
- #484 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #894 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 71%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Assaultcrime44
- Good Order Offencescrime45
- Other Property Damagecrime32
- Traffic And Related Offencescrime38
- Unlawful Entrycrime45
- Bamaga Hospitalhealthhospital
- Bamaga Primary Health Care Centrehealthyes
- Northern Peninsula Area State CollegeschoolsCombined
Data sources & freshness
- QPS Online Crime Map — Queensland Police Service · Updated on site · Calendar-year aggregates
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Updated on site
More in Northern Peninsula Area Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Queensland.