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Central Desert
Northern Territory · Northern Territory - Outback · 3,601 people · 16 suburbs · 2 postcodes
Central Desert at a glance
Map shows the Central Desert LGA boundary in blue with a marker per suburb. Hover for suburb name, click for details.
Marker colour reflects SEIFA IRSAD decile: ● 1-2 (most disadvantaged), ● 3-4, ● 5-6, ● 7-8, ● 9-10 (most advantaged).
Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021. Map tiles: OpenStreetMap contributors.
Federal electorate boundaries can be toggled on the map. Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021 CED boundaries.
Central Desert is a Local Government Area in Northern Territory, in the Darwin region. It covers 16 suburbs across 2 postcodes and an area of 295,460 km². Central Desert has a population of 3,601 , ranking #11 most populous in NT. The most populous suburb is Yuendumu (740 residents).About 3.3% of residents were born overseas and 76.4% speak a language other than English at home.
Who lives here
Age structure
Show counts
| 0–14 years | 948 (26.7%) |
| 15–24 years | 612 (17.2%) |
| 25–44 years | 1,089 (30.6%) |
| 45–64 years | 707 (19.9%) |
| 65+ years | 201 (5.7%) |
How they live
Housing tenure
Dwelling type mix
Work and learning
Schools in Central Desert
12 schools across Central Desert: 100.0% Government, 0% Catholic, 0% Independent. The NT average is 78.8% / 9.2% / 12.0%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 605 (range 561 to 662). NT median is 778; national mean is 1000.
Sector mix
Type breakdown
ICSEA range
ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) summarises the socio-economic background of each school's families. Higher values indicate more advantage. Source: ACARA 2025.
All 12 schools in Central Desert, sorted by enrolment:
| School | Sector | Type | Suburb | Students | ICSEA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lajamanu School | Government | Combined | Lajamanu | 164 | 598 |
| Yuendumu School | Government | Combined | Yuendumu | 157 | 632 |
| Mount Allan School | Government | Combined | Yuelamu | 73 | 622 |
| Willowra School | Government | Combined | Willowra | 59 | 600 |
| Harts Range School | Government | Combined | Atitjere | 56 | 638 |
| Ti Tree School | Government | Combined | Ti Tree | 54 | 641 |
| Laramba School | Government | Combined | Laramba | 46 | 561 |
| Alcoota School | Government | Combined | Engawala | 33 | 610 |
| Nyirripi School | Government | Combined | Nyirripi | 31 | 571 |
| Mulga Bore School | Government | Combined | Ti Tree | 17 | 599 |
| Stirling School | Government | Combined | Wilora | 12 | 662 |
| Bonya School | Government | Combined | Anatye | 7 | 579 |
Source: ACARA School Profiles 2025. ICSEA shown where reported; some schools (notably small primaries) do not publish ICSEA.
SEIFA socio-economic indexes
SEIFA 2021 ranks Australian areas across four dimensions. Scores are population-weighted averages of suburb-level SEIFA scores within Central Desert. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.
IRSAD
Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage
IRSD
Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)
IER
Economic resources: income, wealth, housing
IEO
Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels
Suburbs in Central Desert
Central Desert contains 16 suburbs and 2 postcodes. Sorted by population.
| Suburb | Postcode | Population | Median income | Median age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yuendumu | 0872 | 740 | $1,322/wk | 28 |
| Lajamanu | 0852 | 655 | $1,034/wk | 21 |
| Anmatjere | 0872 | 446 | $747/wk | 30 |
| Nyirripi | 0872 | 251 | $875/wk | 28 |
| Willowra | 0872 | 222 | $1,166/wk | 25 |
| Atitjere | 0872 | 204 | $1,575/wk | 28 |
| Laramba | 0872 | 189 | $1,125/wk | 29 |
| Engawala | 0872 | 164 | $1,399/wk | 29 |
| Anatye | 0872 | 160 | $1,536/wk | 23 |
| Yuelamu | 0872 | 149 | $866/wk | 27 |
| Tanami | 0872 | 144 | $1,250/wk | 42 |
| Hart | 0872 | 105 | $1,031/wk | 30 |
| Ti Tree | 0872 | 88 | $1,875/wk | 36 |
| Wilora | 0872 | 59 | $749/wk | 37 |
| Lake Mackay | 0872 | 25 | $1,187/wk | 36 |
| Chilla Well | 0872 |
Postcodes covered
Compare Central Desert with neighbouring LGAs
Side-by-side demographic and socio-economic snapshot of Central Desert and its closest neighbouring LGAs.
| LGA | Population | Median age | SEIFA IRSAD | % renting | % overseas-born |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Desert (NT) | 3,601 | 27.6 | 696 | 95.9% | 3.3% |
| MacDonnell | 5,753 | 29.8 | 740 | 91.2% | 3.0% |
| Barkly | 5,960 | 29.8 | 800 | 76.5% | 9.4% |
| Alice Springs | 25,904 | 34.7 | 1003 | 45.4% | 26.3% |
| Victoria Daly | 2,986 | 28.6 | 741 | 75.1% | 5.0% |
Services and amenities
Frequently asked questions about Central Desert
What is the population of Central Desert?
The 2021 Census recorded 3,601 people living in Central Desert, across 16 suburbs.
What suburbs are in Central Desert?
Central Desert contains 16 suburbs. The most populous are Yuendumu, Lajamanu, Anmatjere, Nyirripi, Willowra.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.
What postcodes are in Central Desert?
Central Desert covers 2 postcodes: 0852, 0872.
How many schools are in Central Desert?
Central Desert has 12 schools, including 12 government, 0 Catholic, and 0 independent schools (ACARA 2025).
What is the SEIFA score for Central Desert?
Central Desert has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 696, where the national average is 1000. Higher scores indicate more relative advantage.
Page last reviewed . Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0), SEIFA 2021 (IRSD, IRSAD, IER, IEO), ACARA School Profiles 2025, ABS ASGS 2021 LGA boundaries. How this data is sourced.