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MacDonnell
Northern Territory · Northern Territory - Outback · 5,753 people · 25 suburbs · 2 postcodes
MacDonnell at a glance
Map shows the MacDonnell 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.
MacDonnell is a Local Government Area in Northern Territory, in the Darwin region. It covers 25 suburbs across 2 postcodes and an area of 239,584 km². MacDonnell has a population of 5,753 , ranking #10 most populous in NT. The most populous suburb is Hugh (895 residents), and the highest median household income is in Ghan at $2,333/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,195/week and median age is 29.8. About 3.0% of residents were born overseas and 69.1% speak a language other than English at home.
Who lives here
Age structure
Show counts
| 0–14 years | 1,307 (22.9%) |
| 15–24 years | 911 (15.9%) |
| 25–44 years | 2,005 (35.1%) |
| 45–64 years | 1,197 (20.9%) |
| 65+ years | 296 (5.2%) |
How they live
Housing tenure
Dwelling type mix
Work and learning
Schools in MacDonnell
13 schools across MacDonnell: 92.3% Government, 7.7% Catholic, 0% Independent. The NT average is 78.8% / 9.2% / 12.0%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 622 (range 513 to 698). 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 13 schools in MacDonnell, sorted by enrolment:
| School | Sector | Type | Suburb | Students | ICSEA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ntaria School | Government | Combined | Hermannsburg | 155 | 613 |
| Ltyentye Apurte Catholic School | Catholic | Combined | Santa Teresa | 111 | 622 |
| Papunya School | Government | Combined | Papunya | 71 | 582 |
| Walungurru School | Government | Combined | Kintore | 48 | 513 |
| Mutitjulu School | Government | Combined | Mutitjulu | 43 | 647 |
| Watiyawanu School | Government | Combined | Mount Liebig | 40 | 528 |
| Finke School | Government | Combined | Finke | 39 | 678 |
| Titjikala School | Government | Combined | Titjikala | 37 | 698 |
| Areyonga School | Government | Combined | Areyonga | 29 | 586 |
| Amoonguna School | Government | Primary | Amoonguna | 18 | 610 |
| Haasts Bluff School | Government | Combined | Haasts Bluff | 15 | 625 |
| Mbunghara School | Government | Combined | Papunya | 14 | 654 |
| Wallace Rockhole School | Government | Combined | Wallace Rockhole | 7 | 623 |
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 MacDonnell. 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 MacDonnell
MacDonnell contains 25 suburbs and 2 postcodes. Sorted by population.
| Suburb | Postcode | Population | Median income | Median age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hugh | 0872 | 895 | $762/wk | 35 |
| Santa Teresa | 0872 | 609 | $1,178/wk | 25 |
| Hermannsburg | 0872 | 551 | $1,218/wk | 27 |
| Papunya | 0872 | 438 | $1,520/wk | 27 |
| Kintore | 0872 | 420 | $1,430/wk | 29 |
| Mutitjulu | 0872 | 296 | $1,812/wk | 30 |
| Mount Liebig | 0872 | 240 | $1,375/wk | 28 |
| Areyonga | 0872 | 236 | $1,399/wk | 31 |
| Burt Plain | 0872 | 230 | $824/wk | 34 |
| Amoonguna | 0872 | 229 | $814/wk | 29 |
| Kaltukatjara | 0872 | 229 | $1,374/wk | 34 |
| Titjikala | 0872 | 196 | $1,053/wk | 26 |
| Finke | 0872 | 191 | $850/wk | 28 |
| Namatjira | 0872 | 164 | $1,474/wk | 29 |
| Petermann | 0872 | 138 | $1,312/wk | 34 |
| Ghan | 0872 | 132 | $2,333/wk | 32 |
| Imanpa | 0872 | 124 | $1,124/wk | 25 |
| Kunparrka | 0872 | 121 | $725/wk | 34 |
| Wallace Rockhole | 0872 | 87 | $849/wk | 28 |
| Haasts Bluff | 0872 | 82 | $1,875/wk | 30 |
| Hale | 0872 | 72 | $466/wk | 40 |
| Mount Zeil | 0872 | 69 | $900/wk | 26 |
| Mereenie | 0872 | 4 | 37 | |
| Heavitree Gap Cpa | 0873 | |||
| Simpson | 0872 |
Postcodes covered
Compare MacDonnell with neighbouring LGAs
Side-by-side demographic and socio-economic snapshot of MacDonnell and its closest neighbouring LGAs.
| LGA | Population | Median age | Median HH income | SEIFA IRSAD | % renting | % overseas-born |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacDonnell (NT) | 5,753 | 29.8 | $1,195/wk | 740 | 91.2% | 3.0% |
| Alice Springs | 25,904 | 34.7 | $2,165/wk | 1003 | 45.4% | 26.3% |
| Central Desert | 3,601 | 27.6 | $1,148/wk | 696 | 95.9% | 3.3% |
| Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yunkunytjatjara | 598 | 29.4 | $1,183/wk | 771 | 100.0% | 4.0% |
| Barkly | 5,960 | 29.8 | $1,585/wk | 800 | 76.5% | 9.4% |
| Unincorporated NT | 2,183 | 42.6 | $1,205/wk | 938 | 51.0% | 18.5% |
Services and amenities
Frequently asked questions about MacDonnell
What is the population of MacDonnell?
The 2021 Census recorded 5,753 people living in MacDonnell, across 25 suburbs.
What suburbs are in MacDonnell?
MacDonnell contains 25 suburbs. The most populous are Hugh, Santa Teresa, Hermannsburg, Papunya, Kintore.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.
What postcodes are in MacDonnell?
MacDonnell covers 2 postcodes: 0872, 0873.
What is the median household income in MacDonnell?
The population-weighted median household income across MacDonnell is $1,195 per week (2021 Census), ranking #12 of 17 NT LGAs.
How many schools are in MacDonnell?
MacDonnell has 13 schools, including 12 government, 1 Catholic, and 0 independent schools (ACARA 2025).
What is the SEIFA score for MacDonnell?
MacDonnell has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 740, 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.