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Roper Gulf
Northern Territory · Northern Territory - Outback · 6,477 people · 37 suburbs · 4 postcodes
Roper Gulf at a glance
Map shows the Roper Gulf 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.
Roper Gulf is a Local Government Area in Northern Territory, in the Darwin region. It covers 37 suburbs across 4 postcodes and an area of 185,213 km². Roper Gulf has a population of 6,477 , ranking #7 most populous in NT. The most populous suburb is Ngukurr (1,088 residents).About 4.0% of residents were born overseas and 64.4% speak a language other than English at home.
Who lives here
Age structure
Show counts
| 0–14 years | 1,484 (23.1%) |
| 15–24 years | 1,219 (19.0%) |
| 25–44 years | 2,033 (31.7%) |
| 45–64 years | 1,288 (20.1%) |
| 65+ years | 390 (6.1%) |
How they live
Housing tenure
Dwelling type mix
Work and learning
Schools in Roper Gulf
11 schools across Roper Gulf: 100.0% Government, 0% Catholic, 0% Independent. The NT average is 78.8% / 9.2% / 12.0%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 625 (range 585 to 844). 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 11 schools in Roper Gulf, sorted by enrolment:
| School | Sector | Type | Suburb | Students | ICSEA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ngukurr School | Government | Combined | Ngukurr | 207 | 676 |
| Borroloola School | Government | Combined | Borroloola | 169 | 665 |
| Wugularr School | Government | Combined | Beswick | 138 | 585 |
| Minyerri School | Government | Combined | Miniyeri | 134 | 653 |
| Numbulwar School | Government | Combined | Numbulwar | 113 | 597 |
| Barunga School | Government | Combined | Barunga | 81 | 614 |
| Jilkminggan School | Government | Combined | Jilkminggan | 57 | 625 |
| Robinson River School | Government | Combined | Robinson River | 55 | 595 |
| Bulman School | Government | Combined | Bulman Weemol | 52 | 610 |
| Urapunga School | Government | Combined | Wilton | 26 | 641 |
| Mataranka School | Government | Combined | Mataranka | 23 | 844 |
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 Roper Gulf. 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 Roper Gulf
Roper Gulf contains 37 suburbs and 4 postcodes. Sorted by population.
| Suburb | Postcode | Population | Median income | Median age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ngukurr | 0852 | 1,088 | $1,260/wk | 25 |
| Borroloola | 0854 | 755 | $1,301/wk | 32 |
| Numbulwar | 0822 | 681 | $1,257/wk | 30 |
| Miniyeri | 0852 | 650 | $1,812/wk | 22 |
| Beswick | 0852 | 542 | $1,333/wk | 27 |
| Mcarthur | 0852 | 392 | $844/wk | 39 |
| Mataranka | 0852 | 384 | $1,843/wk | 38 |
| Barunga | 0852 | 337 | $1,087/wk | 26 |
| Bulman Weemol | 0852 | 263 | $1,375/wk | 29 |
| Jilkminggan | 0852 | 263 | $1,416/wk | 25 |
| Nitmiluk | 0852 | 212 | $1,261/wk | 27 |
| Limmen | 0852 | 203 | $900/wk | 31 |
| Robinson River | 0852 | 180 | $1,319/wk | 25 |
| Wilton | 0852 | 118 | $1,166/wk | 22 |
| Arnold | 0852 | 75 | $2,074/wk | 28 |
| Flying Fox | 0852 | 64 | $2,166/wk | 34 |
| Birdum | 0852 | 63 | $2,250/wk | 34 |
| Daly Waters | 0852 | 55 | $1,375/wk | 33 |
| Sturt Plateau | 0852 | 37 | $1,874/wk | 53 |
| Numburindi | 0822 | 36 | $537/wk | 35 |
| Larrimah | 0852 | 27 | $1,874/wk | 37 |
| Calvert | 0862 | 21 | $2,250/wk | 58 |
| Beswick Creek | 0852 | 16 | $2,249/wk | 28 |
| Elsey | 0852 | 12 | $1,024/wk | 55 |
| Pellew Islands | 0852 | 3 | $1,125/wk | 40 |
| Avon Downs | 0862 | |||
| Cresswell Downs | 0862 | |||
| Gulung Mardrulk | 0852 | |||
| Helen Springs | 0862 | |||
| King Ash Bay | 0854 | |||
| Muckaty Station | 0862 | |||
| Phillip Creek Station | 0862 | |||
| Renner Springs | 0862 | |||
| Three Ways | 0862 | |||
| Warrego | 0862 | |||
| Wollogorang Station | 0862 | |||
| Wycliffe Well | 0862 |
Postcodes covered
Compare Roper Gulf with neighbouring LGAs
Side-by-side demographic and socio-economic snapshot of Roper Gulf and its closest neighbouring LGAs.
| LGA | Population | Median age | SEIFA IRSAD | % renting | % overseas-born |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roper Gulf (NT) | 6,477 | 29.0 | 711 | 82.0% | 4.0% |
| Barkly | 5,960 | 29.8 | 800 | 76.5% | 9.4% |
| Katherine | 9,659 | 33.6 | 965 | 56.4% | 15.3% |
| East Arnhem | 12,791 | 29.4 | 808 | 94.3% | 6.2% |
| West Arnhem | 6,279 | 28.1 | 731 | 95.9% | 4.3% |
Services and amenities
Frequently asked questions about Roper Gulf
What is the population of Roper Gulf?
The 2021 Census recorded 6,477 people living in Roper Gulf, across 37 suburbs.
What suburbs are in Roper Gulf?
Roper Gulf contains 37 suburbs. The most populous are Ngukurr, Borroloola, Numbulwar, Miniyeri, Beswick.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.
What postcodes are in Roper Gulf?
Roper Gulf covers 4 postcodes: 0822, 0852, 0854, 0862.
How many schools are in Roper Gulf?
Roper Gulf has 11 schools, including 11 government, 0 Catholic, and 0 independent schools (ACARA 2025).
What is the SEIFA score for Roper Gulf?
Roper Gulf has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 711, 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.