Indigenous Area · Area profile
Barkly
302,711 km²
Spanning over 300,000 square kilometres of remote landscape, Barkly is a vast and sparsely populated region of the Northern Territory. It is a place where basic services are scarce and most residents rely entirely on cars to get around. The community is marked by a strong cultural connection to country, with a high proportion of First Nations people speaking traditional languages. Life here is shaped by significant challenges in education and employment compared to the rest of the country.
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First Nations people in Barkly are more likely to speak a traditional language than those in the rest of the Territory, with 68.2% doing so. However, unemployment is among the highest for similar areas at 36.5%, and only 14.7% have finished Year 12, which is far below the national figure of 37.0%.
The area is almost entirely car-dependent, with a walkability score of 0.4, far below the Northern Territory average. No homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries or public transport, and only 12.8% are near health services.