Council (LGA) · Area profile
Northern Peninsula Area
1,052 km²
A massive gap in demographics separates the Northern Peninsula Area from the rest of the state, where 82.2% of the population are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This is a very young community, with a typical resident aged just 23 and over a third of the population being children under 15. The area has grown by 21% since 2011, though it remains a place of significant hardship with low typical incomes and high unemployment. It is a distinctive corner of Queensland defined by its First Nations heritage and youthful energy.
A family-heavy area that's short on schools per child.
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The community is remarkably young, with a typical age of 23 and a very low proportion of seniors at 4.8%. De facto relationships are far more common here than across Australia, accounting for 30.6% of residents.
Almost everyone lives in their birth country, as only 2.4% of people were born overseas, which is far below the national figure of 27.7%.
Language diversity is very high, with 72.8% of people using another language at home, far above the 22.3% national average. However, the number of people who speak little or no English fell to 11.3% since 2016.
Religious affiliation is much higher than the national average, with 58.6% of people identifying as Christian and only 18.8% reporting no religion.
While 45.9% of residents completed Year 12—a figure higher than most similar areas—the number of adults with a bachelor degree or higher is far below the national average at just 7.2%.
Incomes are much lower than the national figure, with the typical household earning $1,331 a week. Those earning $3,000 or more per week make up only 10.8% of households, well below the 22.6% seen across Australia.
Residents report far fewer long-term health conditions (12.5%) and mental health conditions (1.4%) than the state or national averages.
Unpaid childcare is very common here, with 36.4% of people caring for children, which is far above the national figure of 26.3%. Conversely, volunteering is much lower than most areas at 10.1%.
First Nations people make up the vast majority of the population, and 85.2% speak a First Nations language. The unemployment rate for First Nations people is 16.6%, which is well above the national figure of 12.3%.
Homes are larger than typical, with 3.5 people per household. This is consistent with the high number of children and the fact that one-parent families are far more common here than in the rest of the state.
Rental is the dominant tenure, with 90.6% of households renting, while outright home ownership is among the lowest in the country at 2.7%. Weekly rents are also very low, with a typical payment of $120.
The area is heavily reliant on cars, as 23.6% of homes have no motor vehicle—far above the national average. There are no public transport routes or stops in the area.
The population is very stable, with only 20.3% of people moving in the last five years, far below the national rate of 40.7%. No new arrivals from overseas were recorded in 2021.
Full-time employment is much higher than the national average at 64.2%, though the overall unemployment rate is among the highest at 14.0%. Most people work in health care, social assistance, or public administration.
The area is among the most disadvantaged in the country, ranking 1 out of 10 for overall advantage, education, and access to resources.
The region is very wet and warm, with an average annual rainfall of 1,960mm, which is far above the Queensland average of 379mm.
The area experiences very high rates of recorded offences, particularly assault, burglary, and drug offences, which are among the highest at this level.
The area is mostly car-dependent with a walkability score of 3.2. While 93.8% of homes are within a short walk of a park, there is no access to public transport.