Urban Centre · Area profile
Bamaga
10 km²
A dramatic shift in identity has seen Bamaga become far more Indigenous since 2011, with 78.7% of the population now identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. This is a very young community where the typical resident is just 25 years old. Many families are large and a high proportion of households are headed by single parents. Set in the Northern Peninsula Area, the town is characterized by a strong reliance on rental housing and a high rate of people speaking languages other than English at home.
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The community is exceptionally young, with 33.1% of people under 15 and only 4.4% aged 65 or over. This is far younger than the national typical age of 38. De facto relationships are also much more common here than in the rest of the country.
The area is overwhelmingly Australian-born, with 85.8% born here. This means the proportion of people born overseas is far below the national figure, falling to 3.2% since 2011.
Language diversity is very high, with 70.8% of people using another language at home, a massive increase since 2011. About 7.9% of residents speak little or no English, which is well above the national average.
Christianity is the dominant faith for 75.2% of the population. This means far fewer people report having no religion compared to the typical Queensland or Australian community.
While the number of people with a university degree is far below the national figure, there has been a positive trend in school completion, with 54.0% now finishing Year 12.
Typical weekly household income is $1,625, which is about the same as the state and national figures. However, the number of households earning $3,000 or more a week has risen to 15.4% since 2011.
Residents report far fewer long-term health conditions than the national average. Only 1.9% of people need help with daily activities, and just 1.0% report a mental health condition.
Unpaid childcare is very common, with 35.9% of people caring for children. In contrast, volunteering has fallen sharply since 2011 and is now well below the national figure.
Homes are typically crowded, with 3.4 people per dwelling. This is well above the national figure and is consistent with a high number of one-parent families, who make up 30.7% of households.
Rental properties dominate the market at 92.3%, while only 1.0% of homes are owned outright. Rent is far below the national average at a typical $120 per week.
Many households get around without a car, with 22.1% of homes owning no motor vehicle. This is far above the national average, though 50% of workers still drive to get to their jobs.
The population is relatively stable, as far fewer people have moved here in the last five years compared to the rest of Australia. There have been no recent arrivals from overseas.
A high number of people are employed full-time, particularly in health, education, and public administration. However, the unemployment rate is 9.0%, which is well above the national figure.
Most residents live within a short walk of groceries, parks, and health services. However, there is no public transport within a 10-minute walk of any home.