Darwin’s median age is 34-and-a-half, the youngest in Australia

The number of people under 35 is booming in Darwin, the latest population figures reveal. Find out why.

An abundance of colour, chaos and career opportunities is what drew 31-year-old Zoe Kirkman to Darwin.

And purchasing her first forever home in the city is what will keep her here.

She is one of hundreds of young Australians continuing to call the Northern Territory home, with Darwin claiming the title of having the youngest capital city population in the country.

The median age is 34-and-a-half, according to the latest Census data.

“It’s a really fun place to be a young person,” Ms Kirkman said.

Ms Kirkman, a New Zealand native, had done a work placement in Alice Springs and decided to jump at the job offer she got up in Darwin.

“In the NT you get opportunities you don’t get anywhere else, if you’re willing to stick it out,” she said.

The opportunities aren’t only in the form of job offers or promotions, but in real estate as well.

“Previously I was renting in Melbourne for a while and this is my first house I own.”

Ms Kirkman said she planned on staying in Darwin for the “medium-term”, with no real plans to head back to her home country.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics also revealed Victoria River in the east of the Territory has the second youngest population of all regions, with a median age of 25.

Ms Kirkman said she believed there were many reasons young people were choosing to call Darwin their home.

“It’s a colourful wild place where you don’t know what’s going to happen but it will probably be fun,” she said.

“There might be a storm but there’s always a laksa at a market to warm you up.”

The NT News’ Future NT event on Friday, November 25 will explore how the government achieves a $40bn economy by 2030. Buy your tickets here.