What is the northernmost city in Australia?

Darwin is the northernmost city in Australia, although there are inhabited settlements further north in Arnhemland, the Tiwi Islands, Cape York and the Torres Strait.

Most of Australia’s largest cities are in the south of the country, below the Tropic of Capricorn. Townsville is the largest tropical city in Australia, but if you’re asking what the northernmost city in Australia is, there are generally two contenders.

Northernmost city in Australia: Cairns vs Darwin

Tourism-centric Cairns is the hub for far north Queensland, while Darwin is the capital and largest city of the Northern Territory. It is often assumed that both are roughly as far north as each other, but the difference in latitude is much bigger than many realise.

Cairns lies at a latitude of 16.9203° S, while Darwin is at a latitude of 12.4637° S. Darwin is much further north than Cairns. But is Darwin the northernmost city in Australia?

Well, we can start by looking at the Northern Territory. Casuarina is to the north of Darwin, but it is very much a suburb of Darwin and not remotely big enough to be classed as a city.

Northernmost settlement in Australia

Parts of Arnhemland and the Tiwi Islands are also north of Darwin. But according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2,506 people live across the Tiwi Islands, so the settlements there can be safely discounted. The population of Nhulunbuy, the largest settlement in Arnhemland, is 3,275. So that’s definitely not a city either.

But what about cities in the far north of Queensland? After all, the northernmost point of Australia is in Queensland, and parts of the Cape York Peninsula are north of Darwin. As are the Tiwi Islands.

There are no cities on the Tiwi Islands, and the most populous of these is Thursday Island. The population of Thursday Island is just under 3,000 people, however.

The most northerly inhabited island of Australia is Boigu Island, just six kilometres off the coast of New Guinea. Boigu is the northernmost settlement in Australia, with a population of roughly 270 people.

There are bigger settlements further down Cape York. The largest of these is Weipa, with a population of 4,383. But even Weipa lies just south of Darwin.

Therefore, the northernmost city in Australia is Darwin. And by a fair old distance, too.

Things to do in tropical Australia

Cruise the enormous Lake Argyle in the Kimberley.

Go fishing in the King River near Wyndham in the Kimberley.

Swim in the Ellery Creek Big Hole in the West MacDonnell Ranges.

Take on the Brisbane to Cairns drive up the east coast.

Go barramundi fishing in Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria.