List of cities in Australia by population

This list of Australian cities by population briefly explains the three different population figures given for Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n cities, and provides rankings for each.

Capital city Statistical Divisions and Statistical Districts by population

Statistical Divisions (SDs) are defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as areas under the unifying influence of one or more major towns or cities. Each capital city forms its own Statistical Division, and in Australia

Australia

the population of the SD is the most-often quoted figure for that city's population. Statistical Districts are defined as non-capital but predominantly urban areas. The Australian Government treats divisions and districts with more than 100,000 people as metropolitan.

Statistical Divisions are in bold, the rest are Statistical Districts.

Rank	Statistical Division/District	State/Territory	June 2009	June 2010
1	Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...	New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...	4,504,469	4,575,532
2	Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...	Victoria Victoria (Australia) Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....	3,995,537	4,077,036
3	Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...	Queensland Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...	2,004,262	2,043,185
4	Perth Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....	Western Australia Western Australia Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...	1,658,992	1,696,065
5	Adelaide Adelaide Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...	South Australia South Australia South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...	1,187,466	1,203,186
6	Gold Coast Gold Coast, Queensland Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous... -Tweed Tweed Heads, New South Wales Tweed Heads is a town located on the Tweed River in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia in Tweed Shire. Tweed Heads is located next to the border with Queensland, adjacent to the "Twin Town" of Coolangatta, a suburb of the Gold Coast...	Queensland/New South Wales	577,977	591,473
7	Newcastle	New South Wales	540,796	546,788
8	Canberra Canberra Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne... -Queanbeyan	Australian Capital Territory Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory... /New South Wales	403,118	410,419
*	Canberra Canberra Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...	Australian Capital Territory	351,868	358,600
9	Wollongong	New South Wales	288,984	292,190
10	Sunshine Coast Sunshine Coast, Queensland The Sunshine Coast is an urban area in South East Queensland, north of the state capital of Brisbane on the Pacific Ocean coastline. Although it does not have a central business district, by population it ranks as the 10th largest metropolis in Australia and the third largest in...	Queensland	245,309	251,081
11	Greater Hobart Hobart Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as...	Tasmania Tasmania Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...	212,019	214,705
12	Geelong	Victoria	175,803	178,650
13	Townsville	Queensland	168,402	172,316
14	Cairns	Queensland	147,118	150,920
15	Toowoomba	Queensland	128,600	131,258
16	Darwin Darwin, Northern Territory Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...	Northern Territory Northern Territory The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...	124,760	127,532
17	Launceston Launceston, Tasmania Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...	Tasmania	105,445	106,153
18	Albury Albury, New South Wales Albury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area... -Wodonga Wodonga, Victoria Wodonga is a small city on the Victorian side of the border with New South Wales, north-east of Melbourne, Australia. Adjacent to Wodonga across the border is the New South Wales city of Albury. Wodonga is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Wodonga LGA...	New South Wales/Victoria	104,609	106,052
19	Ballarat	Victoria	94,088	96,097
20	Bendigo	Victoria	89,995	91,713
21	Mandurah	Western Australia	83,032	85,814
22	Mackay Mackay, Queensland Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar....	Queensland	83,680	85,700
23	Burnie Burnie, Tasmania - Sport :Australian rules football is popular in Burnie. The city's team is the Burnie Dockers Football Club in the Tasmanian State League.Rugby union is also played in Burnie. The local club is the Burnie Rugby Union Club. They are the current Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide Division Two Premiers... -Devonport Devonport, Tasmania -Sport:The Devonport Football Club is an Australian Rules team competing in the Tasmanian Statewide League. The Devonport Rugby Club is a Rugby Union team competing in the Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide League...	Tasmania	82,102	82,567
24	Latrobe Valley Latrobe Valley The Latrobe Valley is an inland geographical region and urban area of Gippsland in the state of Victoria, Australia. It is east of the City Of Melbourne and nestled between the Strzelecki Ranges to the south and the Great Dividing Range to the north – with the highest peak to the north of the...	Victoria	80,014	81,001
25	Rockhampton Rockhampton Rockhampton can refer to:* Rockhampton, Queensland is a city in Queensland, Australia* Rockhampton City, Queensland, a suburb of Rockhampton, Queensland* Electoral district of Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia...	Queensland	77,017	77,878
26	Bundaberg	Queensland	67,840	69,036
27	Bunbury Bunbury, Western Australia The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the State Capital Perth and Mandurah. It is situated south of Perth's central business district...	Western Australia	66,117	68,248
28	Hervey Bay	Queensland	58,902	60,807
29	Wagga Wagga	New South Wales	58,046	58,610
30	Coffs Harbour	New South Wales	52,517	53,401
31	Gladstone Gladstone, Queensland - Education :Gladstone has several primary schools, three high schools, and one university campus, Central Queensland University. It is also home to CQIT Gladstone Campus.- Recreation :...	Queensland	50,538	51,158
32	Mildura	Victoria	50,042	50,522
33	Shepparton Shepparton, Victoria Shepparton is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in the north east of Victoria, Australia approximately north-east of Melbourne. It is the fifth largest city in Victoria, Australia. The estimated population of Shepparton's statistical area is 48,926.It began as a sheep station...	Victoria	48,926	49,859
34	Tamworth Tamworth, New South Wales Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...	New South Wales	46,695	47,595
35	Port Macquarie	New South Wales	43,561	44,313
36	Orange Orange, New South Wales Orange is a city in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is west of the state capital, Sydney, at an altitude of . Orange has an estimated population of 39,329 and the city is a major provincial centre....	New South Wales	38,685	39,329
37	Dubbo	New South Wales	37,491	38,037
38	Geraldton	Western Australia	36,343	36,958
39	Nowra Nowra, New South Wales Nowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Located SSW and approximately by road south of the state capital of Sydney, it has an estimated population together with its twin-town of Bomaderry of 34,479. It is also the seat and commercial centre of the City of Shoalhaven... -Bomaderry Bomaderry, New South Wales Bomaderry is a town in the Shoalhaven council district area of New South Wales, Australia. In 2006, it had a population of 6,601 people. It is on the north shore of the Shoalhaven River, across the river from Nowra, the major town of the Shoalhaven,of which Bomaderry is locally regarded as being...	New South Wales	33,985	34,479
40	Bathurst Bathurst, New South Wales -CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...	New South Wales	33,793	34,303
41	Warrnambool	Victoria	33,374	33,922
42	Lismore Lismore, New South Wales Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...	New South Wales	32,291	32,494
43	Kalgoorlie-Boulder	Western Australia	32,150	32,390

50 largest Urban Centres by population

Urban Centres are defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as being a population cluster of 1,000 or more people. For statistical purposes, people living in Urban Centres are classified as urban. These figures represent the populations of the contiguous built-up areas

Urban area

An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...

of each city.

State and territory capitals are in bold.

Rank	Urban Centre	Total number of people, 2006 census	Stat. Division/District (if part of larger SD)
1	Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... , New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...	3,641,422
2	Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater... , Victoria Victoria (Australia) Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....	3,371,888
3	Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of... , Queensland Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...	1,676,389
4	Perth Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000.... , Western Australia Western Australia Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...	1,256,035
5	Adelaide Adelaide Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million... , South Australia South Australia South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...	1,040,719
6	Gold Coast Gold Coast, Queensland Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous... -Tweed Heads Tweed Heads, New South Wales Tweed Heads is a town located on the Tweed River in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia in Tweed Shire. Tweed Heads is located next to the border with Queensland, adjacent to the "Twin Town" of Coolangatta, a suburb of the Gold Coast... , Queensland/New South Wales	454,436
7	Canberra Canberra Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne... -Queanbeyan Queanbeyan, New South Wales Queanbeyan is a regional centre in the Southern Tablelands in south-eastern New South Wales adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory. The city's mixed economy is based on light construction, high technology, manufacturing, service, retail and agriculture. It is the council seat of the... , Australian Capital Territory Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory... /New South Wales	356,120
8	Newcastle Newcastle, New South Wales The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas... , New South Wales	288,732	Newcastle
9	Central Coast, New South Wales	282,726	Sydney
10	Wollongong, New South Wales	234,482	Illawarra
11	Sunshine Coast Sunshine Coast, Queensland The Sunshine Coast is an urban area in South East Queensland, north of the state capital of Brisbane on the Pacific Ocean coastline. Although it does not have a central business district, by population it ranks as the 10th largest metropolis in Australia and the third largest in... , Queensland	184,662
12	Geelong, Victoria	137,220
13	Townsville-Thuringowa Thuringowa, Queensland The City of Thuringowa was a City/Local Government Area in North Queensland, Australia covering the northern and western parts of what is now Townsville... , Queensland	128,808
14	Hobart Hobart Hobart is the state capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Founded in 1804 as a penal colony,Hobart is Australia's second oldest capital city after Sydney. In 2009, the city had a greater area population of approximately 212,019. A resident of Hobart is known as... , Tasmania Tasmania Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...	128,557
15	Cairns, Queensland	98,349
16	Toowoomba, Queensland	95,265
17	Ballarat, Victoria	78,221
18	Bendigo, Victoria	76,051
19	Albury Albury, New South Wales Albury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area... -Wodonga Wodonga, Victoria Wodonga is a small city on the Victorian side of the border with New South Wales, north-east of Melbourne, Australia. Adjacent to Wodonga across the border is the New South Wales city of Albury. Wodonga is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Wodonga LGA... , New South Wales/Victoria	73,497
20	Launceston Launceston, Tasmania Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart... , Tasmania	71,395
21	Mandurah, Western Australia	67,813
22	Rockingham Rockingham, Western Australia Rockingham is a suburb and primary centre in Western Australia south-west of the Perth city centre and south of Fremantle. It has a beachside location at Mangles Bay, the southern extremity of Cockburn Sound. To its north stretches the maritime and resource-industry installations of Kwinana and... , Western Australia	67,520	Perth
23	Mackay Mackay, Queensland Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar.... , Queensland	66,874
24	Darwin City of Darwin The City of Darwin is a Local Government Area of the Northern Territory, Australia. It includes the central business district of the capital, Darwin, and represents two-thirds of its metropolitan population. The City covers an area of 112 km² and has a estimated population of 75,908... , Northern Territory Northern Territory The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...	66,291
25	Maitland Maitland, New South Wales Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle... , New South Wales	61,431	Newcastle
26	Rockhampton Rockhampton Rockhampton can refer to:* Rockhampton, Queensland is a city in Queensland, Australia* Rockhampton City, Queensland, a suburb of Rockhampton, Queensland* Electoral district of Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia... , Queensland	60,827
27	Bunbury Bunbury, Western Australia The port city of Bunbury is the third largest city in Western Australia after the State Capital Perth and Mandurah. It is situated south of Perth's central business district... , Western Australia	54,482
28	Bundaberg, Queensland	46,961
29	Wagga Wagga, New South Wales	46,735
30	Hervey Bay, Queensland	41,225
31	Port Macquarie, New South Wales	39,219
32	Shepparton-Mooroopna Mooroopna, Victoria Mooroopna is a rural town located north of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is on the banks of the Goulburn River opposite the larger town of Shepparton. The Midland Highway crosses the river between the two towns... , Victoria	38,773
33	Melton Melton, Victoria Melton is an outer-suburban city of Melbourne Victoria, Australia located 35 km east from Melbourne's central business district. It is the administrative centre for the Shire of Melton Local Government Area. At the 2006 Census, the Shire of Melton had a population of 35,490... , Victoria	35,490	Melbourne
34	Tamworth Tamworth, New South Wales Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city... , New South Wales	33,475
35	Orange Orange, New South Wales Orange is a city in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. It is west of the state capital, Sydney, at an altitude of . Orange has an estimated population of 39,329 and the city is a major provincial centre.... , New South Wales	31,544
36	Dubbo, New South Wales	30,574
37	Mildura, Victoria	30,016
38	Sunbury Sunbury, Victoria Sunbury is a regional city, located north-west of Melbourne's central business district, in the state of Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hume. At the 2006 Census, Sunbury had a population of 31,000... , Victoria	29,566
39	Bathurst Bathurst, New South Wales -CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments... , New South Wales	28,992
40	Gladstone Gladstone, Queensland - Education :Gladstone has several primary schools, three high schools, and one university campus, Central Queensland University. It is also home to CQIT Gladstone Campus.- Recreation :... , Queensland	28,808
41	Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia	28,242
42	Warrnambool, Victoria	28,150
43	Nowra Nowra, New South Wales Nowra is a city in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Located SSW and approximately by road south of the state capital of Sydney, it has an estimated population together with its twin-town of Bomaderry of 34,479. It is also the seat and commercial centre of the City of Shoalhaven... -Bomaderry Bomaderry, New South Wales Bomaderry is a town in the Shoalhaven council district area of New South Wales, Australia. In 2006, it had a population of 6,601 people. It is on the north shore of the Shoalhaven River, across the river from Nowra, the major town of the Shoalhaven,of which Bomaderry is locally regarded as being... , New South Wales	27,478
44	Geraldton, Western Australia	27,420
45	Lismore Lismore, New South Wales Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:... , New South Wales	27,069
46	Coffs Harbour, New South Wales	26,353
47	Albany Albany, Western Australia Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state.... , Western Australia	25,196	(no Stat. dist.)
48	Richmond Richmond, New South Wales Richmond is a town in New South Wales, north-west of Sydney, in the Local Government Area of the City of Hawkesbury. It is located at a latitude of 33° 35' 54" South and a longitude of 150°45' 04" east, 19 metres above sea level on the alluvial Hawkesbury River flats, at the foot of the Blue... -Windsor Windsor, New South Wales Windsor is a town in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Windsor is located in the local government area of the City of Hawkesbury. It sits on the Hawkesbury River, on the north-western outskirts of the Sydney metropolitan area. At the 2006 census, Windsor had a population of... , New South Wales	25,011	Sydney
49	Palmerston Palmerston, Northern Territory Palmerston is a planned satellite city of Darwin, the capital and largest city in Australia's Northern Territory. Palmerston is situated near Darwin Harbour and has an urban population of 23,614 on the 2006 Census night and making it the second largest city in the territory... , Northern Territory	23,614	Darwin
50	Mount Gambier Mount Gambier, South Australia Mount Gambier is the largest regional city in South Australia located approximately 450 kilometres south of the capital Adelaide and just 17 kilometres from the Victorian border.... , South Australia	23,494	(no Stat. dist.)

25 largest Local Government Areas by population

Local Government Areas are the main units of local government in Australia. They may be termed cities, shires, councils or other names, but they all function similarly. Brisbane is the only state capital city with one LGA covering the majority of its urban area. Canberra

Canberra

Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...

(pop 351,868) does not have a separate Local Government Area as the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly

Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly

The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Australian Capital Territory...

has state and local government functions.

Rank	Local Government Area	Estimated resident population, 2009	Stat. Division/District
1	City of Brisbane City of Brisbane The City of Brisbane is the Local Government Area that has jurisdiction over the inner portion of the metropolitan area of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia... , Queensland Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...	1,052,458	Brisbane
2	Gold Coast City, Queensland	515,157	Gold Coast
3	Moreton Bay Region, Queensland	371,162	Brisbane
4	Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland	323,423	Sunshine Coast
5	City of Blacktown City of Blacktown The City of Blacktown is a Local Government Area in the heart of Western Sydney, situated on the Cumberland Plain, approximately 35 km from Sydney CBD. It is bounded by the Local Government Areas of Penrith, Parramatta, Fairfield, Holroyd, Hawkesbury and The Hills Shire. It occupies an area... , New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...	299,797	Sydney
6	Logan City, Queensland	277,568	Brisbane
7	City of Casey City of Casey The City of Casey is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located in the outer south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Casey is Victoria's most populous municipality, with a 2006 census population of 214,960. The municipality's population growth rate during both 1996-2001 and 2001-2006 was... , Victoria Victoria (Australia) Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....	247,357	Melbourne
8	Sutherland Shire Sutherland Shire The Sutherland Shire is a Local Government Area in the Southern Sydney region of Sydney, Australia. Geographically, it is the area to the south of Botany Bay and the Georges River... , New South Wales	219,828	Sydney
9	City of Greater Geelong City of Greater Geelong The City of Greater Geelong is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia.It is located in the western part of the state, south-west of Melbourne. It has an area of 1,240 square kilometres. In 2006 it had a population of 191,000... , Victoria	216,330	Geelong
10	City of Wollongong City of Wollongong The City of Wollongong is a Local Government Area in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Pacific Ocean, the Southern Freeway and the South Coast railway line.... , New South Wales	201,438	Wollongong
11	City of Lake Macquarie, New South Wales	199,277	Newcastle
12	City of Stirling, Western Australia Western Australia Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...	198,803	Perth
13	City of Fairfield City of Fairfield The City of Fairfield is a Local Government Area in the south-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.- Suburbs in the local government area :Suburbs in the City of Fairfield are:* Abbotsbury* Bonnyrigg* Bonnyrigg Heights* Bossley Park... , New South Wales	194,543	Sydney
14	City of Bankstown City of Bankstown The City of Bankstown is a city and Local Government Area in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, centred on the suburb of Bankstown.... , New South Wales	186,108	Sydney
15	City of Brimbank City of Brimbank The City of Brimbank is a Local Government Area located within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It comprises the western suburbs between 10 and 20 km west and northwest from the Melbourne city centre.It has an area of 123 km²... , Victoria	185,890	Melbourne
16	City of Penrith City of Penrith The City of Penrith is a Local Government Area in Sydney, located about west of Sydney's central business district.- History :The Municipality of Penrith was incorporated on 12 May 1871 under the Municipalities Act 1858. On 3 March 1890, St Marys was separately incorporated, and on 26 July 1893... , New South Wales	184,611	Sydney
17	City of Liverpool City of Liverpool, New South Wales The City of Liverpool is a Local Government Area to the southwest of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.-History:It is one of the oldest urban settlements in Australia, founded in 1810 as an agricultural centre by Governor Lachlan Macquarie... , New South Wales	182,261	Sydney
18	City of Townsville, Queensland	181,743	Northern
19	City of Sydney City of Sydney The City of Sydney is the Local Government Area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, Australia... , New South Wales	177,920	Sydney
20	The Hills Shire, New South Wales	176,487	Sydney
21	City of Monash City of Monash The City of Monash is a Local Government Area in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located in the southeastern suburbs of Melbourne and has an area of 81.0 square kilometres and has a estimated population of 176,069 people... , Victoria	176,069	Melbourne
22	City of Boroondara City of Boroondara The City of Boroondara is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.This area was originally occupied by the Wurundjeri, Indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation.... , Victoria	168,090	Melbourne
23	City of Hume City of Hume The City of Hume is a Local Government Area located partially within the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It includes outer north-western suburbs and a number of rural localities between 13 and 40 kilometres from the Melbourne city centre.... , Victoria	167,540	Melbourne
24	City of Parramatta City of Parramatta The City of Parramatta is a Local Government Area in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.Initially in 1861 it was formed as Municipality of Parramatta... , New South Wales	167,540	Sydney
25	City of Gosford, New South Wales	166,626	Sydney

In comparison with these figures, the populations of the other capitals are relatively small. Melbourne has 93,105 (79th), Darwin 75,908 (92nd), Hobart 49,887 (127th), Adelaide 19,444 (226th), and Perth 17,093 (238th). Most of these cities have suburban LGAs much larger than the central cities.

Capital city Statistical Divisions and Statistical Districts by population

50 largest Urban Centres by population

25 largest Local Government Areas by population

See also