Occupied private dwellings:
An occupied private dwelling is a private dwelling lived in by one or more people on Census night. It is usually a house, townhouse, apartment or flat. It can also be an occupied caravan, cabin, tent or boat. The structure of the dwelling can be identified using the dwelling structure (STRD) variable.
The dwelling location (DLOD) variable can be used to identify occupied private dwellings in:
- marinas
- manufactured home estates
- self-contained retirement villages
- caravan or residential parks
- camping grounds
Unoccupied private dwellings:
An unoccupied private dwelling is usually a separate house, townhouse, apartment or flat with no one staying there on Census night.
The following are also counted as unoccupied private dwellings:
- holiday homes (for owners or for commercial rental)
- huts and cabins (except those used as seasonal workers’ quarters)
- newly completed dwellings
- habitable dwellings that are due for demolition or repair
- dwellings available for rent
- manufactured home estate
Unoccupied private dwellings in caravan parks, residential parks and marinas are not counted in the Census. The exceptions are the residences of owners, managers or caretakers.
Non-private dwellings (NPDs):
A non-private dwelling (NPD) is an establishment that provides communal or short stay accommodation. These dwellings are only counted if they were occupied on Census night. NPDs include:
- hotels and motels
- guest houses
- prisons
- religious and charitable institutions
- boarding schools
- defence establishments
- hospitals
- other communal dwellings
Migratory
This category includes people travelling overnight by plane, train or bus.
Off‑shore
This category includes dwellings on off-shore oil rigs and drilling platforms.
Shipping
This category includes people on vessels travelling between ports in Australian waters, such as ships, cargo vessels, passenger liners, ocean‑going ferries and dredges. It does not include foreign‑owned cargo vessels or vessels travelling overseas.