Download Australia States & Territories Boundaries
Free download of all 6 Australian states plus the 2 mainland territories. Loads automatically — pick the format you need: GeoJSON, Shapefile, KML, SVG, DXF, GeoPackage, TopoJSON, or FlatGeobuf.
Boundary data provided by geoBoundaries (Runfola et al., 2020), licensed CC-BY 4.0. Please provide attribution when using this data.
About the Australia states dataset
This page gives you a one-click download of all 8 Australian states and mainland territories — the first-level subnational division (ADM1) of Australia. Data is sourced from geoBoundaries — an open, peer-reviewed dataset released under CC-BY 4.0. The authoritative Australian source is the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) ASGS dataset.
For Local Government Area (ADM2-equivalent) boundaries — about 537 LGAs — see the Australia LGAs page. For other countries use the administrative boundaries downloader.
All 8 Australian states and territories
| Australian Capital Territory | AU-ACT | Canberra | 475,000 | 2,358 |
| New South Wales | AU-NSW | Sydney | 8,460,000 | 800,628 |
| Northern Territory | AU-NT | Darwin | 260,000 | 1,347,791 |
| Queensland | AU-QLD | Brisbane | 5,560,000 | 1,729,742 |
| South Australia | AU-SA | Adelaide | 1,870,000 | 983,482 |
| Tasmania | AU-TAS | Hobart | 575,000 | 68,401 |
| Victoria | AU-VIC | Melbourne | 6,950,000 | 227,496 |
| Western Australia | AU-WA | Perth | 2,910,000 | 2,527,013 |
When to use which format
GeoJSON
The most flexible choice — opens in QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, Mapbox, Leaflet, MapLibre, D3. Use the simplified version for client-side web maps.
Shapefile
Use for desktop GIS workflows in ArcGIS, QGIS, or MapInfo. ZIP contains .shp / .dbf / .prj / .shx.
KML
Use for Google Earth and Google My Maps. Each state/territory appears as a labelled polygon.
SVG
Designer-ready vector paths with each state as a separate path. Opens in Illustrator, Figma, Sketch, or Inkscape.
DXF
AutoCAD format for engineers and architects. Each state becomes a closed polyline.
TopoJSON
Topology-encoded GeoJSON, much smaller for choropleths. Common in D3.js dashboards.
GeoPackage
OGC-standard single-file SQLite container. Ideal for portable GIS workflows.
FlatGeobuf
Binary streaming format optimised for fast loading in MapLibre, OpenLayers, or Leaflet.
Common uses for Australian state boundaries
- • Federal and state election mapping
- • Joining ABS Census, demographic, or economic data to geometry
- • State-level health, education, or policy reporting
- • Sales-territory mapping for the Australian market
- • Backgrounds for D3.js / MapLibre choropleths and dashboards
- • Insurance and risk modelling at state level
- • Editorial maps for newspapers and magazines (SVG export)
- • Reporting maps in Power BI, Tableau, or Looker Studio
Need to process these boundaries before download?
Download the Australian states GeoJSON above, then drop it into the Workflow Builder to simplify, buffer, clip to a bounding box, generate centroids, or chain multiple operations before exporting in any format.
Alternative Australian boundary sources
- • ABS Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) — authoritative federal source. Multiple resolutions, includes statistical areas, freely available.
- • Geoscience Australia — national geospatial agency with high-precision boundary datasets.
- • Natural Earth — cartographer-friendly generalised data for small-scale maps.
- • OpenStreetMap — community-edited boundaries via Overpass queries or Geofabrik extracts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many states and territories does Australia have?
Australia has 6 states (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania) and 2 mainland territories (Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory). All 8 are included as ADM1 features. External territories such as Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, and Cocos (Keeling) Islands are not included.
What is the difference between a state and a territory in Australia?
States have constitutional status under the Australian Constitution and derive their authority directly from it. Territories are created and administered by the federal Parliament — though in practice the two mainland territories (ACT and NT) operate with their own elected legislatures and have substantial autonomy.
Where does this Australia boundary data come from?
The boundaries are sourced from geoBoundaries (Runfola et al., 2020), an open peer-reviewed dataset. The authoritative Australian source is the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) via the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). geoBoundaries data is released under CC-BY 4.0.
Can I download Australian Local Government Areas (LGAs)?
States are ADM1. Local Government Areas (LGAs) — around 537 across Australia — are the closest ADM2 equivalent. They are available on the Australia LGAs page. Statistical Areas (SA2, SA3, SA4) and Mesh Blocks from ABS are separate geographies not covered here.
Can I download the Australian states as SVG for design work?
Yes — the SVG export produces a vector file with each state and territory as a separate path. Open in Illustrator, Figma, Sketch, or Inkscape to recolour for election infographics, editorial maps, or posters. Projection used is Web Mercator at a 1000-pixel viewBox.
How big is the Australia states GeoJSON file?
The full-resolution Australia ADM1 GeoJSON is typically 3–8 MB because the Western Australian and Queensland coastlines are highly detailed. The simplified version is well under 500 KB and is the right choice for client-side web maps. The SVG export is around 25–80 KB.
Can I use this data commercially?
Yes — geoBoundaries data is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC-BY) licence. You may use it in commercial products, modify it, and redistribute it as long as you provide attribution to geoBoundaries (Runfola et al., 2020).