Bega, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Bega sits in a valley on the far south coast of New South Wales, about 420 kilometres south of Sydney and 225 kilometres south-east of Canberra. The Yuin people are the traditional custodians, and the area was known as Worerker before colonisation. The name Bega is variously said to come from a Thawa word for a big camping ground or from a local term meaning beautiful, though its origin is not settled. The town was gazetted in 1851 and later moved to higher ground after flooding. Dairy farming took hold from the 1860s and the Bega cheese cooperative formed in the late 1890s. Today the town is best known nationally for the Bega brand of cheese and as the commercial hub of the Bega Valley.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Bega is more socio-economically advantaged than about 12% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 899, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Bega at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 5,013
- Median age
- 43
- Median weekly household income
- $1,196
- SEIFA score
- 899
- Coordinates
- -36.6849, 149.8425
Bega demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Bega using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is mid-life (45–64) at 25%, 32% of homes are rented, and 10% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 950 | 19% |
| Youth (15–24) | 534 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,095 | 22% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,241 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,183 | 24% |
Share of the 5,003 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 727 | 37% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 532 | 27% |
| Rented | 643 | 32% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,736 | 88% |
| Townhouses & semis | 176 | 9% |
| Flats & apartments | 47 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,970 occupied private dwellings in Bega.
- Median weekly rent
- $320
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,408
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,564
- Median weekly personal income
- $660
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 442 (10%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 219 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 338 (7%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,473 (38%)
- Labour-force participation
- 52.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.6%
- Employed full-time
- 1,086
- Employed part-time
- 825
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Common questions about Bega
Where is Bega?
Bega is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Bega?
At the 2021 Census, Bega had a population of about 5,013.
Is Bega an advantaged area?
Bega has an ABS SEIFA score of 899, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 12 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 12% of Australian suburbs.
Nearby suburbs in New South Wales
More suburb guides in New South Wales
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.