Blanchetown, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Blanchetown is a small township on the west bank of the Murray River in South Australia, about 130 kilometres north-east of Adelaide, and is widely regarded as the gateway to the Riverland. It was named after Lady Blanche MacDonnell, wife of Governor Sir Richard MacDonnell, and was first surveyed in October 1855 as 'Blanche Town'. A river ferry began operating in 1869, and the railway to Morgan in 1878 bypassed the town and slowed its growth. Its best-known landmark is Lock 1, completed in 1922 as the first and westernmost of the locks built along the Murray. The surrounding country, north of Goyder's Line, supports sheep grazing and irrigated citrus, while the river itself draws boating visitors today.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Blanchetown is more socio-economically advantaged than about 7% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 870, 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.
Blanchetown at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 305
- Median age
- 58
- Median weekly household income
- $844
- SEIFA score
- 870
- Coordinates
- -34.3181, 139.5416
Blanchetown demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Blanchetown 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 37%, 16% of homes are rented, and 17% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 32 | 11% |
| Youth (15–24) | 7 | 2% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 41 | 14% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 109 | 37% |
| Seniors (65+) | 107 | 36% |
Share of the 296 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 53 | 38% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 38 | 28% |
| Rented | 22 | 16% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 133 | 100% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 133 occupied private dwellings in Blanchetown.
- Median weekly rent
- $156
- Median monthly mortgage
- $763
- Average household size
- 1.9 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,325
- Median weekly personal income
- $504
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 46 (17%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 3 (1%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 13 (4%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 65 (25%)
- Labour-force participation
- 39.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.6%
- Employed full-time
- 53
- Employed part-time
- 44
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 Blanchetown
Where is Blanchetown?
Blanchetown is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Blanchetown?
At the 2021 Census, Blanchetown had a population of about 305.
Is Blanchetown an advantaged area?
Blanchetown has an ABS SEIFA score of 870, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 7 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 7% of Australian suburbs.
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