Bowral, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Bowral is the largest town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, about 130 kilometres south-west of Sydney. Its name is said to come from a local Aboriginal word meaning 'high', fitting for a cool tableland town beneath Mount Gibraltar. Bowral grew quickly in the second half of the nineteenth century, after the railway between Sydney and Melbourne reached the highlands. It is best known today as the cricketing home of Sir Donald Bradman, remembered at the Bradman Museum and International Cricket Hall of Fame. Each spring the town fills with colour for Tulip Time in Corbett Gardens, and its streets of cool-climate gardens, cafes and antique shops draw weekend visitors year-round.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Bowral is more socio-economically advantaged than about 87% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1063, 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.
Bowral at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 10,764
- Median age
- 55
- Median weekly household income
- $1,535
- SEIFA score
- 1063
- Coordinates
- -34.4839, 150.4199
Bowral demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Bowral 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 seniors (65+) at 38%, 19% of homes are rented, and 23% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,529 | 14% |
| Youth (15–24) | 886 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,595 | 15% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,674 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 4,095 | 38% |
Share of the 10,779 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 2,307 | 51% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,125 | 25% |
| Rented | 853 | 19% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3,646 | 81% |
| Townhouses & semis | 727 | 16% |
| Flats & apartments | 130 | 3% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 4,529 occupied private dwellings in Bowral.
- Median weekly rent
- $500
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,167
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,080
- Median weekly personal income
- $802
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 2,339 (23%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 839 (8%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 125 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 5,527 (62%)
- Labour-force participation
- 48.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 2.8%
- Employed full-time
- 2,296
- Employed part-time
- 1,787
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.
Weather and climate in Bowral
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Bowral is January (average daytime high around 24.2°C) and the coolest is July (around 11.3°C). The area receives roughly 985 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24.2°C | 14.3°C | 101 mm |
| Feb | 22.7°C | 13.7°C | 114 mm |
| Mar | 20.6°C | 12.7°C | 141 mm |
| Apr | 17.8°C | 10°C | 72 mm |
| May | 14.4°C | 6.9°C | 45 mm |
| Jun | 11.4°C | 4.9°C | 57 mm |
| Jul | 11.3°C | 4.1°C | 73 mm |
| Aug | 12.2°C | 4.2°C | 66 mm |
| Sep | 15.6°C | 6.2°C | 47 mm |
| Oct | 18.6°C | 8.6°C | 83 mm |
| Nov | 20.6°C | 10.3°C | 83 mm |
| Dec | 22.8°C | 12.5°C | 103 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Bowral
Where is Bowral?
Bowral is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Bowral?
At the 2021 Census, Bowral had a population of about 10,764.
Is Bowral an advantaged area?
Bowral has an ABS SEIFA score of 1063, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 87 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 87% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Bowral?
Bowral has average daytime highs of about 17.7°C and overnight lows of about 9°C, with roughly 985 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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