Cootamundra, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Cootamundra sits in the South West Slopes of New South Wales, in the Riverina, where the Olympic Highway crosses Muttama Creek, roughly 390 kilometres south-west of Sydney and about 160 kilometres from Canberra. The Wiradjuri people are considered the traditional owners of the surrounding country. The town's name is uncertain: one account traces it to a Wiradjuri word said to mean turtle, while another links it to an early property name. The township was incorporated in 1861 and the first town lots sold the following year, with gold mining starting nearby soon after. Cootamundra is best known as the 1908 birthplace of cricketer Sir Donald Bradman, remembered through a birthplace museum and the Cricket Captains' Walk, and it lends its name to the golden Cootamundra wattle.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Cootamundra is more socio-economically advantaged than about 16% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 915, 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.
Cootamundra at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 6,885
- Median age
- 51
- Median weekly household income
- $1,037
- SEIFA score
- 915
- Coordinates
- -34.6349, 148.0395
Cootamundra demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Cootamundra 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 31%, 23% of homes are rented, and 7% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,152 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 640 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,179 | 17% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,757 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,157 | 31% |
Share of the 6,885 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,346 | 47% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 695 | 24% |
| Rented | 664 | 23% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,607 | 91% |
| Townhouses & semis | 202 | 7% |
| Flats & apartments | 18 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,850 occupied private dwellings in Cootamundra.
- Median weekly rent
- $220
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,149
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,421
- Median weekly personal income
- $587
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 478 (7%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 174 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 535 (8%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,893 (34%)
- Labour-force participation
- 46%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.7%
- Employed full-time
- 1,485
- Employed part-time
- 853
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 Cootamundra
Where is Cootamundra?
Cootamundra is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Cootamundra?
At the 2021 Census, Cootamundra had a population of about 6,885.
Is Cootamundra an advantaged area?
Cootamundra has an ABS SEIFA score of 915, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 16 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 16% of Australian suburbs.
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