Marrabel, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Marrabel is a small settlement in South Australia's Mid North, on the Light River about 100km north-west of Adelaide, 24km south of Kapunda and 11km north-west of Saddleworth. Pastoralist William Peter overlanded stock to the district in 1841, and in 1859 John E. Marrabel laid out a township on his land, giving the place its name. Grain cropping has long shaped the surrounding farmland. Marrabel is best known for the Marrabel Rodeo, held every October since 1935 and one of the country's most enduring bush rodeos. A life-size statue on the main street recalls the 1953 contest in which buckjump rider Alan Woods met the famous bucking horse Curio, a moment still celebrated in local lore.
Around the national middle
Marrabel is more socio-economically advantaged than about 51% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 989, 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.
Marrabel at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 101
- Median age
- 44
- Median weekly household income
- $1,125
- SEIFA score
- 989
- Coordinates
- -34.1359, 138.8761
Marrabel demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Marrabel 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 31%, 21% of homes are rented, and 11% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 21 | 20% |
| Youth (15–24) | 18 | 17% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 18 | 17% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 32 | 31% |
| Seniors (65+) | 15 | 14% |
Share of the 104 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 18 | 47% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 7 | 18% |
| Rented | 8 | 21% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 43 | 100% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 43 occupied private dwellings in Marrabel.
- Median weekly rent
- $205
- Median monthly mortgage
- $813
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,292
- Median weekly personal income
- $547
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 11 (11%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 0 (0%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 3 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 30 (38%)
- Labour-force participation
- 64.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.8%
- Employed full-time
- 31
- Employed part-time
- 20
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 Marrabel
Where is Marrabel?
Marrabel is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Marrabel?
At the 2021 Census, Marrabel had a population of about 101.
Is Marrabel an advantaged area?
Marrabel has an ABS SEIFA score of 989, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 51 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 51% of Australian suburbs.
Nearby suburbs in South Australia
More suburb guides in South Australia
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.