Merriwa (NSW), NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Merriwa is a town in the Upper Hunter Shire of New South Wales, in the upper Hunter region about 273km north-west of Sydney and roughly midway between Newcastle and Dubbo on the Golden Highway. It grew as a service centre for the surrounding sheep and cattle country, and fine-wool grazing still shapes the district. The Colonial Cottage Museum, housed in an 1857 building, and the old courthouse that served from 1860 preserve the town's nineteenth-century heritage; the former Merriwa Shire was merged into Upper Hunter Shire in 2004. Each June the town celebrates its wool heritage with the colourful Festival of the Fleeces. Old Rowley, winner of the 1940 Melbourne Cup, was retired to Merriwa.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Merriwa (NSW) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 12% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 901, 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.
Merriwa (NSW) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,825
- Median age
- 45
- Median weekly household income
- $1,208
- SEIFA score
- 901
- Coordinates
- -32.1108, 150.2775
Merriwa (NSW) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Merriwa (NSW) 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%, 24% of homes are rented, and 7% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 360 | 20% |
| Youth (15–24) | 178 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 370 | 20% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 460 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 444 | 25% |
Share of the 1,812 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 282 | 43% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 169 | 25% |
| Rented | 157 | 24% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 633 | 94% |
| Townhouses & semis | 20 | 3% |
| Flats & apartments | 4 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 670 occupied private dwellings in Merriwa (NSW).
- Median weekly rent
- $245
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,235
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,471
- Median weekly personal income
- $593
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 122 (7%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 35 (2%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 136 (7%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 463 (33%)
- Labour-force participation
- 52.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.8%
- Employed full-time
- 446
- Employed part-time
- 234
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 Merriwa (NSW)
Where is Merriwa (NSW)?
Merriwa (NSW) is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Merriwa (NSW)?
At the 2021 Census, Merriwa (NSW) had a population of about 1,825.
Is Merriwa (NSW) an advantaged area?
Merriwa (NSW) has an ABS SEIFA score of 901, 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.
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