Morawa, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Morawa is a small town in the Mid West of Western Australia, roughly 370 kilometres north of Perth and about 180 kilometres inland from Geraldton, on the old railway between Wongan Hills and Mullewa. Its name is Aboriginal and is thought to come from a local word for the dalgite, a kind of bilby; it was first written on maps in 1910 as the name of a rock hole. A railway siding arrived in 1913 and the townsite was gazetted the same year, briefly carrying the name Merkanooka before reverting to Morawa. The district runs on wheat, sheep, cattle and sandalwood, and is a receival point for the grain handler CBH. Nearby, the Koolanooka Hills were mined for iron ore from the 1960s, and the wider region is known for its spring wildflowers.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Morawa is more socio-economically advantaged than about 7% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 872, 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.
Morawa at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 459
- Median age
- 45
- Median weekly household income
- $1,239
- SEIFA score
- 872
- Coordinates
- -29.1949, 116.0135
Morawa demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Morawa 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 28%, 29% of homes are rented, and 11% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 96 | 21% |
| Youth (15–24) | 50 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 80 | 18% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 101 | 22% |
| Seniors (65+) | 126 | 28% |
Share of the 453 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 70 | 45% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 28 | 18% |
| Rented | 45 | 29% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 137 | 92% |
| Townhouses & semis | 3 | 2% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 149 occupied private dwellings in Morawa.
- Median weekly rent
- $190
- Median monthly mortgage
- $500
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,589
- Median weekly personal income
- $632
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 38 (11%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 13 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 50 (11%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 117 (33%)
- Labour-force participation
- 40.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.1%
- Employed full-time
- 94
- Employed part-time
- 42
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 Morawa
Where is Morawa?
Morawa is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Morawa?
At the 2021 Census, Morawa had a population of about 459.
Is Morawa an advantaged area?
Morawa has an ABS SEIFA score of 872, 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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