Nhill, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Nhill is a town in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, sitting almost exactly halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide on the Western Highway. The Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagik nations are the formally recognised traditional owners of the surrounding country. The town's name is believed to come from a Wergaia word said to mean early morning mist rising over water. Europeans first passed through in 1845, and the township grew up around a flour mill built by the Oliver brothers, with a post office opening in 1881 and Cobb and Co coaches calling from 1883. Wheat and poultry sustain the district today. During the Second World War the local airfield was a major air force training base, a story now told at the Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Nhill is more socio-economically advantaged than about 19% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 926, 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.
Nhill at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,401
- Median age
- 47
- Median weekly household income
- $1,296
- SEIFA score
- 926
- Coordinates
- -36.3065, 141.5627
Nhill demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Nhill 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 27%, 23% of homes are rented, and 17% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 367 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 243 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 538 | 22% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 607 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 644 | 27% |
Share of the 2,399 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 447 | 47% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 250 | 26% |
| Rented | 217 | 23% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 888 | 93% |
| Townhouses & semis | 58 | 6% |
| Flats & apartments | 8 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 954 occupied private dwellings in Nhill.
- Median weekly rent
- $200
- Median monthly mortgage
- $774
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,737
- Median weekly personal income
- $717
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 371 (17%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 330 (15%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 21 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 676 (34%)
- Labour-force participation
- 56.2%
- Unemployment rate
- 2.4%
- Employed full-time
- 687
- Employed part-time
- 354
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 Nhill
Where is Nhill?
Nhill is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Nhill?
At the 2021 Census, Nhill had a population of about 2,401.
Is Nhill an advantaged area?
Nhill has an ABS SEIFA score of 926, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 19 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 19% of Australian suburbs.
Nearby suburbs in Victoria
More suburb guides in Victoria
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.