Renmark, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Renmark is a town in the Riverland of South Australia, on the Murray River about 254 kilometres north-east of Adelaide. The river country is the traditional home of the Erawirung people, and the town's name is of uncertain origin, sometimes said to mean red mud, though accounts note the local mud is not actually red. Renmark was founded in 1887 when the brothers George and William Chaffey established Australia's first irrigation settlement here, turning hot sand into orchards. Their company failed in 1893, but the grower-run Renmark Irrigation Trust carried the scheme on, and the town was proclaimed in 1904. Today its irrigated farms produce grapes, citrus and other crops. Attractions include the historic Renmark Hotel and the restored paddle steamer Industry.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Renmark is more socio-economically advantaged than about 5% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 858, 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.
Renmark at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 4,705
- Median age
- 44
- Median weekly household income
- $1,017
- SEIFA score
- 858
- Coordinates
- -34.1629, 140.7500
Renmark demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Renmark 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%, 36% of homes are rented, and 19% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 736 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 499 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,142 | 24% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,065 | 23% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,273 | 27% |
Share of the 4,715 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 659 | 33% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 480 | 24% |
| Rented | 725 | 36% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,579 | 79% |
| Townhouses & semis | 322 | 16% |
| Flats & apartments | 66 | 3% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,994 occupied private dwellings in Renmark.
- Median weekly rent
- $200
- Median monthly mortgage
- $975
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,345
- Median weekly personal income
- $602
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 831 (19%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 784 (18%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 214 (5%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,442 (38%)
- Labour-force participation
- 51.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 7.1%
- Employed full-time
- 1,047
- Employed part-time
- 736
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 Renmark
Where is Renmark?
Renmark is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Renmark?
At the 2021 Census, Renmark had a population of about 4,705.
Is Renmark an advantaged area?
Renmark has an ABS SEIFA score of 858, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 5 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 5% of Australian suburbs.
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