Walpole, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Walpole is a small town on the south coast of Western Australia, about 430 kilometres south of Perth, set among the towering tingle and karri forests of the Walpole-Nornalup National Park. It sits beside the Walpole Inlet, from which it takes its name; the inlet and river were named by Governor Stirling after a naval officer he had served with. The town's great drawcard is the Valley of the Giants, where a Tree Top Walk carries visitors on a long steel walkway high into the canopy of the giant tingles, among the few places these towering trees grow. The Bibbulmun Track, the state's long-distance walking trail, passes through the town on its way to Albany.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Walpole is more socio-economically advantaged than about 16% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 915, 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.
Walpole at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 429
- Median age
- 59
- Median weekly household income
- $764
- SEIFA score
- 915
- Coordinates
- -34.9711, 116.7588
Walpole demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Walpole 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 38%, 25% of homes are rented, and 23% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 41 | 10% |
| Youth (15–24) | 12 | 3% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 58 | 14% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 161 | 38% |
| Seniors (65+) | 155 | 36% |
Share of the 427 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 108 | 53% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 38 | 19% |
| Rented | 51 | 25% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 190 | 100% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 190 occupied private dwellings in Walpole.
- Median weekly rent
- $221
- Median monthly mortgage
- $999
- Average household size
- 1.8 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,037
- Median weekly personal income
- $490
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 93 (23%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 17 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 12 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 154 (41%)
- Labour-force participation
- 44.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.7%
- Employed full-time
- 72
- Employed part-time
- 74
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 Walpole
Where is Walpole?
Walpole is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Walpole?
At the 2021 Census, Walpole had a population of about 429.
Is Walpole an advantaged area?
Walpole has an ABS SEIFA score of 915, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 16 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 16% of Australian suburbs.
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