Wirrabara, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Wirrabara is a small town in the Southern Flinders Ranges of South Australia, set along the Rocky River on the Horrocks Highway about 235 kilometres north of Adelaide. Its name is said to come from Aboriginal language — variously traced to Kaurna words for gum trees and running water, or to Nukunu words describing gum trees with honey and water. Timber milling began in the area in the 1850s, and in 1877 the nearby Wirrabara forest became the site of the first government forest nursery in Australia. The town was surveyed in 1874 and later linked by the Wilmington railway. Today it is a farming and forestry community, known for its monthly producers' market and a striking painted grain silo by the artist Smug.
Less advantaged than the national average
Wirrabara is more socio-economically advantaged than about 28% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 947, 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.
Wirrabara at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 353
- Median age
- 60
- Median weekly household income
- $900
- SEIFA score
- 947
- Coordinates
- -33.0380, 138.2431
Wirrabara demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Wirrabara 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 37%, 9% of homes are rented, and 9% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 31 | 9% |
| Youth (15–24) | 24 | 7% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 38 | 10% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 134 | 37% |
| Seniors (65+) | 136 | 37% |
Share of the 363 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 102 | 56% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 51 | 28% |
| Rented | 16 | 9% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 173 | 98% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 177 occupied private dwellings in Wirrabara.
- Median weekly rent
- $150
- Median monthly mortgage
- $867
- Average household size
- 1.9 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,292
- Median weekly personal income
- $548
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 31 (9%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 3 (1%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 17 (5%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 112 (35%)
- Labour-force participation
- 50.3%
- Unemployment rate
- 8.6%
- Employed full-time
- 83
- Employed part-time
- 47
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 Wirrabara
Where is Wirrabara?
Wirrabara is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Wirrabara?
At the 2021 Census, Wirrabara had a population of about 353.
Is Wirrabara an advantaged area?
Wirrabara has an ABS SEIFA score of 947, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 28 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 28% of Australian suburbs.
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