Wyalkatchem, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Wyalkatchem is a wheatbelt town in the central agricultural region of Western Australia, about 190 kilometres north-east of Perth. The name is an Aboriginal one, first recorded for a local waterhole; its meaning has not been preserved in the usual records. The townsite was gazetted in 1911 as the railway from Dowerin reached the district, and grain farming quickly became the mainstay; a CBH grain-receival point still stands at the heart of the town. Wyalkatchem is known among heritage enthusiasts for its well-preserved railway barracks, one of the few intact examples in Australia, and for the CBH Agricultural Museum, housed in a 1936 wheat bin. It remains a tidy, close-knit farming community surrounded by grain country.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Wyalkatchem is more socio-economically advantaged than about 4% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 852, 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.
Wyalkatchem at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 358
- Median age
- 55
- Median weekly household income
- $781
- SEIFA score
- 852
- Coordinates
- -31.2698, 117.3509
Wyalkatchem demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Wyalkatchem 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 35%, 26% of homes are rented, and 19% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 43 | 12% |
| Youth (15–24) | 28 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 73 | 20% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 97 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 131 | 35% |
Share of the 372 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 83 | 49% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 30 | 18% |
| Rented | 44 | 26% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 159 | 96% |
| Townhouses & semis | 6 | 4% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 165 occupied private dwellings in Wyalkatchem.
- Median weekly rent
- $155
- Median monthly mortgage
- $542
- Average household size
- 1.8 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,270
- Median weekly personal income
- $503
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 60 (19%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 20 (6%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 28 (8%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 107 (34%)
- Labour-force participation
- 45.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.6%
- Employed full-time
- 82
- 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 Wyalkatchem
Where is Wyalkatchem?
Wyalkatchem is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Wyalkatchem?
At the 2021 Census, Wyalkatchem had a population of about 358.
Is Wyalkatchem an advantaged area?
Wyalkatchem has an ABS SEIFA score of 852, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 4 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 4% of Australian suburbs.
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