Ararat, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Ararat sits on the Western Highway in the Central Highlands of Victoria, about 198 kilometres west of Melbourne and on the eastern approaches to the Grampians. The Djab Wurrung people are the traditional owners of the surrounding country. The district is generally said to take its name from nearby Mount Ararat, which the pastoralist Horatio Wills named in 1841 with a biblical allusion to the resting of the Ark. Alluvial gold was found in 1854, and a major rush followed in 1857 when Chinese miners opened the rich Canton Lead, a heritage the town marks at its Gum San centre and which leads Ararat to be described as the only Australian town founded by Chinese gold seekers. Wool, beef, wine and tourism sustain it today.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Ararat is more socio-economically advantaged than about 13% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 904, 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.
Ararat at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 8,500
- Median age
- 45
- Median weekly household income
- $1,216
- SEIFA score
- 904
- Coordinates
- -37.2658, 142.9833
Ararat demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Ararat 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 26%, 26% of homes are rented, and 13% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,225 | 14% |
| Youth (15–24) | 865 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,123 | 25% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,227 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,060 | 24% |
Share of the 8,500 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,304 | 40% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 944 | 29% |
| Rented | 847 | 26% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,885 | 90% |
| Townhouses & semis | 293 | 9% |
| Flats & apartments | 13 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 3,221 occupied private dwellings in Ararat.
- Median weekly rent
- $250
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,083
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,608
- Median weekly personal income
- $681
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,033 (13%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 530 (7%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 181 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,502 (36%)
- Labour-force participation
- 48.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 4%
- Employed full-time
- 1,943
- Employed part-time
- 1,173
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 Ararat
Where is Ararat?
Ararat is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Ararat?
At the 2021 Census, Ararat had a population of about 8,500.
Is Ararat an advantaged area?
Ararat has an ABS SEIFA score of 904, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 13 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 13% of Australian suburbs.
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