Birdsville, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Birdsville is a tiny outback town in far western Queensland, close to the borders of South Australia and the Northern Territory, on the edge of the Simpson Desert near the Diamantina River. It lies more than 1,500 kilometres west of Brisbane in the Channel Country. The region was home to speakers of the Wangkangurru language. The name has several proposed origins, including the area's abundant bird life and a corruption of an early store, though sources differ. Surveyed in the 1880s, Birdsville sits at the northern end of the 500-kilometre Birdsville Track. Tourism now rivals cattle as the mainstay, drawn by the famous Birdsville Races, the historic Birdsville Hotel and the Big Red Bash music festival staged among the desert dunes.
Less advantaged than the national average
Birdsville is more socio-economically advantaged than about 25% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 942, 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.
Birdsville at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 110
- Median age
- 40
- Median weekly household income
- $1,792
- SEIFA score
- 942
- Coordinates
- -25.5485, 139.4683
Birdsville demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Birdsville 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 young adults (25–44) at 35%, 71% of homes are rented, and 13% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 16 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 12 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 36 | 35% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 25 | 24% |
| Seniors (65+) | 15 | 14% |
Share of the 104 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 3 | 11% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 0 | 0% |
| Rented | 20 | 71% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 32 | 100% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 32 occupied private dwellings in Birdsville.
- Median weekly rent
- $113
- Median monthly mortgage
- $953
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,562
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,078
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 12 (13%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 11 (12%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 27 (25%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 36 (37%)
- Labour-force participation
- 74.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.1%
- Employed full-time
- 64
- Employed part-time
- 7
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 Birdsville
Where is Birdsville?
Birdsville is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Birdsville?
At the 2021 Census, Birdsville had a population of about 110.
Is Birdsville an advantaged area?
Birdsville has an ABS SEIFA score of 942, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 25 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 25% of Australian suburbs.
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