Blinman, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Blinman is a tiny former mining town high in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia, about 425 kilometres north of Adelaide. At roughly 610 metres above sea level it is the highest surveyed town in the state. The surrounding country is the traditional land of the Adnyamathanha people, its custodians for thousands of years. The town owes its existence to copper: in 1859 a shepherd named Robert Blinman found an outcrop of ore here, and the mine that followed, known as Wheal Blinman, gave the settlement its name and supported a population of around two thousand at its peak. Mining ended in 1918, but the restored Heritage Blinman Mine now offers underground tours, and the town makes a handy base for exploring nearby Brachina and Parachilna gorges.
Around the national middle
Blinman is more socio-economically advantaged than about 58% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1001, 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.
Blinman at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 43
- Median age
- 41
- Median weekly household income
- $1,937
- SEIFA score
- 1001
- Coordinates
- -31.1108, 138.7069
Blinman demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Blinman 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 40%, 23% of homes are rented, and 24% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 9 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 8 | 16% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 10 | 20% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 20 | 40% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3 | 6% |
Share of the 50 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 10 | 77% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 0 | 0% |
| Rented | 3 | 23% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 9 | 56% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 16 occupied private dwellings in Blinman.
- Median weekly rent
- $114
- Median monthly mortgage
- $659
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,166
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,047
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 10 (24%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 0 (0%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 4 (9%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 18 (50%)
- Labour-force participation
- 77.8%
- Employed full-time
- 20
- 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 Blinman
Where is Blinman?
Blinman is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Blinman?
At the 2021 Census, Blinman had a population of about 43.
Is Blinman an advantaged area?
Blinman has an ABS SEIFA score of 1001, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 58 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 58% of Australian suburbs.
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