Burra (SA), SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Burra is a heritage town in the mid-north of South Australia, in bare hill country east of the Clare Valley about 160 kilometres from Adelaide. It lies on Ngadjuri land; the origin of its name is uncertain, traced variously to an Aboriginal word, a Hindustani term and a Scottish source. Copper made the town: the Burra Burra mine, known as the Monster Mine, was opened in 1845 and for years produced a large share of South Australia's and the world's copper. Cornish, Welsh, Scottish and German miners flooded in, and at first many lived in dugouts cut into the creek banks. Today the open pit, Morphett's Engine House museum and the old Redruth Gaol anchor a town proclaimed a state heritage area in 1993.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Burra (SA) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 16% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 915, 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.
Burra (SA) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,112
- Median age
- 54
- Median weekly household income
- $866
- SEIFA score
- 915
- Coordinates
- -33.6824, 138.9257
Burra (SA) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Burra (SA) 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 32%, 24% of homes are rented, and 12% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 177 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 94 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 183 | 16% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 317 | 28% |
| Seniors (65+) | 357 | 32% |
Share of the 1,128 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 220 | 46% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 118 | 25% |
| Rented | 117 | 24% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 428 | 89% |
| Townhouses & semis | 51 | 11% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 479 occupied private dwellings in Burra (SA).
- Median weekly rent
- $180
- Median monthly mortgage
- $953
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,324
- Median weekly personal income
- $539
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 125 (12%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 40 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 27 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 327 (36%)
- Labour-force participation
- 48.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.1%
- Employed full-time
- 226
- Employed part-time
- 176
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 Burra (SA)
Where is Burra (SA)?
Burra (SA) is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Burra (SA)?
At the 2021 Census, Burra (SA) had a population of about 1,112.
Is Burra (SA) an advantaged area?
Burra (SA) has an ABS SEIFA score of 915, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 16 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 16% of Australian suburbs.
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