Canowindra, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Canowindra is a historic town in the central west of New South Wales, about 32 kilometres north of Cowra and roughly 60 kilometres south-west of Orange, in the Cabonne Shire. The district is Wiradjuri country, and the name comes from a Wiradjuri word variously translated as 'a home' or a 'camping place'. The first land grant was made in 1829, and in 1863 the bushrangers Ben Hall and John Gilbert famously held the township for three days and nights. Today Canowindra is known as the 'Ballooning Capital of Australia', hosting an international balloon challenge each April, and for the Age of Fishes Museum, which displays world-class Devonian fish fossils unearthed nearby in 1956.
Less advantaged than the national average
Canowindra is more socio-economically advantaged than about 27% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 946, 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.
Canowindra at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,437
- Median age
- 48
- Median weekly household income
- $1,099
- SEIFA score
- 946
- Coordinates
- -33.5338, 148.6757
Canowindra demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Canowindra 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 27%, 21% of homes are rented, and 7% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 422 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 248 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 436 | 18% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 665 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 659 | 27% |
Share of the 2,430 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 423 | 46% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 244 | 26% |
| Rented | 199 | 21% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 879 | 95% |
| Townhouses & semis | 28 | 3% |
| Flats & apartments | 12 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 922 occupied private dwellings in Canowindra.
- Median weekly rent
- $220
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,100
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,471
- Median weekly personal income
- $609
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 155 (7%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 71 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 98 (4%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 677 (35%)
- Labour-force participation
- 52.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 4%
- Employed full-time
- 596
- Employed part-time
- 354
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 Canowindra
Where is Canowindra?
Canowindra is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Canowindra?
At the 2021 Census, Canowindra had a population of about 2,437.
Is Canowindra an advantaged area?
Canowindra has an ABS SEIFA score of 946, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 27 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 27% of Australian suburbs.
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