Carnarvon, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Carnarvon lies at the mouth of the Gascoyne River on the Indian Ocean, about 900 kilometres north of Perth in Western Australia's Gascoyne region. It is the country of the Inggarda people, who knew the area as Kuwinywardu, meaning neck of water. The town was founded in 1883 as a port and supply centre and gazetted in 1891, taking its name from the Earl of Carnarvon, then British Secretary of State for the Colonies. Fed by the river, fertile plantations make Carnarvon famous for bananas, mangoes and other tropical fruit. The town also played a part in the space age, hosting a NASA tracking station and an OTC satellite earth station in the 1960s. Fishing, horticulture and tourism underpin the economy today.
Less advantaged than the national average
Carnarvon is more socio-economically advantaged than about 34% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 959, 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.
Carnarvon at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 281
- Median age
- 39
- Median weekly household income
- $1,350
- SEIFA score
- 959
- Coordinates
- -24.8817, 113.6703
Carnarvon demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Carnarvon 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%, 39% of homes are rented, and 29% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 27 | 9% |
| Youth (15–24) | 37 | 13% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 100 | 35% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 73 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 51 | 18% |
Share of the 288 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 23 | 31% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 14 | 19% |
| Rented | 29 | 39% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 40 | 60% |
| Townhouses & semis | 12 | 18% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 67 occupied private dwellings in Carnarvon.
- Median weekly rent
- $210
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,034
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,803
- Median weekly personal income
- $893
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 51 (29%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 27 (16%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 29 (10%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 67 (26%)
- Labour-force participation
- 32.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 2.4%
- Employed full-time
- 65
- Employed part-time
- 18
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 Carnarvon
Where is Carnarvon?
Carnarvon is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Carnarvon?
At the 2021 Census, Carnarvon had a population of about 281.
Is Carnarvon an advantaged area?
Carnarvon has an ABS SEIFA score of 959, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 34 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 34% of Australian suburbs.
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