Casterton, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Casterton sits on the Glenelg River in the Western District of Victoria, about 360 kilometres west of Melbourne and not far from the South Australian border. The Gunditjmara people are the formally recognised traditional owners of the country around the town. Casterton takes its name from a village in Cumbria, England. Pastoralists, among them the Henty brothers, took up large runs in the district from the 1830s, and a township grew at a river crossing where the Glenelg Inn opened in 1846. Wheat gave way over time to sheep, cattle and dairying. The town proudly claims to be the birthplace of the kelpie, Australia's celebrated working dog, a heritage celebrated each year at the lively Casterton Kelpie Festival.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Casterton is more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 898, 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.
Casterton at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,673
- Median age
- 58
- Median weekly household income
- $881
- SEIFA score
- 898
- Coordinates
- -37.6003, 141.2920
Casterton demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Casterton 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 38%, 15% of homes are rented, and 10% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 186 | 11% |
| Youth (15–24) | 136 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 240 | 14% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 472 | 28% |
| Seniors (65+) | 637 | 38% |
Share of the 1,671 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 438 | 58% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 161 | 21% |
| Rented | 110 | 15% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 717 | 94% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 36 | 5% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 760 occupied private dwellings in Casterton.
- Median weekly rent
- $160
- Median monthly mortgage
- $700
- Average household size
- 1.9 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,297
- Median weekly personal income
- $523
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 163 (10%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 65 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 31 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 467 (32%)
- Labour-force participation
- 43.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 4%
- Employed full-time
- 350
- Employed part-time
- 216
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 Casterton
Where is Casterton?
Casterton is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Casterton?
At the 2021 Census, Casterton had a population of about 1,673.
Is Casterton an advantaged area?
Casterton has an ABS SEIFA score of 898, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 11 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of Australian suburbs.
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