Cervantes, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Cervantes is a small coastal town on the Turquoise Coast of Western Australia, about 198 kilometres north-north-west of Perth in the Shire of Dandaragan. It takes its name from the Cervantes, an American whaler wrecked nearby in the 1840s, which itself honoured Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote. The town was established in 1962 to service the local rock-lobster fishery, which remains its principal industry. Cervantes is the gateway to the Pinnacles, thousands of weathered limestone spires that rise from the sands of Nambung National Park. Nearby Lake Thetis contains living stromatolites, layered structures built by microbes that are among the oldest forms of life on Earth.
Less advantaged than the national average
Cervantes is more socio-economically advantaged than about 22% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 934, 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.
Cervantes at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 480
- Median age
- 55
- Median weekly household income
- $1,044
- SEIFA score
- 934
- Coordinates
- -30.4982, 115.0717
Cervantes demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Cervantes 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 34%, 17% of homes are rented, and 17% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 60 | 13% |
| Youth (15–24) | 21 | 4% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 91 | 19% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 141 | 30% |
| Seniors (65+) | 161 | 34% |
Share of the 474 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 107 | 59% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 41 | 23% |
| Rented | 31 | 17% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 179 | 97% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 185 occupied private dwellings in Cervantes.
- Median weekly rent
- $300
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,427
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,401
- Median weekly personal income
- $628
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 74 (17%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 21 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 12 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 133 (32%)
- Labour-force participation
- 49.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.8%
- Employed full-time
- 110
- Employed part-time
- 65
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 Cervantes
Where is Cervantes?
Cervantes is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Cervantes?
At the 2021 Census, Cervantes had a population of about 480.
Is Cervantes an advantaged area?
Cervantes has an ABS SEIFA score of 934, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 22 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 22% of Australian suburbs.
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