Dardanup, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Dardanup is a town in the South West of Western Australia, in the fertile Ferguson Valley about 13 kilometres south-east of Bunbury and 190 kilometres south of Perth. Its name is believed to be a variation of an Aboriginal word, Dudingup, whose meaning is now unknown. European settlement began in 1852 when Thomas Little took up land he named Dardanup Park, and the town that grew around it served the surrounding dairy and farming district; the townsite was gazetted in 1923. Dardanup was the birthplace of Sir James Mitchell, who became Premier of Western Australia and later the state's Governor, the only person to hold both offices. The Ferguson River runs through the green valley nearby.
Less advantaged than the national average
Dardanup is more socio-economically advantaged than about 31% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 954, 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.
Dardanup at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 588
- Median age
- 41
- Median weekly household income
- $1,701
- SEIFA score
- 954
- Coordinates
- -33.4032, 115.7784
Dardanup demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Dardanup 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 26%, 18% of homes are rented, and 16% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 121 | 20% |
| Youth (15–24) | 73 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 129 | 22% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 155 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 116 | 20% |
Share of the 594 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 75 | 35% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 103 | 47% |
| Rented | 39 | 18% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 221 | 100% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 221 occupied private dwellings in Dardanup.
- Median weekly rent
- $285
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,625
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,960
- Median weekly personal income
- $751
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 88 (16%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 9 (2%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 12 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 204 (46%)
- Labour-force participation
- 61.3%
- Unemployment rate
- 1.7%
- Employed full-time
- 169
- Employed part-time
- 92
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.
Weather and climate in Dardanup
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Dardanup is January (average daytime high around 30.3°C) and the coolest is August (around 16.1°C). The area receives roughly 702 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30.3°C | 16.1°C | 11 mm |
| Feb | 29.7°C | 16.3°C | 19 mm |
| Mar | 27°C | 15.6°C | 38 mm |
| Apr | 22.7°C | 12.9°C | 48 mm |
| May | 18.9°C | 10.5°C | 87 mm |
| Jun | 16.5°C | 9.2°C | 105 mm |
| Jul | 15.7°C | 8.8°C | 139 mm |
| Aug | 16.1°C | 8.3°C | 110 mm |
| Sep | 17.5°C | 8.9°C | 73 mm |
| Oct | 20°C | 10.2°C | 44 mm |
| Nov | 24.1°C | 12.2°C | 20 mm |
| Dec | 28.1°C | 14.5°C | 8 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Dardanup
Where is Dardanup?
Dardanup is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Dardanup?
At the 2021 Census, Dardanup had a population of about 588.
Is Dardanup an advantaged area?
Dardanup has an ABS SEIFA score of 954, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 31 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 31% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Dardanup?
Dardanup has average daytime highs of about 22.2°C and overnight lows of about 12°C, with roughly 702 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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