Greenbushes, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Greenbushes is a small town in the South West of Western Australia, about 250 kilometres south of Perth in the timber-and-orchard country near Bridgetown. It grew as a mining settlement after tin was discovered in 1886, with the townsite established by 1888 and a railway reaching it in 1898. Its name is said to come from the bright green native shrub that once stood out against the surrounding grey eucalypts. Mining has continued ever since: the Greenbushes mine south of town has produced lithium since 1985 and is now described as the largest lithium mine in the world. Timber milling, farming, vineyards and a handful of art galleries round out the local economy.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Greenbushes is more socio-economically advantaged than about 5% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 860, 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.
Greenbushes at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 365
- Median age
- 52
- Median weekly household income
- $964
- SEIFA score
- 860
- Coordinates
- -33.8513, 116.0437
Greenbushes demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Greenbushes 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 28%, 28% of homes are rented, and 20% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 58 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 36 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 69 | 19% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 100 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 101 | 28% |
Share of the 364 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 69 | 43% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 47 | 29% |
| Rented | 46 | 28% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 158 | 100% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 158 occupied private dwellings in Greenbushes.
- Median weekly rent
- $200
- Median monthly mortgage
- $959
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,428
- Median weekly personal income
- $483
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 68 (20%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 11 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 12 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 102 (34%)
- Labour-force participation
- 45.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 7.2%
- Employed full-time
- 85
- Employed part-time
- 33
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 Greenbushes
Where is Greenbushes?
Greenbushes is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Greenbushes?
At the 2021 Census, Greenbushes had a population of about 365.
Is Greenbushes an advantaged area?
Greenbushes has an ABS SEIFA score of 860, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 5 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 5% of Australian suburbs.
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