Herberton, QLD
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Herberton sits high on the Atherton Tableland of far north Queensland, about 95 kilometres south-west of Cairns and part of the traditional land of the Dyirbal people. The prospector James Venture Mulligan came searching for gold in 1875 but found rich tin instead, and the town was founded in 1880 by John Newell. Its name is thought to derive from the nearby Herbert River and possibly also from Robert Herbert, Queensland's first premier. For a century Herberton was one of Australia's most important tin-mining centres, until the last mines closed in 1985. The old streetscape now draws visitors to the sprawling Historic Village, where dozens of restored buildings recreate a pioneer mining town, complemented by mining and heritage museums set among the cool tableland hills.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Herberton is more socio-economically advantaged than about 8% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 879, 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.
Herberton at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 895
- Median age
- 51
- Median weekly household income
- $946
- SEIFA score
- 879
- Coordinates
- -17.3900, 145.3870
Herberton demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Herberton 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%, 22% of homes are rented, and 16% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 164 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 128 | 14% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 107 | 12% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 245 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 252 | 28% |
Share of the 896 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 154 | 49% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 77 | 24% |
| Rented | 69 | 22% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 299 | 95% |
| Townhouses & semis | 3 | 1% |
| Flats & apartments | 4 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 315 occupied private dwellings in Herberton.
- Median weekly rent
- $220
- Median monthly mortgage
- $999
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,300
- Median weekly personal income
- $488
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 122 (16%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 94 (12%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 179 (20%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 227 (34%)
- Labour-force participation
- 38.3%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.1%
- Employed full-time
- 130
- Employed part-time
- 112
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 Herberton
Where is Herberton?
Herberton is a suburb of Queensland, Australia.
What is the population of Herberton?
At the 2021 Census, Herberton had a population of about 895.
Is Herberton an advantaged area?
Herberton has an ABS SEIFA score of 879, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 8 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 8% of Australian suburbs.
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