Leongatha, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Leongatha is a town in the rolling dairy country of South Gippsland, Victoria, set in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges about 135 kilometres south-east of Melbourne, in the South Gippsland Shire. Europeans settled the district from the 1840s, and the post office — which first opened in 1887 under the name Koorooman — was renamed Leongatha in 1891, the year the railway arrived and spurred the town's growth. Dairying has long been the mainstay, and a large milk-processing factory still anchors the local economy. Leongatha is also known for its spring Daffodil Festival and as a hub on the Great Southern Rail Trail, a walking and cycling path built along the former railway line.
Less advantaged than the national average
Leongatha is more socio-economically advantaged than about 23% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 936, 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.
Leongatha at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 5,869
- Median age
- 45
- Median weekly household income
- $1,183
- SEIFA score
- 936
- Coordinates
- -38.4720, 145.9374
Leongatha demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Leongatha 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%, 23% of homes are rented, and 12% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,075 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 583 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,236 | 21% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,352 | 23% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,618 | 28% |
Share of the 5,864 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,065 | 44% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 721 | 30% |
| Rented | 547 | 23% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,296 | 95% |
| Townhouses & semis | 71 | 3% |
| Flats & apartments | 32 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,421 occupied private dwellings in Leongatha.
- Median weekly rent
- $270
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,430
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,639
- Median weekly personal income
- $641
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 642 (12%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 306 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 44 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,862 (41%)
- Labour-force participation
- 53.3%
- Unemployment rate
- 2.9%
- Employed full-time
- 1,334
- Employed part-time
- 973
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 Leongatha
Where is Leongatha?
Leongatha is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Leongatha?
At the 2021 Census, Leongatha had a population of about 5,869.
Is Leongatha an advantaged area?
Leongatha has an ABS SEIFA score of 936, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 23 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 23% of Australian suburbs.
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