Melrose (SA), SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Melrose is the oldest town in South Australia's Flinders Ranges, nestled at the foot of Mount Remarkable about 265 kilometres north of Adelaide. The surrounding country belongs to the Nukunu people, with Adnyamathanha lands extending through the ranges to the north. Copper was discovered nearby and mining began in 1846, though the deposit proved hard to work and the field opened and closed several times before ending in 1917; pastoralism underpinned the district from the mid-nineteenth century. Many of Melrose's colonial buildings survive, including its old courthouse and Jacka's Brewery. In recent decades the town has reinvented itself as a mountain-biking destination, drawing riders to the trails around Mount Remarkable and events such as the Fat Tyre Festival.
Around the national middle
Melrose (SA) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 57% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 999, 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.
Melrose (SA) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 342
- Median age
- 48
- Median weekly household income
- $1,416
- SEIFA score
- 999
- Coordinates
- -32.8280, 138.1824
Melrose (SA) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Melrose (SA) 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 27%, 12% of homes are rented, and 6% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 63 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 29 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 65 | 19% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 94 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 93 | 27% |
Share of the 344 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 72 | 55% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 38 | 29% |
| Rented | 16 | 12% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 124 | 93% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 133 occupied private dwellings in Melrose (SA).
- Median weekly rent
- $180
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,230
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,843
- Median weekly personal income
- $743
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 20 (6%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 4 (1%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 0 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 120 (46%)
- Labour-force participation
- 60.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 1.8%
- Employed full-time
- 97
- Employed part-time
- 52
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 Melrose (SA)
Where is Melrose (SA)?
Melrose (SA) is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Melrose (SA)?
At the 2021 Census, Melrose (SA) had a population of about 342.
Is Melrose (SA) an advantaged area?
Melrose (SA) has an ABS SEIFA score of 999, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 57 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 57% of Australian suburbs.
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