Minlaton, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Minlaton sits near the foot of South Australia's Yorke Peninsula, in the Yorke Peninsula Council area, about 200 kilometres west of Adelaide. Established in 1876, it lies at the heart of a rich grain district and is known as the 'Barley Capital of the World'. Its proudest story belongs to Harry Butler, a World War I flying ace from the town: in 1919 he made the first over-water airmail flight in the Southern Hemisphere, from Adelaide across the gulf to Minlaton. His restored Bristol monoplane, the 'Red Devil', is preserved in a dedicated building in the centre of town. Around 760 people live in Minlaton today.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Minlaton is more socio-economically advantaged than about 13% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 903, 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.
Minlaton at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,018
- Median age
- 56
- Median weekly household income
- $1,046
- SEIFA score
- 903
- Coordinates
- -34.8060, 137.5585
Minlaton demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Minlaton 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 37%, 21% of homes are rented, and 8% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 158 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 63 | 6% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 176 | 17% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 241 | 24% |
| Seniors (65+) | 381 | 37% |
Share of the 1,019 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 199 | 46% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 113 | 26% |
| Rented | 90 | 21% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 414 | 95% |
| Townhouses & semis | 6 | 1% |
| Flats & apartments | 6 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 434 occupied private dwellings in Minlaton.
- Median weekly rent
- $200
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,049
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,352
- Median weekly personal income
- $580
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 78 (8%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 4 (0%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 34 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 288 (34%)
- Labour-force participation
- 44.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.6%
- Employed full-time
- 182
- Employed part-time
- 165
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 Minlaton
Where is Minlaton?
Minlaton is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Minlaton?
At the 2021 Census, Minlaton had a population of about 1,018.
Is Minlaton an advantaged area?
Minlaton has an ABS SEIFA score of 903, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 13 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 13% of Australian suburbs.
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