Mount Gambier, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Mount Gambier is the largest city in regional South Australia, built on the slopes of a dormant volcano about 450 kilometres south-east of Adelaide and close to the Victorian border. It is famous for the crater lakes that fill its old volcanic vents — above all the Blue Lake, which turns an intense cobalt each summer — together with limestone caves and the terraced gardens of the Umpherston Sinkhole. The surrounding Limestone Coast supports forestry, farming and a steady tourist trade. The area is the Country of the Boandik (Bungandidj) people, who know the mountain as Berrin and the Blue Lake as Warwar; the European name honours the British admiral Lord Gambier, after the peak was sighted from the sea in 1800.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Mount Gambier is more socio-economically advantaged than about 9% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 887, 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.
Mount Gambier at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 25,591
- Median age
- 41
- Median weekly household income
- $1,197
- SEIFA score
- 887
- Coordinates
- -37.8263, 140.7823
Mount Gambier demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Mount Gambier 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 25%, 33% of homes are rented, and 12% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 4,573 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 3,003 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 6,061 | 24% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 6,356 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 5,595 | 22% |
Share of the 25,588 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 3,216 | 31% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 3,385 | 32% |
| Rented | 3,426 | 33% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 8,084 | 77% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,484 | 14% |
| Flats & apartments | 934 | 9% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 10,531 occupied private dwellings in Mount Gambier.
- Median weekly rent
- $220
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,083
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,641
- Median weekly personal income
- $691
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 2,943 (12%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,752 (7%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 728 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 7,883 (39%)
- Labour-force participation
- 58.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.9%
- Employed full-time
- 6,650
- Employed part-time
- 4,283
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.
Weather and climate in Mount Gambier
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Mount Gambier is January (average daytime high around 25.4°C) and the coolest is July (around 12.7°C). The area receives roughly 666 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25.4°C | 13.7°C | 29 mm |
| Feb | 24.3°C | 13.6°C | 26 mm |
| Mar | 22.2°C | 12.6°C | 30 mm |
| Apr | 19.1°C | 11°C | 44 mm |
| May | 15.5°C | 9.4°C | 76 mm |
| Jun | 13.3°C | 7.6°C | 68 mm |
| Jul | 12.7°C | 7.1°C | 90 mm |
| Aug | 13.5°C | 7°C | 77 mm |
| Sep | 15.4°C | 7.8°C | 73 mm |
| Oct | 18.2°C | 8.9°C | 67 mm |
| Nov | 20.1°C | 10.4°C | 48 mm |
| Dec | 22.7°C | 11.8°C | 38 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Mount Gambier
Where is Mount Gambier?
Mount Gambier is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Mount Gambier?
At the 2021 Census, Mount Gambier had a population of about 25,591.
Is Mount Gambier an advantaged area?
Mount Gambier has an ABS SEIFA score of 887, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 9 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 9% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Mount Gambier?
Mount Gambier has average daytime highs of about 18.5°C and overnight lows of about 10.1°C, with roughly 666 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Mount Gambier?
Mount Gambier is the most populous suburb in South Australia at the 2021 Census (about 25,591 usual residents).
Where Mount Gambier ranks
Mount Gambier appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
Nearby suburbs in South Australia
More suburb guides in South Australia
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.