Murrurundi, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Murrurundi sits high in the Liverpool Range of the Upper Hunter in New South Wales, on the Pages River about 309km north of Sydney and 193km north-west of Newcastle. The name is generally said to refer to a 'five fingers' rock formation at the town's northern end; the Wanaruah people were the district's original inhabitants. European settlers arrived in the 1820s, the government town was laid out in 1840, and a neighbouring private village called Haydonton grew alongside until the two merged in 1913. A heritage-listed 1872 railway station survives from the steam era. Today Murrurundi is best known for its mountain scenery and the annual King of the Ranges stockman's challenge.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Murrurundi is more socio-economically advantaged than about 10% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 890, 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.
Murrurundi at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 945
- Median age
- 54
- Median weekly household income
- $877
- SEIFA score
- 890
- Coordinates
- -31.7767, 150.8302
Murrurundi demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Murrurundi 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 33%, 22% of homes are rented, and 10% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 119 | 13% |
| Youth (15–24) | 79 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 165 | 17% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 270 | 29% |
| Seniors (65+) | 310 | 33% |
Share of the 943 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 177 | 42% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 130 | 31% |
| Rented | 94 | 22% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 400 | 95% |
| Townhouses & semis | 4 | 1% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 420 occupied private dwellings in Murrurundi.
- Median weekly rent
- $250
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,083
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,307
- Median weekly personal income
- $520
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 85 (10%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 33 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 70 (7%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 267 (33%)
- Labour-force participation
- 46.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 6%
- Employed full-time
- 193
- Employed part-time
- 138
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 Murrurundi
Where is Murrurundi?
Murrurundi is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Murrurundi?
At the 2021 Census, Murrurundi had a population of about 945.
Is Murrurundi an advantaged area?
Murrurundi has an ABS SEIFA score of 890, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 10 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 10% of Australian suburbs.
Nearby suburbs in New South Wales
More suburb guides in New South Wales
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.