Oberon, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Oberon is a town in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, about 190 kilometres west of Sydney and 49 kilometres south-east of Bathurst, and the seat of Oberon Council. Sitting at more than 1,100 metres above sea level, it is one of the highest towns in the state and regularly sees snow in winter. The district is built on farming, forestry and timber processing, with extensive pine plantations in the surrounding hills. Permanently settled from 1839, the town was first called Bullocks Flat before it was renamed Oberon in 1863. It is best known today as a gateway to the spectacular Jenolan Caves and the rugged wilderness of Kanangra-Boyd National Park.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Oberon is more socio-economically advantaged than about 14% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 909, 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.
Oberon at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 3,319
- Median age
- 47
- Median weekly household income
- $1,321
- SEIFA score
- 909
- Coordinates
- -33.6949, 149.8549
Oberon demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Oberon 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 26%, 27% of homes are rented, and 13% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 576 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 325 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 687 | 21% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 860 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 868 | 26% |
Share of the 3,316 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 523 | 40% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 368 | 28% |
| Rented | 350 | 27% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,171 | 90% |
| Townhouses & semis | 82 | 6% |
| Flats & apartments | 26 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,294 occupied private dwellings in Oberon.
- Median weekly rent
- $280
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,517
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,671
- Median weekly personal income
- $709
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 380 (13%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 203 (7%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 184 (6%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 897 (34%)
- Labour-force participation
- 53.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.4%
- Employed full-time
- 894
- Employed part-time
- 408
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 Oberon
Where is Oberon?
Oberon is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Oberon?
At the 2021 Census, Oberon had a population of about 3,319.
Is Oberon an advantaged area?
Oberon has an ABS SEIFA score of 909, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 14 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 14% of Australian suburbs.
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