Pambula, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Pambula is a town on the Sapphire Coast of New South Wales, about 4 kilometres south of Merimbula and 454 kilometres south of Sydney, in the Bega Valley Shire. The Thaua people are the traditional owners. The name comes from the Dharwa word 'panboola', said to mean 'twin waters'. The Imlay brothers ran cattle here in the 1830s, and a surveyor laid out the village in 1843 on the river flats; after flooding it was moved to higher ground, and the town was proclaimed in 1885. Gold found in 1888 brought a brief boom, dairying followed, and Pambula is still a notable oyster producer. Among its heritage buildings are The Grange of 1844 and the old courthouse, and the Panboola wetlands lie beside the town.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Pambula is more socio-economically advantaged than about 17% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 918, 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.
Pambula at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,002
- Median age
- 54
- Median weekly household income
- $1,117
- SEIFA score
- 918
- Coordinates
- -36.9300, 149.8767
Pambula demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Pambula 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 13% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 150 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 95 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 151 | 15% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 273 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 333 | 33% |
Share of the 1,002 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 190 | 50% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 98 | 26% |
| Rented | 83 | 22% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 276 | 72% |
| Townhouses & semis | 84 | 22% |
| Flats & apartments | 11 | 3% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 383 occupied private dwellings in Pambula.
- Median weekly rent
- $313
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,423
- Median weekly personal income
- $507
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 119 (13%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 28 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 29 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 303 (37%)
- Labour-force participation
- 47.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 2.7%
- Employed full-time
- 196
- Employed part-time
- 173
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 Pambula
Where is Pambula?
Pambula is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Pambula?
At the 2021 Census, Pambula had a population of about 1,002.
Is Pambula an advantaged area?
Pambula has an ABS SEIFA score of 918, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 17 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 17% of Australian suburbs.
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