Southern Cross (WA), WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Southern Cross is a Wheatbelt and goldfields town in Western Australia, about 371km east of Perth on the Great Eastern Highway. Prospectors struck gold here in 1887 and the town was founded the following year, then gazetted in 1890 — named for the Southern Cross constellation, with its streets in turn named after stars and other constellations. A narrow-gauge railway reached the town in 1894. Although the early gold rush gave way to agriculture, Southern Cross remains a cereal-growing centre and a Cooperative Bulk Handling grain-receival point. It is also a landmark on the Golden Pipeline Heritage Trail, which traces the historic Goldfields Water Supply Scheme as it carries water east toward Kalgoorlie. The starry street names endure as a reminder of the town's rush-era origins.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Southern Cross (WA) 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.
Southern Cross (WA) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 572
- Median age
- 50
- Median weekly household income
- $1,244
- SEIFA score
- 903
- Coordinates
- -31.2532, 119.3388
Southern Cross (WA) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Southern Cross (WA) 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 34%, 34% of homes are rented, and 20% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 90 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 35 | 6% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 135 | 23% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 198 | 34% |
| Seniors (65+) | 128 | 22% |
Share of the 586 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 86 | 34% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 54 | 22% |
| Rented | 84 | 34% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 229 | 91% |
| Townhouses & semis | 19 | 8% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 253 occupied private dwellings in Southern Cross (WA).
- Median weekly rent
- $150
- Median monthly mortgage
- $769
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,875
- Median weekly personal income
- $706
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 104 (20%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 44 (9%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 16 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 165 (34%)
- Labour-force participation
- 59.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.2%
- Employed full-time
- 179
- Employed part-time
- 68
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 Southern Cross (WA)
Where is Southern Cross (WA)?
Southern Cross (WA) is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Southern Cross (WA)?
At the 2021 Census, Southern Cross (WA) had a population of about 572.
Is Southern Cross (WA) an advantaged area?
Southern Cross (WA) 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.
Nearby suburbs in Western Australia
More suburb guides in Western Australia
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.