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.
Is Southern Cross (WA) a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Below the national middle on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for Southern Cross (WA) from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Socio-economic advantage
13/100Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (13/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
89/100More affordable than most suburbs
Median weekly rent was $150 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 89% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- Amenities & accessNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap amenity mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- Green spaceNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap green-space mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- TransportNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap public-transport mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
Southern Cross (WA) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 572
- Median age
- 50
- Median weekly household income
- $1,244
- SEIFA score
- 903
- Local government area
- Yilgarn
- Coordinates
- -31.2532, 119.3388
Map of Southern Cross (WA)
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Southern Cross (WA)
What it costs to live in Southern Cross (WA) and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $150
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $769
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 56%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 34%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Southern Cross (WA) demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
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% 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).
- 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.
Share your local knowledge of Southern Cross (WA)
Lived here or spent time in Southern Cross (WA)? Add a review or a quick tip. Reviews and tips are moderated before they appear.
Common questions about Southern Cross (WA)
Is Southern Cross (WA) a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage and housing affordability, Southern Cross (WA) rates 38/100 overall (Below the national middle on the data we score). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Southern Cross (WA)?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Southern Cross (WA) was $150, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $769. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Southern Cross (WA)?
Southern Cross (WA) is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia, in the Yilgarn local government area.
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.