Toodyay, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Toodyay lies in the Avon Valley beside the Avon River, about 85 kilometres north-east of Perth on the edge of the Wheatbelt. It is Ballardong Noongar country, home to people who drew food and water from the river for thousands of years; the town's name is Noongar in origin and is often said to mean place of plenty, though its exact sense is uncertain. Settled in the 1830s, the town was relocated after flooding and for a time renamed Newcastle, before reverting to Toodyay in 1910. It once imprisoned the bushranger Moondyne Joe, still celebrated at the annual Moondyne Festival, and draws visitors to heritage buildings such as Connor's Mill and to the white-water Avon Descent.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Toodyay is more socio-economically advantaged than about 17% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 917, 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.
Toodyay at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,362
- Median age
- 56
- Median weekly household income
- $941
- SEIFA score
- 917
- Coordinates
- -31.5713, 116.4417
Toodyay demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Toodyay 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%, 18% of homes are rented, and 23% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 187 | 14% |
| Youth (15–24) | 99 | 7% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 238 | 18% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 388 | 29% |
| Seniors (65+) | 447 | 33% |
Share of the 1,359 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 245 | 42% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 178 | 30% |
| Rented | 105 | 18% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 550 | 95% |
| Townhouses & semis | 10 | 2% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 578 occupied private dwellings in Toodyay.
- Median weekly rent
- $280
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,365
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,274
- Median weekly personal income
- $568
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 281 (23%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 43 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 64 (5%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 452 (39%)
- Labour-force participation
- 45.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 7.4%
- Employed full-time
- 277
- Employed part-time
- 172
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 Toodyay
Where is Toodyay?
Toodyay is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Toodyay?
At the 2021 Census, Toodyay had a population of about 1,362.
Is Toodyay an advantaged area?
Toodyay has an ABS SEIFA score of 917, 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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