Traralgon, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Traralgon is the largest city of the Latrobe Valley, in the Gippsland region of eastern Victoria, lying about 164 kilometres east of Melbourne in the valley of Traralgon Creek between the Great Dividing Range and the Strzelecki Ranges. It is on the Country of the Gunaikurnai people, whose Braiakaulung clan lived in the surrounding district. Squatters took up a pastoral run named Traralgon in 1844; the name's meaning is uncertain, though an early source rendered it as a phrase meaning river of little fish, a reading modern linguists cannot confirm. The town grew with the arrival of the railway in 1877 and was proclaimed a city in 1964. Set amid the valley's brown-coal fields, Traralgon became a centre of electricity generation and paper milling, and remains the commercial hub of central Gippsland.
Less advantaged than the national average
Traralgon is more socio-economically advantaged than about 29% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 950, 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.
Traralgon at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 26,907
- Median age
- 39
- Median weekly household income
- $1,484
- SEIFA score
- 950
- Coordinates
- -38.2017, 146.5198
Traralgon demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Traralgon 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 young adults (25–44) at 27%, 26% of homes are rented, and 14% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 4,995 | 19% |
| Youth (15–24) | 3,034 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 7,153 | 27% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 6,378 | 24% |
| Seniors (65+) | 5,343 | 20% |
Share of the 26,903 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 3,629 | 34% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 3,923 | 37% |
| Rented | 2,767 | 26% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 9,085 | 85% |
| Townhouses & semis | 496 | 5% |
| Flats & apartments | 975 | 9% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 10,633 occupied private dwellings in Traralgon.
- Median weekly rent
- $275
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,950
- Median weekly personal income
- $767
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 3,491 (14%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,975 (8%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 424 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 9,432 (45%)
- Labour-force participation
- 59.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 5%
- Employed full-time
- 7,234
- Employed part-time
- 4,277
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.
Weather and climate in Traralgon
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Traralgon is January (average daytime high around 26.6°C) and the coolest is July (around 12.7°C). The area receives roughly 768 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26.6°C | 14.4°C | 52 mm |
| Feb | 25.4°C | 13.8°C | 35 mm |
| Mar | 23.4°C | 13.2°C | 50 mm |
| Apr | 19.4°C | 10.3°C | 60 mm |
| May | 15.7°C | 7.7°C | 55 mm |
| Jun | 13.1°C | 5.7°C | 65 mm |
| Jul | 12.7°C | 5.2°C | 52 mm |
| Aug | 13.5°C | 5.3°C | 73 mm |
| Sep | 16.3°C | 6.7°C | 77 mm |
| Oct | 19.2°C | 8.6°C | 91 mm |
| Nov | 21.3°C | 10.3°C | 88 mm |
| Dec | 24.2°C | 12.4°C | 70 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Traralgon
Where is Traralgon?
Traralgon is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Traralgon?
At the 2021 Census, Traralgon had a population of about 26,907.
Is Traralgon an advantaged area?
Traralgon has an ABS SEIFA score of 950, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 29 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 29% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Traralgon?
Traralgon has average daytime highs of about 19.2°C and overnight lows of about 9.5°C, with roughly 768 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
Nearby suburbs in Victoria
More suburb guides in Victoria
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.