Tumbarumba, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Tumbarumba is a town on the western edge of the Snowy Mountains in southern New South Wales, about 114 kilometres south-east of Wagga Wagga and the main centre of the Snowy Valleys Council. It lies in country long associated with the Wiradjuri and Walgalu (Ngarigo) peoples, and the meaning of its name is uncertain — variously said to evoke the sound of thunder or 'hollow-sounding ground'. The town grew from an 1850s gold rush, with a post office opening in 1860, and a branch railway ran from 1921 until 1974. Today it is known for its softwood timber mill, the cool-climate Tumbarumba wine region and blueberry growing, and as a gateway to the nearby snowfields.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Tumbarumba is more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 898, 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.
Tumbarumba at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,915
- Median age
- 47
- Median weekly household income
- $1,252
- SEIFA score
- 898
- Coordinates
- -35.7262, 148.0722
Tumbarumba demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Tumbarumba 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 27%, 24% of homes are rented, and 9% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 339 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 175 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 379 | 20% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 515 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 499 | 26% |
Share of the 1,907 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 334 | 44% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 207 | 27% |
| Rented | 185 | 24% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 728 | 97% |
| Townhouses & semis | 22 | 3% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 753 occupied private dwellings in Tumbarumba.
- Median weekly rent
- $220
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,165
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,546
- Median weekly personal income
- $677
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 165 (9%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 62 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 136 (7%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 496 (33%)
- Labour-force participation
- 53.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.2%
- Employed full-time
- 503
- Employed part-time
- 243
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 Tumbarumba
Where is Tumbarumba?
Tumbarumba is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Tumbarumba?
At the 2021 Census, Tumbarumba had a population of about 1,915.
Is Tumbarumba an advantaged area?
Tumbarumba has an ABS SEIFA score of 898, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 11 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of Australian suburbs.
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