Waikerie, SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Waikerie is a Riverland town on the south bank of the Murray River in South Australia, about 173 kilometres north-east of Adelaide. The Ngawait people have lived along this stretch of the river for millennia. The name comes from a local Aboriginal word, often said to mean the rising, though some link it instead to a creator figure and to the ghost moths that emerge from the ground after rain. Founded in 1894 as one of the colony's village settlements during a deep economic depression, the town grew into a productive irrigation district of citrus, stone fruit and vines. A cable ferry still crosses the river here, and Waikerie is celebrated as a gliding centre, having hosted the World Gliding Championships, with bright silo art greeting visitors.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Waikerie is more socio-economically advantaged than about 8% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 882, 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.
Waikerie at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,681
- Median age
- 49
- Median weekly household income
- $954
- SEIFA score
- 882
- Coordinates
- -34.2052, 139.9771
Waikerie demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Waikerie 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 32%, 29% of homes are rented, and 14% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 431 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 253 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 531 | 20% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 621 | 23% |
| Seniors (65+) | 852 | 32% |
Share of the 2,688 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 436 | 39% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 273 | 25% |
| Rented | 318 | 29% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 963 | 85% |
| Townhouses & semis | 150 | 13% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,127 occupied private dwellings in Waikerie.
- Median weekly rent
- $200
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,000
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,280
- Median weekly personal income
- $581
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 344 (14%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 227 (9%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 66 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 727 (34%)
- Labour-force participation
- 50.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.6%
- Employed full-time
- 609
- Employed part-time
- 398
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 Waikerie
Where is Waikerie?
Waikerie is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Waikerie?
At the 2021 Census, Waikerie had a population of about 2,681.
Is Waikerie an advantaged area?
Waikerie has an ABS SEIFA score of 882, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 8 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 8% of Australian suburbs.
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