Walcha, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Walcha lies on the southern edge of the New England Tablelands in New South Wales, in Walcha Shire, about 90 kilometres east of Tamworth. It is fine-wool and grazing country — the district styles itself a 'Pasture Wonderland' — and its runs were taken up by Europeans from 1832, when Hamilton Collins Sempill established the Wolka run, from which the town's name evolved. The land is the traditional country of the Dhanggati people. Today Walcha is best known for its open-air gallery, with more than forty sculptures and carved verandah posts lining the streets, and as a gateway to the Oxley Wild Rivers National Park and the Apsley Falls. Around 1,400 people live there.
Less advantaged than the national average
Walcha is more socio-economically advantaged than about 38% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 966, 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.
Walcha at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,475
- Median age
- 49
- Median weekly household income
- $1,220
- SEIFA score
- 966
- Coordinates
- -31.1045, 151.6464
Walcha demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Walcha 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 30%, 21% of homes are rented, and 6% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 422 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 220 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 439 | 18% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 638 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 743 | 30% |
Share of the 2,462 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 475 | 49% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 212 | 22% |
| Rented | 210 | 21% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 926 | 95% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 39 | 4% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 975 occupied private dwellings in Walcha.
- Median weekly rent
- $203
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,083
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,628
- Median weekly personal income
- $701
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 145 (6%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 53 (2%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 151 (6%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 786 (40%)
- Labour-force participation
- 55.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.1%
- Employed full-time
- 684
- Employed part-time
- 358
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 Walcha
Where is Walcha?
Walcha is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Walcha?
At the 2021 Census, Walcha had a population of about 2,475.
Is Walcha an advantaged area?
Walcha has an ABS SEIFA score of 966, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 38 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 38% of Australian suburbs.
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