Wallaroo (SA), SA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Wallaroo is a port town on the western side of Yorke Peninsula in South Australia, on the shores of Spencer Gulf about 160 kilometres north-west of Adelaide. It lies on the Country of the Narungga people, and its name is thought to come from a Narungga term, wadlu waru. European settlement began around 1851, and after copper was found the town built a large smelter from 1861 that became one of the largest outside Wales until copper work ended in 1923. With nearby Kadina and Moonta, Wallaroo forms the Copper Triangle, a district so shaped by Cornish miners that it is known as Little Cornwall and celebrates the Cornish Kernewek Lowender festival. Today the town is a grain port and seaside holiday spot.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Wallaroo (SA) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 5% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 858, 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.
Wallaroo (SA) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 3,699
- Median age
- 57
- Median weekly household income
- $892
- SEIFA score
- 858
- Coordinates
- -33.9403, 137.6374
Wallaroo (SA) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Wallaroo (SA) 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 35%, 30% of homes are rented, and 10% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 477 | 13% |
| Youth (15–24) | 264 | 7% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 565 | 15% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,086 | 29% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,306 | 35% |
Share of the 3,698 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 677 | 43% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 350 | 22% |
| Rented | 481 | 30% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,444 | 91% |
| Townhouses & semis | 112 | 7% |
| Flats & apartments | 6 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,584 occupied private dwellings in Wallaroo (SA).
- Median weekly rent
- $245
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,169
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,154
- Median weekly personal income
- $506
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 349 (10%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 100 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 107 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 841 (27%)
- Labour-force participation
- 40.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 10.3%
- Employed full-time
- 569
- Employed part-time
- 486
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 Wallaroo (SA)
Where is Wallaroo (SA)?
Wallaroo (SA) is a suburb of South Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Wallaroo (SA)?
At the 2021 Census, Wallaroo (SA) had a population of about 3,699.
Is Wallaroo (SA) an advantaged area?
Wallaroo (SA) has an ABS SEIFA score of 858, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 5 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 5% of Australian suburbs.
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