Waroona, WA
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Waroona sits in Western Australia's Peel region at the foot of the Darling Range, about 112 kilometres south of Perth and 43 kilometres from Mandurah on the South Western Highway. First settled by John Fouracre in 1891, the town gained a railway station in 1893 and was surveyed and gazetted in 1895; for its first half-century it was known as Drakesbrook, taking the name Waroona only in 1946. The name is believed to come from 'Werroona', recorded as meaning a 'resting place' in the Djadjawurrung language of Victoria. Dairying and farming anchor the district, while Waroona Dam and Drakesbrook Weir draw picnickers and the town's whimsical fairy-door trail delights younger visitors.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Waroona is more socio-economically advantaged than about 11% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 896, 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.
Waroona at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,868
- Median age
- 48
- Median weekly household income
- $1,264
- SEIFA score
- 896
- Coordinates
- -32.8332, 115.8832
Waroona demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Waroona 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 28%, 19% of homes are rented, and 19% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 490 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 275 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 559 | 19% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 810 | 28% |
| Seniors (65+) | 739 | 26% |
Share of the 2,873 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 465 | 42% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 367 | 33% |
| Rented | 208 | 19% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 996 | 90% |
| Townhouses & semis | 91 | 8% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,102 occupied private dwellings in Waroona.
- Median weekly rent
- $270
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,517
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,647
- Median weekly personal income
- $615
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 508 (19%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 197 (7%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 104 (4%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 730 (32%)
- Labour-force participation
- 52.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 7%
- Employed full-time
- 652
- Employed part-time
- 401
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 Waroona
Where is Waroona?
Waroona is a suburb of Western Australia, Australia.
What is the population of Waroona?
At the 2021 Census, Waroona had a population of about 2,868.
Is Waroona an advantaged area?
Waroona has an ABS SEIFA score of 896, 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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