Wauchope, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Wauchope sits on the Hastings River in the New South Wales Mid North Coast, about 19 kilometres west of Port Macquarie, in the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council. The Birpai, also known as the Birrbay, are the traditional owners of this country. The town is named after Captain Robert Andrew Wauch, who took up land here in 1836; the silent ending is said to stem from a family dispute, and locals pronounce it 'war-hope'. Wauchope grew as a timber town, and for a time more timber was railed from here than from anywhere else in Australia, with dairying alongside. Today farming, tourism and local produce sustain the district. The Timbertown heritage village, with its steam trains and Cobb & Co coaches, was a long-running drawcard until it closed in 2026.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Wauchope is more socio-economically advantaged than about 7% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 875, 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.
Wauchope at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 6,589
- Median age
- 43
- Median weekly household income
- $1,114
- SEIFA score
- 875
- Coordinates
- -31.4793, 152.7326
Wauchope demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Wauchope 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 25%, 32% of homes are rented, and 8% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,257 | 19% |
| Youth (15–24) | 754 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,375 | 21% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,532 | 23% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,679 | 25% |
Share of the 6,597 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 916 | 36% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 714 | 28% |
| Rented | 816 | 32% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,173 | 85% |
| Townhouses & semis | 315 | 12% |
| Flats & apartments | 38 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,552 occupied private dwellings in Wauchope.
- Median weekly rent
- $350
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,517
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,366
- Median weekly personal income
- $585
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 467 (8%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 146 (2%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 675 (10%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,699 (33%)
- Labour-force participation
- 49.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.2%
- Employed full-time
- 1,371
- Employed part-time
- 951
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.
Weather and climate in Wauchope
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Wauchope is January (average daytime high around 27.9°C) and the coolest is July (around 18.1°C). The area receives roughly 1070 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27.9°C | 19.6°C | 98 mm |
| Feb | 26.9°C | 19.1°C | 144 mm |
| Mar | 25.6°C | 18.2°C | 233 mm |
| Apr | 23.3°C | 15°C | 71 mm |
| May | 20.6°C | 11.9°C | 42 mm |
| Jun | 18.1°C | 9.7°C | 58 mm |
| Jul | 18.1°C | 8.5°C | 52 mm |
| Aug | 19.5°C | 8.9°C | 38 mm |
| Sep | 21.9°C | 11.1°C | 60 mm |
| Oct | 23.9°C | 13.9°C | 79 mm |
| Nov | 25.4°C | 15.8°C | 78 mm |
| Dec | 26.9°C | 18°C | 117 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Wauchope
Where is Wauchope?
Wauchope is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Wauchope?
At the 2021 Census, Wauchope had a population of about 6,589.
Is Wauchope an advantaged area?
Wauchope has an ABS SEIFA score of 875, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 7 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 7% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Wauchope?
Wauchope has average daytime highs of about 23.2°C and overnight lows of about 14.1°C, with roughly 1,070 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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