Section of State Range · Area profile
500 or more
454 km²
The population of 500 or more has grown by 2.4% since 2011, reaching 98,845 people. It is a notably older community where the typical resident is 46, far older than the national figure. The area is mostly made up of established families and seniors, with a high proportion of people owning their own homes outright. This stability is reflected in a very low number of overseas-born residents and people using languages other than English.
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The community is ageing, with 23.3% of people aged 65 and over, a figure well above the national 17.2%. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 7.2% of the population, which is much higher than the 3.2% seen across Australia.
This area is predominantly Australian-born, with 83.3% born here and only 9.8% born overseas, which is far below the national average.
English is the primary language for 90.4% of the community, and very few people speak little or no English, at just 0.3%.
Over half of residents identify as Christian, while 39.4% have no religion, a figure that has risen sharply by 21 points since 2011.
The area has a higher proportion of university graduates than most similar areas, though at 16.3%, it remains well below the national average of 26.3%.
Typical weekly household income is $1,424, which is a little below the national figure of $1,746. This is consistent with a lower proportion of high earners compared to the rest of the country.
Long-term health conditions are more common here than in most areas, affecting 33.2% of people, which is well above the national figure of 27.7%.
Local residents are more likely to volunteer than the national average and a higher than usual number provide unpaid care, with 13.4% of people helping others.
Homes here are generally larger than in other areas, with 2.5 people per home and over half the population living in couples with children.
Housing is dominated by separate houses, making up 93.2% of homes, and 43.2% of residents own their home outright, which is far above the national figure.
The area is heavily reliant on cars, with very few people using public transport to get to work (0.4%) and only 3.1% of homes lacking a motor vehicle.
The community is relatively stable, as the proportion of people who moved in the last five years (35.6%) is well below the national average.
Fewer adults are working or looking for work compared to the national average, with 54.7% in the workforce, though the unemployment rate of 4.3% is slightly lower than the national figure.
The area is mostly car-dependent with a walkability score of 3.9, although 77.6% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of a park.