Urban Centre · Area profile
Coolup
2 km²
A small cluster of detached houses and open space makes up Coolup, a sparsely populated area in the Murray region. It is a family-oriented community where a high proportion of households include children, and the typical resident is 38. While the population shrank by 15% since 2011 to 218 people, the area has seen a notable shift toward larger homes and higher family incomes. It is a largely car-dependent setting where most residents work in mining, manufacturing, or construction.
Explore Coolup by topic
This is a young-leaning community with 22.9% of people under 15, a figure that rose 12 points since 2011. The population is smaller than most similar areas and has a higher rate of de facto relationships than the state and national figures.
The community is overwhelmingly Australian born, with 82.6% born here, which is far below the national figure. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, and the proportion of people born overseas fell 7.7 points since 2011.
English is the only language spoken at home for 95% of residents. This is far below the state and national figures, and the number of people using another language fell to 0% since 2011.
A large majority of residents report no religion, at 57.8%, which is far above the national figure. This represents a significant shift for the area, with the number rising 34 points since 2011.
Education levels are lower than most similar areas, with only 1.8% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. This is a sharp decline from 2011, and only 31.9% of residents finished Year 12.
Typical family and household incomes are much higher than in most similar areas, with a typical weekly household income of $2,035. There has been a significant increase in high earners, with 18.6% of people now earning $2,000 or more per week.
Residents are generally healthier than in most similar areas, with only 25.2% having a long-term health condition. Mental health conditions are reported by 10.1% of the population, which is slightly above the national figure.
Unpaid work is common here; 34.7% of people do 15 or more hours of housework weekly, which is far above the national figure. Caregiving is also high, with 29.3% of people caring for children unpaid.
Homes are larger than usual, with an average of 3.0 people per household. This is consistent with the high number of couples with children, who make up 59.5% of families.
The area is dominated by separate houses, with 94.6% of homes being detached. Almost all homes (93.2%) have three or more bedrooms, and renting is very rare at just 5.4%.
The community is entirely dependent on cars, as 0% of people commute via public transport and every single home owns at least one motor vehicle.
About 39.9% of residents moved in the last five years, which is about the same as the national figure. However, there have been no recent arrivals from overseas since 2011.
Full-time employment is higher than in most similar areas at 61.5%, though the unemployment rate of 6.2% is slightly above the state average. Many residents work in the mining (26.4%) and manufacturing (16.5%) industries.
The area is mostly car-dependent with a low walkability score of 2.3. While most homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries, there are no schools, parks, or health services within that same distance.