3218.0 - Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2017-18 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 27/03/2019   
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CENTRE OF POPULATION

The centre of population is one way in which the spatial distribution of Australia's population can be summarised. This point marks the average latitude and longitude around which the population is distributed.

For more information about how the Centre of Population is calculated, please refer to Explanatory Notes 43 and 44 in this publication.


AUSTRALIA

Australia's centre of population at June 2018 was 47 kilometres east of the small service town of Ivanhoe in western New South Wales. This location reflects the concentration of population in south-east Australia. The centre of population moved 6.0 kilometres south between 2008 and 2018. This shift largely reflects rapid population growth in Melbourne over this ten-year period, increasing by 26% compared to 16% for the rest of the country.


CENTRE OF POPULATION Australia - June 2008 and June 2018
Image: Map showing Centre of Population for Australia, June 2008 and June 2018


NEW SOUTH WALES

The centre of population for NSW at June 2018 was near the Hawkesbury River on the south-western fringe of the rural suburb of Lower Portland. Between 2008 and 2018, the centre moved 3.7 kilometres south-east, reflecting strong population growth in Greater Sydney and along the NSW coast.

At June 2018, the centre of population of Greater Sydney was in the Parramatta River, close to the suburb of Ermington. In the ten years to 2018, the centre moved 0.4 kilometres south-west, led by strong population growth in outer south-western Sydney.


VICTORIA

At June 2018, Victoria's centre of population was in the suburb of Coburg North. In the ten years to 2018, the centre moved 1.9 kilometres south, towards Melbourne's central business district.

Greater Melbourne's centre of population at June 2018 was in the suburb of Malvern, near the Monash Freeway. The centre moved 1.0 kilometres west in the ten years to 2018, reflecting strong housing development in Melbourne's outer west.


QUEENSLAND

Queensland's centre of population at June 2018 was in the rural suburb of Booubyjan, 95 kilometres south-west of the town of Maryborough. The centre moved 17 kilometres south-east in the ten years to 2018, reflecting strong and sustained population growth in South East Queensland over this period.

The centre of population for Greater Brisbane at June 2018 was in the suburb of Highgate Hill, to the south-west of the city's central business district. In the ten years to 2018, the centre moved 0.3 kilometres west, indicating slightly higher growth in the western part of Brisbane's metropolitan area.


SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The centre of population for SA at June 2018 was in the new suburb of Lightsview. In the ten years to 2018, the centre moved 1.5 kilometres south, towards Adelaide's central business district.

For Greater Adelaide, the centre of population at June 2018 was on the banks of the River Torrens, north of Botanic Park, in the suburb of Adelaide. The centre moved just 0.2 kilometres north between 2008 and 2018, reflecting slightly stronger growth in the outer northern suburbs compared with the outer southern suburbs.


WESTERN AUSTRALIA

At June 2018, the centre of population for WA was near Moondyne Nature Reserve, 27 kilometres west of the town of Toodyay. In the ten years to 2018, the centre moved 9.6 kilometres south-west, towards Perth's central business district.

The centre of population for Greater Perth at June 2018 was in the suburb of Como, near the banks of the Swan River. In the ten years to 2018, the centre moved 0.6 kilometres south, also towards Perth's central business district, reflecting stronger growth to the south of the city including in Mandurah.


TASMANIA

Tasmania's centre of population at June 2018 was in Woods Lake, in Central Highlands. In the ten years to 2018, the centre moved 4.4 kilometres south-east, reflecting continued population growth in Greater Hobart.

For Greater Hobart, the centre of population at June 2018 was just south of the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, in the suburb of Queens Domain. The centre moved just 0.2 kilometres south-east in the ten years to 2018.


NORTHERN TERRITORY

The centre of population for the NT at June 2018 was 41 kilometres south-west of the town of Katherine, near the Victoria Highway. The centre moved 39 kilometres north-west in the ten years to 2018. This reflects strong population growth in Greater Darwin over this period.

The centre of population for Greater Darwin at June 2018 was in the suburb of Wishart, south of the Stuart Highway. In the ten years to 2018, the centre moved 1.0 kilometres south-east, towards the growing Palmerston area.


AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

The centre of population in the ACT at June 2018 was located on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin, in the suburb of Yarralumla. In the ten years to 2018, the centre of population moved 1.8 kilometres north. This reflects population growth in the northern suburbs of Canberra.