What is the population of Wagga Wagga, New South Wales?
The population of Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, is 56,675 according to the Australia Bureau of Statistics. It is one of the biggest inland cities in Australia, and the Wagga Wagga population makes it the biggest settlement on the Murrumbidgee River aside from Canberra.
Wagga Wagga in New South Wales is one of those places that more people have heard of than have been to. That’s partly because it has a quintessentially Australian-sounding name. It’s the sort of name writers will use to conjure up images of the outback.
It’s not in the outback, of course. Wagga Wagga is one of the largest inland cities in Australia, built on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River. The Murrumbidgee flows for 1,485km from the Australian Capital Territory to Boundary Bend on the Murray River. Aside from Canberra, Wagga Wagga is the largest settlement on the Murrumbidgee, and it can be added as a short detour on the drive from Albury to Canberra.
The growing Wagga Wagga population
The population of Wagga Wagga is slowly growing. According to the Australia Bureau of Statistics, 53,445 people lived in Wagga Wagga in 2009. As of 2019, the Wagga Wagga population was 56,675. This is using the significant urban area measurement, which is the closest approximation to what most people would regard as the city.
By Australia standards, Wagga Wagga is a pretty big city. It’s in the top 30, population-wise. Cities of comparable size include Hervey Bay in Queensland.
Wagga Wagga population comparisons
The Wagga Wagga population is slightly bigger than that of Mildura-Wentworth on the Murray River, or the Shepparton-Mooroopna conurbation in rural Victoria.
Wagga Wagga is a major regional hub, with defence facilities and the Charles Sturt University being major draws. Trains from Sydney to Melbourne pass through, and Wagga Wagga is on the quickest driving route from Sydney to Adelaide. The drive from Sydney to Alice Springs also passes through Wagga Wagga.
In the other direction, the drive from Wagga Wagga to Sydney takes just over five hours.
Populations of Australian towns and cities
New South Wales: Armidale, Ballina, Bathurst, Coffs Harbour, Dubbo, Goulburn, Port Macquarie, Tamworth, Ulladulla.
Northern Territory: Alice Springs.
Queensland: Cairns, Rockhampton, Toowoomba, Townsville.