Council (LGA) · Area profile
Southern Mallee
5,702 km²
Nearly half of all homes in Southern Mallee are owned outright, making it a community with very high levels of housing security. This is a mature, sparsely populated area where the typical resident is 45, noticeably older than the national figure. With a population of just under 2,000 people, the region is heavily tied to the land, as about half of the workforce is employed in agriculture, forestry, and fishing. It is a place of high volunteerism and stable, though modest, household incomes.
Plenty of schools here relative to how few children live in the area.
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The community is noticeably older than the state and national averages, with 23.6% of people aged 65 and over. This senior population has grown by 4.8 percentage points since 2011, while the proportion of children under 15 has fallen.
Most residents were born in Australia, though the proportion of overseas-born people rose to 13.5% since 2011. The most common ancestries are Australian and English, followed by German at 13.4%.
While 8.2% of people use a language other than English at home—a figure that rose 5.0 percentage points since 2011—this is still far below the national average.
About 40.4% of residents report no religion, a significant increase of 18 percentage points since 2011. Christianity remains the most common affiliation at 46.9%.
Education levels are far below the national average, with only 11.2% of adults holding a bachelor degree. However, the rate of Year 12 completion rose 9.4 percentage points since 2011 to reach 40.5%.
Typical weekly household income is $1,312, which is well below the national figure. While income has risen since 2011, only 10.3% of households earn $3,000 or more per week.
Long-term health conditions are much more common here than in most other areas, affecting 33.8% of the population. Arthritis and asthma are the most frequently reported conditions.
Volunteer rates are among the highest in the country at 33.3%, which is far above the national figure. There is also a higher than usual proportion of people who have served in the Defence Force.
First Nations people make up 1.7% of the population, with a typical age of 33, which is far older than the state and national averages of 24.
Homes tend to be smaller, with just 2.2 people per household. This is partly because 34.5% of people live alone, a figure well above the national average.
The area is dominated by detached houses, which make up 96.7% of dwellings. Rent is much lower than the national average, with a typical weekly rent of only $160.
Residents are almost entirely dependent on cars for travel, with 0% of people using public transport to get to work. Most homes have at least one vehicle, and 36.6% have two.
The population is relatively stable, as far fewer people have moved in the last five years compared to most other areas. Interestingly, recent arrivals from overseas make up 34.1% of the population.
Employment is very strong, with 66.8% of people working full-time and a low unemployment rate of 2.9%. Half of all jobs are in agriculture, forestry, and fishing.
The area's overall advantage score is 962, which is higher than about 60% of similar areas. However, population growth has slowed, falling 0.6% since 2021.
The region is much drier than the state average, with annual rainfall of 354mm. It also experiences lower average maximum and minimum temperatures than the state average.
The area is mostly car-dependent, with a walkability score of 3.4. Only 49% of homes are within a 15-minute walk of a city walkshed, far below the state average of 67%.