3250, VIC

The population grew by 8.3% since 2011 to reach 12,756 people. It is noticeably older than the national figure, with 24.1% of residents aged 65 and over, a figure well above the 17.2% seen across Australia.

Most residents were born in Australia (84.7%), which is far below the national figure of 27.7% for those born overseas. However, this proportion has risen 3.7 percentage points since 2011.

English is the main language for 87.8% of the area, though the use of other languages at home rose to 7.3% by 2021. A small number of people, 2.1%, speak little or no English.

A large portion of the community reported no religion, at 44.7%, which is well above the national figure of 38.9%. This represents a significant increase of 21 percentage points since 2011.

Education levels are lower than in most areas, with only 11.4% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. This is far below the Victorian figure of 29.2%.

Typical weekly household income is $1,250, which is well below the national figure of $1,746. Only 10.5% of households earn $3,000 or more a week.

Health challenges are more common here than in most areas, with 33.5% of people living with a long-term health condition. Around 8.8% of residents need help with daily activities.

Unpaid care is a common part of life, with 14.1% of people providing such support. This is a little above the national figure of 11.9%.

A high number of people live alone (34.3%), which is well above the national figure of 25.6%. One-parent families are also more common here than in most other areas.

Housing is dominated by separate houses (88.1%) and large homes, with 79.6% having three or more bedrooms. Typical weekly rent is $260, well below the national figure of $375.

Driving is the primary way to get around, and only 0.2% of people commute by public transport. Very few people work from home, at 6.2%, which is far below the national figure of 21%.

The area has seen a surge in new arrivals from overseas, with 30.7% arriving in the last five years. This is far above the national figure of 14.5%.

Manufacturing is a major employer, accounting for 19.8% of jobs. While fewer adults are working or looking for work compared to the state average, the unemployment rate is very low at 3.0%.

The area ranks lower than most other regions across all advantage measures, particularly in education and job skills, where it sits in the bottom 10% of similar areas.

The area is somewhat walkable, with 86.3% of homes within a 10-minute walk of public transport. However, access to health services within a 15-minute walk is far below the Victorian average.