3561, VIC

The area is far older than the national figure, with 27.5% of people aged 65 and over, a figure that has risen significantly since 2011. Children under 15 make up 16.2% of the population, which is a little below the national average.

Most residents were born in Australia (86.5%), and the proportion of people born overseas is far below the national figure at just 5.3%. The most common ancestries are Australian and English.

English is the primary language for 90.9% of the community, meaning the proportion of people using another language at home is far below the national average at only 2.0%.

Half of the population identifies as Christian, while 40.7% report no religion. The number of people identifying with no religion has risen by 20 percentage points since 2011.

Education levels are much lower than most areas, with only 10.2% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Only 32.4% of residents completed Year 12, which is far below the national figure of 58.8%.

Typical weekly household income is $1,207, which is well below the national figure of $1,746. Only 10.7% of households earn $3,000 or more per week, though this has risen since 2011.

Long-term health conditions are much more common here than in most areas, affecting 36.3% of residents. This includes a high rate of arthritis (14.1%) and mental health conditions (11.0%).

Unpaid care is a common feature of life here, with 14.8% of people providing unpaid care, which is a little above the national average. Volunteers make up 18.9% of the community.

Living arrangements are more solitary than usual, with 29.2% of people living alone. This is higher than the national figure, and the typical home is smaller than average with 2.3 people per household.

Home ownership is very strong, as 47.5% of homes are owned outright, far above the national figure. Most people live in separate houses, and typical weekly rents are far below the national average at $213.

The area is heavily reliant on cars, with 63.8% of workers driving and only 0.2% using public transport. It is a remote setting, with a very long typical drive time of 132 minutes to the city.

The population is relatively stable, as the 28.8% of people who moved in the last five years is far below the national figure of 40.7%.

Fewer adults are working or looking for work compared to most areas, at 53.1%. Agriculture, forestry and fishing is the most common industry, employing 19.7% of the workforce.

The area ranks lower than most other regions across all advantage measures, including access to money, resources, and job skills.

The community is mostly car-dependent with a walkability score of 3.9, far below the state average. Many residents live far from basic needs, with fewer than half of homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries or health services.