3666, VIC

The area is far older than the national average, with people aged 65 and over making up 33.3% of the population. In contrast, children under 15 are well below the state and national figures at just 13.5%, a figure that has fallen since 2011.

Most residents were born in Australia, and the area has far fewer overseas-born residents (8.9%) than the rest of Victoria. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, accounting for 42.0% and 39.5% respectively.

English is the dominant language, with only 3.0% of people using another tongue at home, which is far below the national figure. Consequently, very few residents—just 0.3%—speak little or no English.

About 41.0% of people report having no religion, a figure that rose 16 points since 2011. This is slightly above the Victorian and national averages, while 45.9% of the population identifies as Christian.

Year 12 completion is far below the national figure at 41.0%, though this has risen since 2011. Around 15.8% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, which is far below the state average.

Typical weekly household incomes are much lower than the national figure at $1,153. Only 10.4% of households earn $3,000 or more a week, which is far below the Victorian average of 22.7%.

Long-term health conditions are much more common here than in most areas, affecting 35.1% of residents. This is consistent with the older population, as 7.4% of people need help with daily activities.

Volunteering is very high at 23.3%, well above the national figure, although this has fallen since 2011. Unpaid care for children is much lower than most areas, while 14.0% of people provide other forms of unpaid care.

Homes are typically small, with 33.8% of people living alone and the typical home containing only 2.1 people. This is much lower than the national average of 2.5.

The area is dominated by separate houses, with 95.3% of homes being detached. Home ownership is very high, as 50.1% of houses are owned outright, far above the national figure of 31.0%.

The area is almost entirely car-dependent, with 0.0% of people commuting by public transport and a long 102-minute drive to the city. However, 20.2% of workers now work from home.

About 31.6% of residents moved house in the last five years, which is well below the national average. Recent arrivals from overseas make up 10.2% of the population.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing is the biggest industry, employing 21.0% of the workforce. Fewer adults are working or looking for work (50.4%) compared to the national figure, though the unemployment rate is very low at 3.1%.

The area ranks lower than about 60% of similar regions for overall advantage and access to money and resources. It performs slightly better in terms of education and job skills.

Walkability is very low, with a score of 3.9 that indicates most people rely on cars. Only 20.5% of homes are within a 10-minute walk of public transport, far below the state average.