3799, VIC

The typical resident is 46, which is far older than the Victorian and national figures of 38. This ageing trend is clear, with seniors aged 65 and over rising to 19.9% since 2011, while the share of children under 15 has fallen to 15.9%.

The community is mostly Australian or English in ancestry, and 75% of residents were born in Australia. This is far below the Victorian average, where 30% of people were born overseas.

English is the dominant language, used by 85.7% of the population. Only 4% of residents use another language at home, a figure far below the national average of 22.3%.

A majority of residents—56.8%—report having no religion, which is far above the national figure of 38.9%. This is a significant shift, as the number of non-religious people rose 19 points since 2011.

Educational attainment is far below the state and national averages, with only 15% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. However, the number of people who completed Year 12 rose 7.7 points since 2011 to reach 43.3%.

Typical weekly family incomes are $1,567, which is well below the national figure of $2,120. Low-income households are common, with 22.9% earning under $650 a week.

Health challenges are more common here than in most areas, with 33% of people reporting a long-term health condition. Mental health conditions are particularly prevalent at 12.5%, well above the national average of 8.8%.

Unpaid care is a notable feature of the area, with 14.4% of people providing unpaid care—a rate higher than most areas. Meanwhile, the proportion of volunteers fell 5.8 points since 2011 to 15.4%.

The area has a high proportion of people living alone (33.1%) and one-parent families (20.1%), both of which are well above the national average. This contributes to a lower-than-usual number of people per home, at 2.3.

Housing is almost entirely made up of separate houses (97.7%), with very few renters at 13%. Ownership is strong, as 37.8% of homes are owned outright, well above the national figure of 31%.

Cars are essential here, as 60% of people drive to work and only 0.9% use public transport. The drive time to the city is among the highest for similar areas at 167 minutes.

The population is relatively stable, with fewer people moving in the last five years (29.6%) compared to the national average of 40.7%. Recent overseas arrivals are also much lower than most areas at 3.1%.

Working or looking for work is much less common here than elsewhere, at 52.3%. Full-time employment is also well below the national average at 51.4%, with many residents working in health care, construction, or education.

The area ranks in the bottom 30% of all areas for overall advantage, with a score of 930. This reflects the combination of lower typical incomes and lower levels of higher education compared to the rest of the state.

The area is mostly car-dependent, with a walkability score of 3.0, far below the Victorian average of 6.4. Most homes are far from essential services, with only 16.7% within a 15-minute walk of health services.