3900, VIC

The area is far older than the state average, with 34.1% of residents aged 65 and over. This shift has accelerated since 2011, while the number of children has fallen significantly to just 9.2%.

Most residents were born in Australia (71.1%), and the area has a far lower proportion of overseas-born people than the national figure. English, Australian, and Irish are the most common ancestries.

English is the dominant language, with only 2.3% of people using another language at home. This is far below the state and national figures.

About 42.8% of people identify as Christian. While the proportion of people with no religion has risen to 31.2% since 2011, this is still well below the national average.

Educational qualifications are among the lowest for similar areas, with only 5.2% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Only 28.4% of residents have completed Year 12, which is far below the state average.

Typical incomes are much lower than the national figure, with a typical weekly household earning $1,017. Only 3.8% of households earn $3,000 or more per week, though this has risen slightly since 2011.

Long-term health conditions affect 27.7% of the population, which is about the same as the national figure. The rate of people needing help with daily activities is a little below the state average at 4.0%.

Volunteering is very common here, with 25.3% of people volunteering—far above the national figure. However, there are far fewer people providing unpaid care for children compared to most areas.

Homes are typically small, with only 1.8 people per dwelling. This is consistent with the high number of people living alone, who make up 38.5% of households.

The area consists almost entirely of separate houses (96.2%), and 59.0% are owned outright, which is far above the national average. Rent is very low, with a typical weekly rent of just $150.

The community is entirely car-dependent, with no one commuting by public transport and no public transport stops in the area. However, working from home is much more common here than nationally, at 27.4%.

The population is very stable, as only 18.2% of people have moved in the last five years—far below the national average. Interestingly, recent arrivals from overseas make up 19.0% of the population, which is well above the state figure.

Agriculture, forestry and fishing is the dominant industry, employing 47.9% of the workforce. Full-time employment is well above the national average at 63.0%, though the overall number of people working or looking for work is far below most areas.

The area ranks lower than about 60% of similar areas for overall advantage, with a score of 946, which is below the national average of 1,000.

The area is completely car-dependent with a walkability score of 0.6. There are no grocery stores, health services, or schools within a 15-minute walk, and the terrain is steeper than the state average.