3959, VIC

The typical resident here is 53, making the area far older than the state and national average of 38. Seniors aged 65 and over make up 30.5% of the population, while children under 15 have fallen to 14.8%.

Most residents were born in Australia, and those with overseas origins are far fewer than the national figure of 27.7%. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, followed by Irish and Scottish.

English is the dominant language, with only 3.2% of people using another tongue at home—far below the national figure of 22.3%. No one in the area reported speaking little or no English.

More than half of the community (52.1%) reported having no religion, a figure far above the national average of 38.9%. This trend has risen by 18 points since 2011.

The area has a well-qualified workforce, with 24.1% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Over half of residents have completed Year 12, which is a 14 point increase since 2011.

Typical weekly household incomes are $1,318, which is well below the national figure of $1,746. However, the number of households earning $3,000 or more a week rose by 12 points since 2011.

Long-term health conditions are slightly more common here than in the rest of the state, with arthritis and asthma being the most frequent. Those needing help with daily activities are a little below the national average at 4.7%.

Volunteering is very common here, with 29.1% of people pitching in—far above the national figure of 14.1%. Unpaid care is also more frequent than in most areas.

Homes are smaller than average with 2.3 people per dwelling, and 30.2% of people live alone. One-parent families are much less common here than in most other areas.

Almost every home is a separate house (99%), and 59.1% are owned outright, which is far above the national figure. Renting is very rare, occurring in only 9.5% of dwellings.

The area is highly car-dependent, with no homes without a motor vehicle and a very long drive time to the city. Public transport use is rare, with only 0.7% of people commuting this way.

The population is relatively stable, as those who moved in the last five years (30.6%) are well below the national average of 40.7%. Recent overseas arrivals are also much lower than typical.

The local workforce is heavily involved in agriculture, forestry, and fishing, and the unemployment rate is very low at 1.2%. However, full-time employment is far below the national figure.

The area ranks higher than about 70% of similar places for overall advantage. It is particularly strong in education and job skills, where it outperforms 80% of other areas.

The area is very car-dependent with a low walkability score of 1.7. While many people live near a park, almost no one has a health service within a 15-minute walk.