Suburb / Locality · Area profile
Cobram
81 km²
Sitting in the heart of the Moira region, Cobram is a large rural community with a notably older population. The typical resident is 48, and nearly 30% of the community are seniors, making it far older than the state and national figures. This ageing profile is reflected in the high number of people needing daily help and a high rate of long-term health conditions. Despite its age, the town has seen a recent influx of people moving in and a surprising number of new arrivals from overseas.
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Cobram is far older than most areas, with 30.4% of people aged 65 and over compared to 17.2% nationally. This high proportion of seniors helps explain why more residents here need help with daily activities than in most other similar areas.
While 75.7% of residents were born in Australia, the town has a higher-than-usual proportion of overseas-born people at 17.0%. English, Australian, and Italian are the most common ancestries.
A higher-than-average 13.1% of people use a language other than English at home, though this is still well below the Victorian figure of 27.6%. Italian is the most common non-English language spoken.
Over half of the community (52.4%) identify as Christian. The proportion of people reporting no religion is 32.4%, which is well below the national figure of 38.9%.
Educational attainment is much lower than most areas, with only 8.5% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. Only 33.5% of residents have completed Year 12, far below the national figure of 58.8%.
Incomes are much lower than in most other areas, with a typical weekly household income of $1,026. This is far below the national figure of $1,746.
Health challenges are common here, with 36.6% of people living with a long-term condition—much higher than the 27.7% national average. Arthritis and mental health are the most reported conditions.
A small number of residents (14.8%) volunteer, which is lower than in most similar areas. Unpaid care for children is also much lower than the state average.
The First Nations community is larger than in 90% of similar areas, with 135 people. About 8.9% speak a First Nations language, which is well above the state average.
Living arrangements are varied, with 35.4% of people living alone—a much higher figure than the national average of 25.6%. One-parent families are also more common here than in most areas.
Separate houses dominate the landscape at 91.1%. While many residents own their homes outright (42.6%), 28.2% rent, which is much higher than in most similar areas.
Reliance on cars is high, as only 0.2% of people commute by public transport. Very few residents work from home (5.9%), far below the state average of 25.7%.
The town has seen significant movement, with 38.6% of people moving in the last five years. This includes a high number of recent overseas arrivals (18.7%), well above the national average.
Only 48.6% of adults are working or looking for work, which is far below the national figure of 61.1%. Key industries include agriculture, forestry, fishing, and manufacturing.
The town is considered somewhat walkable, though many residents live far from essentials; only 52.9% can reach groceries within a 15-minute walk, far below the state figure of 74.0%.