State Electorate · Area profile
Murray Plains (Northern Victoria)
11,896 km²
Spanning nearly 12,000 square kilometres of Northern Victoria, Murray Plains is a vast and predominantly rural region. It is a noticeably older community where the typical resident is 45 and nearly a quarter of the population are seniors. The area is defined by its connection to the land, with a high proportion of detached houses and a strong presence of agriculture and health services. While the population grew by 3.6% to reach 64,766 people, it remains a traditional Australian heartland with very few overseas-born residents.
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The typical resident is 45, making the area noticeably older than the state and national average of 38. This older profile is reflected in the 24.4% of people aged 65 and over, a figure that rose 1.9 points since 2016.
The community is overwhelmingly Australian-born, with 83.8% born here and only 8.3% born overseas, which is far below the national figure of 27.7%. Australian and English are the most common ancestries.
English is the primary language for 87.2% of the population. Only 5.4% of people use another language at home, which is far below the 27.6% seen across Victoria.
Nearly half of the population identify as Christian, while 40.9% report having no religion. This lack of religious affiliation rose by 12 points since 2016.
Educational attainment is much lower than in most similar areas, with only 36.6% of residents having completed Year 12. Just 11.6% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, which is far below the state average of 29.2%.
Typical weekly household incomes are well below the national figure, sitting at $1,270. Only 11.1% of households earn $3,000 or more a week, though this is an increase of 5.6 points since 2016.
Long-term health challenges are more common here than in most areas, with 33.4% of people reporting a health condition. This includes 12.3% with arthritis and 10.1% with asthma.
Volunteering is very high at 18.5%, well above the national figure of 14.1%. Additionally, 14.0% of people provide unpaid care, which is much higher than in most similar areas.
Homes tend to be smaller, with an average of 2.3 people per dwelling. A high proportion of residents live alone, at 29.8%, which is well above the national average of 25.6%.
The landscape is dominated by separate houses, which make up 89.8% of all dwellings. Home ownership is strong, with 42.2% of homes owned outright, far above the national figure of 31.0%.
Reliance on cars is high, with 65.9% of workers driving to work and only 0.2% using public transport. Public transport options are very limited, with weekly departures per 1,000 people far below the state average.
The population is relatively stable, as 32.0% of people moved in the last five years, which is well below the national average of 40.7%. However, recent arrivals from overseas rose 5.5 points since 2016 to reach 21.7%.
Agriculture and health services are the primary employers, each accounting for about 15% of jobs. The unemployment rate is low at 3.4%, which is a little below the national figure of 5.1%.
Most residents live far from essential services, with only 39.5% within a 15-minute walk of health services. The overall walkability score of 4.4 is well below the state average of 6.4.