Rural Balance

The community is ageing, with the typical resident being 46 and the proportion of people aged 65 and over rising to 20.2%. There has been a modest increase in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population to 5.7%, while the share of children under 15 fell to 16.7%.

Most residents were born in Australia, and only 11.6% were born overseas, which is far below the national figure. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, and this low level of overseas birth has remained steady since 2011.

English is the primary language for 90.7% of the population, and only 3.2% use another language at home. This is among the lowest rates for this level, and very few people—just 0.3%—speak little or no English.

A majority of residents now report no religion, accounting for 51.4% of the population. This figure is far above the national average and has risen sharply by 21 points since 2011.

Education levels have risen, with 17.4% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher and 41.7% completing Year 12. However, both figures remain well below the national averages.

Typical weekly household income is $1,426, which is a little below the national figure. While typical personal and family incomes are lower than in most similar areas, the number of households earning over $3,000 a week rose significantly to 14.5% since 2011.

Long-term health conditions affect 31.4% of the population, which is well above the national figure. Arthritis is the most common condition, affecting 12.1% of residents.

Volunteerism is much higher than in most areas, with 19.6% of people helping out. This community also has a higher rate of unpaid carers (13.6%) and a much higher proportion of Defence Force veterans (4.2%) compared to the national average.

Families tend to be larger here, with 2.5 people per home, and one-parent families are much less common than in most other areas. About 54% of households consist of couples with children.

Housing is dominated by separate houses, which make up 98.4% of all dwellings. Renting is very rare at 11.1%, and a far-above-average 46.2% of residents own their homes outright.

The area is heavily reliant on cars, with only 0.7% of people using public transport to commute. Most homes have multiple vehicles, and only 1.3% of households have no motor vehicle at all.

The population is relatively stable, as only 30.5% of people moved in the last five years, which is far below the national figure. Recent overseas arrivals are also low at 7.8%.

Working or looking for work is common for 59.3% of adults, with a low unemployment rate of 4.4%. Jobs are spread across agriculture, health care, and construction, while managers and professionals are the most common occupations.

The area is highly car-dependent, with a walkability score of 0.7. Very few homes are within a 15-minute walk of groceries (5.2%) or health services (1.9%).