VIC · Macedon Ranges Council

Ashbourne, 3442

Est. population · Jun 2025

245

Growth (1 yr)

+0.8%

Growth (5 yr)

+4.7%

Median age

48

Median income

$2,474/wk

Employment rate

59.6%

Languages at home

3.1%non-English

Most common: German

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

38.1/100
Below average

808th in VIC

Verified 62% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • High desirability
What Ashbourne is known for: High desirability

Suburb profile

Ashbourne offers a slower smaller community life in Macedon Ranges Council, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. A mature community gives the area a calm, settled social fabric, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting.

Local shops are sparse, so a fuller set of amenities usually means travelling to a neighbouring town or regional hub. Local green pockets are modest, with bigger outdoor outings usually found in neighbouring areas. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here than in denser, more walkable pockets.

Property sits in a premium price band and is harder to enter for many buyers. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.

Against similar regional towns, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities, plus growth momentum lag behind, despite relative strength in community and employment, plus safety. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Ashbourne snapshot

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

No data available

Population (ERP)

245

+0.8% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

17.5%

Census unoccupied dwellings

Livability profile

Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Desirability

#151

among Country & regional · Mature

Safety

11th

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

63rd

percentile in VIC

Advantage (IRSAD)

10/10

national SEIFA decile

Population growth

Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years

Housing mix

Dwelling types from the 2021 Census

Risks & flags

Quick scan — open a section below for full context

Living here

Desirability

Ranks & confidence
Desirability score
38.1/100 — Below average
National rank
4108th in Australia
State rank
808th in VIC
Peer rank
#151 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#345 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
62%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability indexSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Population

Estimated resident population

245(June 2025)

+0.8% annual · +4.7% over 5 years · 63th percentile in VIC

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.8%
5-year growth
+4.7%
Change in 1 year
+2
Change in 5 years
+11
Growth rank in VIC
63th percentile

ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.

Methodology

Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.

The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~250), extrapolated at +1.5% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
242
Median age
48
Median household income / week
$2,474
Dwelling vacancy
17.5%
Unoccupied private dwellings
17 of 97
Median monthly mortgage
$2,800
Employment rate
59.6%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
77 / 0 / 0

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • Estimated Resident PopulationAustralian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Community & culture

No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community ProfileAustralian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Reported offences are unchanged compared with the previous period.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (2026)
4
Against the person
2
Against property
1
Rate per 1,000 residents
16.3
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 121 residents
State safety percentile
11.1th (lower crime is better)
No change (daily rate)
0%

Most common offence types

  • A732 Non-Fv Threatening Behaviour1
  • A89 Other Dangerous Or Negligent Acts Endangering People1
  • B42 Steal From A Motor Vehicle1
  • D25 Criminal Intent1

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

Family & Lifestyle

Amenities

No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insightsSuburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenitiesOpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
1
Parks (OSM)
0

OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)

Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Nearest hospital
Trentham Aged Care Hostel (11.8 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
8
Participants per 1,000 residents
32.7

Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.

For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.

Data sources & freshness

Weather

Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.

Summer (Dec–Feb)

Usual max / min
26° / 12°
Rainfall
128 mm · ~16 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
21° / 10°
Rainfall
124 mm · ~16 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
14° / 6°
Rainfall
149 mm · ~19 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
19° / 8°
Rainfall
182 mm · ~23 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normalsWorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Planning & development

Development applications from PPARS statewide register (lodged 2020–2022). Free public PPARS MapServer — applications through ~2022 (service last updated Feb 2024).

8 planning-related records

2021· 3 proposals
  • August 2021

  • Use and development of a dwelling and outbuilding (shed)
    90 PORKERS LANE ASHBOURNE 3442Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • May 2021

  • Development of an extension to existing dwelling.
    889 ASHBOURNE ROAD ASHBOURNE 3442Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • April 2021

  • Development of an extension to existing dwelling and vegetation removal
    658 FALLOONS ROAD ASHBOURNE 3442Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
2020· 5 proposals
  • October 2020

  • Use of the Land for Domestic Animal Boarding (2 Dogs)
    711 Falloons RoadNo permit required
  • Development of an outbuilding (shed).
    121 Jocks Gully RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • July 2020

  • Development of an outbuilding (shed) on existing footings
    16 Casey RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Development of an Outbuilding (Garage)
    934 Ashbourne RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • June 2020

  • Development of an outbuilding (Carport)
    156 Chambers RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)

Development and planning activity

Data sources & freshness

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Victorian Bushfire Management Overlay mapping.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Bushfire hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Hazard planning overlaysState government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
McEwen
Member of Parliament
Rob MITCHELL (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
117,921
Turnout (2025)
93.5%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+0.9 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 45.2%Labor 54.8%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 14.5 km away).

Coalition 38.6%Labor 61.4%

6.6 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +3.0 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • WoodendLabor 64.4% · Coalition 35.6% TPP (2025)8.5 km away
  • MacedonLabor 65.6% · Coalition 34.4% TPP (2025)9.1 km away
  • Woodend EastLabor 73.1% · Coalition 26.9% TPP (2025)9.2 km away
  • BullengarookLabor 45.5% · Coalition 54.5% TPP (2025)9.7 km away
  • Mount MacedonLabor 61.3% · Coalition 38.7% TPP (2025)11.0 km away

Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
10/10
IRSD decile (2021)
10/10

ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).

What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?

IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.

IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.

A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)

Data sources & freshness

More in Macedon Ranges Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Victoria.