suburb.guide

VIC · Mount Alexander Council

Barkers Creek, 3451

Est. population · Jun 2025

513

Growth (1 yr)

+1.0%

Growth (5 yr)

+7.8%

Median age

50

Median income

$1,555/wk

Employment rate

56.3%

University qualified

33.8%

Work from home

24.8%

Languages at home

6.1%non-English

Most common: Spanish, Japanese

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

59.3/100
Good

Top 12% of Victoria's suburbs

Verified 87% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • Rural living
What Barkers Creek is known for: Green suburb, Rural living

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Suburb Guide, “Barkers Creek, VIC Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/vic/barkers-creek

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Suburb profile

Barkers Creek is a rural locality in Victoria, in Mount Alexander Council. It is close to Mount Alexander.

Local amenities is an exceptional strength, well above typical levels for rural localities. University qualifications are among the highest in the peer group, and green cover is an exceptional strength, and the suburb has an unusually high concentration of heritage listings, and socio-economic advantage sits well above the peer median. Space is a strength, but car dependence is high.

Overall, Barkers Creek suits people prioritising university qualifications and heritage character.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Rural locality · compared with rural localities in Victoria (1828)

Strengths

  • University qualifications are among the highest in the peer group
  • Green cover is a relative strength
  • The suburb has an unusually high concentration of heritage listings
  • Local amenity access is stronger than in most comparable places
  • Socio-economic advantage sits well above the peer median

Weaknesses

No relative weaknesses against comparable places.

What stands out

  • Mount Alexander
  • Space is a strength, but car dependence is high

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How Barkers Creek compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent (Census)

$250/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

513

+1.0% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

13.5%

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

#14

among Country & regional · Mature

Crime rate

10th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

68th

percentile in VIC

Rented dwellings

8%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

8/10

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
59.3/100 — Good
State standing
Top 12% of Victoria's suburbs
National rank
579th in Australia
State rank
145th in VIC
Peer rank
#14 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#22 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
87%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Population

Estimated resident population

513(June 2025)

+1.0% annual · +7.8% over 5 years · 68th percentile in VIC

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.0%
5-year growth
+7.8%
Change in 1 year
+5
Change in 5 years
+37
Growth rank in VIC
68th 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 (~550), extrapolated at +1.1% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
487
Median age
50
Median household income / week
$1,555
Dwelling vacancy
13.5%
Unoccupied private dwellings
28 of 207
Median monthly mortgage
$1,602
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$250
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
50.6% / 42% / 7.5%
Employment rate
56.3%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
24.8% / 0% / 61.3%
Walked or cycled to work
1.8%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
182 / 0 / 0

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

  • Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Qualifications

33.8% of adults have a university degree, compared with 29.2% across Victoria. 14.2% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified33.8% · 29.2% VIC
  • Diploma qualified12.8% · 9.8% VIC
  • Trade / vocational14.2% · 14.2% VIC
  • Year 12 or below39.2% · 46.8% VIC

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Health18.7%
  • Engineering and related technologies15.9%
  • Society and culture15.4%
  • Education14.2%
  • Creative arts11%
  • Management and commerce7.3%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$51,500

40th percentile in VIC · -12% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$57,851

47th percentile in VIC · -11% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
13.0%

53rd percentile in VIC · -6% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$99,512

76th percentile in VIC · +57% vs Australia

Residents with business income
18.0%

95th percentile in VIC · +73% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 3451 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
3,538
Taxpayers reporting net rent
446
Median net rent
$1,170
Taxpayers reporting business income
636
Taxable income vs state median
-3%
Salary / wages vs state median
-1%
Rental investment vs state median
0%
Super vs state median
+24%
Business income vs state median
+64%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in VIC, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

6.1% speak a language other than English at home; 10.9% born overseas

Language at home
431 English only · 28 other
Non-English at home
6.1%
Born overseas
49 (10.9%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
3 (0.6%)
Australian citizens
450
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
2

Top languages other than English

Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).

  • Spanish6 · 66.7%
  • Japanese3 · 33.3%

Religion

53.6%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 53.6%, while Christianity accounts for 32.4%.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion53.6%38.8%
Christianity32.4%40.9%
Other / not stated14%20.3%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic10.9%20.5%
Anglican5.5%6.5%
Uniting Church5.1%2.4%
Presbyterian and Reformed3.5%1.4%
Christian (not further defined)2.5%2.5%
Eastern Orthodox2.3%3.3%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

Crime & safety

Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (2026)
8
Against the person
0
Against property
2
Rate per 1,000 residents
15.6
State crime-rate percentile
9.5th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate)
-38.5%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
12
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
23.39

Most common offence types

  • B42 Steal From A Motor Vehicle1
  • C32 Drug Possession3
  • E21 Breach Family Violence Order2
  • B49 Other Theft1
  • C23 Possess Drug Manufacturing Equipment Or Precursor1

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

School list
School catchments
  • Castlemaine North Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Castlemaine Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Castlemaine Secondary CollegeGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Chewton Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Harcourt Valley Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment

Government school intake zones that overlap this suburb boundary. Living in a catchment does not guarantee enrolment; check the education authority.

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

  • Victorian designated neighbourhood zones — Victorian Department of Education · current · Updated · Open catchment polygons where published

Public transport

1 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Blackjack Rd/Midland Hwy

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

6 mapped amenities

1 swimming pools

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
Walkability proxy
2/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Shopping(1)
  • The Little Red AppleGreengrocer

    8795 Midland Highway

Sport & outdoors(5)
  • Castlemaine to Maldon TrailCycling route
  • Castlemaine H85 Bushland ReserveNature reserve
  • Harcourt Bushland ReserveNature reserve
  • Walmer H82 Bushland ReserveNature reserve
  • Swimming pool

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Parks & reserves

2 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Castlemaine H85 Bushland ReserveNature reserve
  • Walmer H82 Bushland ReserveNature reserve

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
32.3%
Woodland / forest cover
32.3%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
4
Parks (OSM)
0
Typical summer maximum
27°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Health access

Nearest hospital
Mt Alexander Hospital (4.4 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
16
Participants per 1,000 residents
31.2

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
27° / 12°
Rainfall
115 mm · ~14 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
21° / 8°
Rainfall
133 mm · ~17 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
13° / 4°
Rainfall
180 mm · ~22 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
19° / 7°
Rainfall
172 mm · ~22 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Roadworks & transport

45 active roadworks / incidents

  • Maintenance Works activities occurring between 20/06/2026 and 31/10/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Weekends 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed multiple directions. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 0 to 5 min.VICTORIA ROAD, VICTORIA-CALDER IN RAMP ON19 Jun 2026 – 30 Oct 2026
  • Maintenance Works activities occurring between 20/06/2026 and 31/10/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Weekends 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed multiple directions. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 0 to 5 min.MIDLAND HIGHWAY, BLACKJACK ROAD19 Jun 2026 – 30 Oct 2026
  • Maintenance Works activities occurring between 20/06/2026 and 31/10/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Weekends 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed multiple directions. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 0 to 5 min.MIDLAND-CALDER OUT RAMP ON, MIDLAND HIGHWAY19 Jun 2026 – 30 Oct 2026
  • Maintenance Works activities occurring between 20/06/2026 and 31/10/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Weekends 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed multiple directions. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 0 to 5 min.MIDLAND HIGHWAY, MIDLAND-CALDER OUT RAMP ON19 Jun 2026 – 30 Oct 2026
  • Maintenance Works activities occurring between 20/06/2026 and 31/10/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Weekends 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed multiple directions. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 0 to 5 min.MIDLAND HIGHWAY, CALDER OUT-MIDLAND RAMP OF19 Jun 2026 – 30 Oct 2026
  • Maintenance Works activities occurring between 20/06/2026 and 31/10/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Weekends 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed multiple directions. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 0 to 5 min.CALDER IN-VICTORIA RAMP OF, VICTORIA ROAD19 Jun 2026 – 30 Oct 2026
  • Maintenance Works activities occurring between 20/06/2026 and 31/10/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Weekends 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed multiple directions. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 0 to 5 min.CALDER OUT-MIDLAND RAMP OF, MIDLAND HIGHWAY19 Jun 2026 – 30 Oct 2026
  • Maintenance Works activities occurring between 20/06/2026 and 31/10/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Weekends 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed multiple directions. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 0 to 5 min.VICTORIA ROAD, MIDLAND HIGHWAY19 Jun 2026 – 30 Oct 2026
  • Maintenance Works activities occurring between 20/06/2026 and 31/10/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Weekends 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed multiple directions. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 0 to 5 min.MIDLAND HIGHWAY, VICTORIA ROAD19 Jun 2026 – 30 Oct 2026
  • Maintenance Works activities occurring between 20/06/2026 and 31/10/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Weekends 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed multiple directions. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be Greater than 10 min.MIDLAND-CALDER OUT RAMP ON, MIDLAND HIGHWAY19 Jun 2026 – 30 Oct 2026

Data sources & freshness

  • Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · current · Updated

Heritage

4 heritage places

  • SPECIMEN GULLY FLAGSTONE QUARRYNH1411
  • SPECIMEN GULLY GOLD MEMORIALNH1242
  • SPECIMEN GULLY QUARTZ MINING ASSOC. MINENH1235
  • STONE COTTAGES BARKERS CREEKNH1743

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Heritage listings as established streetscape

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
Overlay applies
Flood / inundation overlay
No mapped inundation on suburb boundary

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Victorian Bushfire Management Overlay mapping. Flood cover uses inundation overlay polygons against the suburb boundary where published.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Bendigo
Member of Parliament
Lisa CHESTERS (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
120,088
Turnout (2025)
94.0%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+51.4 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 48.6%Labor 51.4%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 14.4 km away).

Coalition 29.7%Labor 70.3%

18.9 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +70.3 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • HarcourtLabor 58.9% · Coalition 41.1% TPP (2025)3.1 km away
  • Castlemaine NorthLabor 84.8% · Coalition 15.2% TPP (2025)4.6 km away
  • CastlemaineLabor 78.0% · Coalition 22.0% TPP (2025)6.1 km away
  • Castlemaine SouthLabor 84.0% · Coalition 16.0% TPP (2025)6.9 km away
  • ChewtonLabor 80.8% · Coalition 19.2% TPP (2025)8.7 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)
8/10
IRSD decile (2021)
8/10

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 (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

Compare with

Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.

More in Mount Alexander Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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