suburb.guide

VIC · Wangaratta Council

Bowmans Forest, 3735

Current weather

11°CModerate rain showers

84% humidity · 23.6 km/h wind · 13.8° / 8.5° today · 9 mm rain

Updated

  • Residential
  • Amenities
  • Open space
  • Suburban
  • Community
What Bowmans Forest is known for: Residential, Amenities, Open space, Suburban, Community

Suburb profile

Bowmans Forest is a welcoming smaller community in Wangaratta, with a settled community character. Life revolves around the local community, with the wider region offering trips and services when needed. Tree-lined streets and leafy pockets give the suburb a noticeably green, settled character.

Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. Parks, reserves and open space make it genuinely outdoor-friendly for walks, sport and weekend downtime. The market sits in a sensible middle ground: not cheap, but fair value for the area.

Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.

Population

Population
106
Median age
53
Median household income / week
$2,071
Dwelling vacancy
6.8%
Unoccupied private dwellings
3 of 44
Median monthly mortgage
$1,083
Employment rate
67.8%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
0 / 0 / 0

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release

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

Crime & safety

Total offences (2026)
1
Against the person
0
Against property
0
Rate per 1,000 residents
9.4
State safety percentile
3.1th (lower crime is better)
No change (daily rate)
0%

Reported offences are unchanged compared with the previous period.

Reported offences by period

Most common offence types

  • E13 Resist Or Hinder Officer1

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

Planning & development

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

3 planning-related records

2021· 2 proposals

  • September 2021

  • Development of a Domestic Outbuilding
    2836 GREAT ALPINE ROAD BOWMANS FOREST 3735Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • July 2021

  • Development of a Dwelling and Shed within 100m of a Waterway - Shed Re sited.
    57 PADDY GULLY ROAD BOWMANS FOREST 3735Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
2020· 1 proposal

  • June 2020

  • Replacement dwelling
    Kiwi Fruit FarmPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)

Development and planning activity

Data sources & freshness

  • PPARS planning permit activity (statewide) — Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria) · Period: 2020–2022 · Updated on site · Public MapServer last updated Feb 2024 — applications through FY 2022–23 only; newer PPARS data requires council/API access

Amenities

No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Parks & reserves

3 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Murmungee I38 Bushland ReserveNature reserve
  • Murmungee I79 Bushland ReserveNature reserve
  • Murmungee I80 Bushland ReserveNature reserve

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
7/10
IRSD decile (2021)
7/10

SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)

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 overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
26
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

  • OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Recent changes

  • E13 Resist Or Hinder Officercrime1
  • Murmungee I38 Bushland Reservegovernmentnature_reserve
  • Murmungee I79 Bushland Reservegovernmentnature_reserve
  • Murmungee I80 Bushland Reservegovernmentnature_reserve
  • Development of a Domestic Outbuildingplanning2836 GREAT ALPINE ROAD BOWMANS FOREST 3735Lodged 28 Sep 2021 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Development of a Dwelling and Shed within 100m of a Waterway - Shed Re sited.planning57 PADDY GULLY ROAD BOWMANS FOREST 3735Lodged 22 Jul 2021 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Replacement dwellingplanningKiwi Fruit FarmLodged 29 Jun 2020 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

Data sources & freshness

More in Wangaratta Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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