VIC · Ballarat Council

Bunkers Hill, 3352

Est. population · Jun 2025

380

Growth (1 yr)

+7.0%

Growth (5 yr)

+56.4%

Median age

46

Median income

$2,058/wk

Employment rate

62%

Languages at home

1.2%non-English

Mostly English at home

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

36.9/100
Below average

844th in VIC

Verified 62% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • High desirability
What Bunkers Hill is known for: Green suburb, High desirability

Suburb profile

Bunkers Hill is a quieter smaller community in Ballarat Council, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. Long-term locals and family households define much of the community, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice.

Local parks and tree cover add a welcome outdoor dimension to suburban life. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here than in denser, more walkable pockets. Housing sits in the middle of the local market: neither cheap nor premium.

Local crime has been trending higher of late. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.

The desirability picture is below average, weighed down by softer local dining and lifestyle amenities relative to similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

At a glance

Bunkers Hill snapshot

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

Median house price

No data available

Median rent

$430/wk

Population (ERP)

380

+7.0% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

5.3%

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

#169

among Country & regional · Mature

Safety

72nd

percentile in state (higher = safer)

Pop. growth

98th

percentile in VIC

Advantage (IRSAD)

6/10

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
36.9/100 — Below average
National rank
4314th in Australia
State rank
844th in VIC
Peer rank
#169 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#374 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
62%

Data sources & freshness

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

Housing

All types (Sep 2025 (council median))
$430

Median weekly rent from Victorian government rent reports. Council median fallback may apply where suburb rent is unavailable.

Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)

Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum

Data sources & freshness

Population

Estimated resident population

380(June 2025)

+7.0% annual · +56.4% over 5 years · 98th percentile in VIC

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+7.0%
5-year growth
+56.4%
Change in 1 year
+25
Change in 5 years
+137
Growth rank in VIC
98th 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 +7.1% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
270
Median age
46
Median household income / week
$2,058
Dwelling vacancy
5.3%
Unoccupied private dwellings
5 of 95
Median monthly mortgage
$1,474
Employment rate
62%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
92 / 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 increased compared with the previous period.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (2026)
34
Against the person
3
Against property
22
Rate per 1,000 residents
89.5
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 90 residents
State safety percentile
72.4th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate)
+240%

Most common offence types

  • B321 Residential Non-Aggravated Burglary5
  • B322 Non-Residential Non-Aggravated Burglary2
  • B42 Steal From A Motor Vehicle8
  • B45 Receiving Or Handling Stolen Goods3
  • C32 Drug Possession5

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

Family & Lifestyle

Amenities

6 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
Walkability proxy
0/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Other(4)
  • Bench
  • Kopke StationInformation
  • Shelter
  • Track (3)

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually.

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)
11
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
Ballarat Day Procedure Centre (8.3 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)
20
Participants per 1,000 residents
52.6

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).

3 planning-related records

2020· 3 proposals
  • September 2020

  • Extension to existing garage
    170 SAGO HILL ROAD BUNKERS HILL 3352Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • August 2020

  • Development of a shed
    Lot 3 Wyn ClosePermit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • June 2020

  • Development of an outbuilding
    160 Sago Hill 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
Ballarat
Member of Parliament
Catherine KING (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
116,238
Turnout (2025)
93.3%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
-2.3 pp toward Coalition

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 39.3%Labor 60.7%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 7.1 km away).

Coalition 40.5%Labor 59.5%

1.2 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: -3.8 pp toward Coalition

Nearest polling places

  • HaddonLabor 53.1% · Coalition 46.9% TPP (2025)3.0 km away
  • LucasLabor 62.3% · Coalition 37.7% TPP (2025)4.0 km away
  • Alfredton WestLabor 62.4% · Coalition 37.6% TPP (2025)4.9 km away
  • AlfredtonLabor 58.9% · Coalition 41.1% TPP (2025)5.7 km away
  • DelacombeLabor 68.0% · Coalition 32.0% TPP (2025)5.9 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)
6/10
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 (5%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)

Data sources & freshness

Compare with

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

More in Ballarat Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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