VIC · Murrindindi Council

Cathkin, 3714

Est. population · Jun 2025

27

Growth (1 yr)

0.0%

Growth (5 yr)

+3.9%

Median age

62

Median income

$1,375/wk

Employment rate

51.9%

Languages at home

Mostly English at home

2021 Census · usual residence

    What Cathkin is known for:

    Suburb profile

    Cathkin offers a slower smaller community life in Murrindindi Council, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here. With limited local amenities, residents regularly travel to a neighbouring town for shops, appointments and a wider choice.

    Local green pockets are modest, with bigger outdoor outings usually found in neighbouring areas. A car helps for most daily errands, with fewer amenities clustered within an easy walk. Housing sits in the middle of the local market: neither cheap nor premium.

    Reported crime has been falling recently. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.

    At a glance

    Cathkin snapshot

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

    Median house price

    No data available

    Median rent

    No data available

    Population (ERP)

    27

    0.0% annual growth

    Dwelling vacancy

    18.8%

    Census unoccupied dwellings

    How it compares

    Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

    Safety

    34th

    percentile in state (higher = safer)

    Pop. growth

    11th

    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

    Population

    Estimated resident population

    27(June 2025)

    0.0% annual · +3.9% over 5 years · 11th percentile in VIC

    Growth figures & methodology
    Annual growth
    0.0%
    5-year growth
    +3.9%
    Change in 1 year
    0
    Change in 5 years
    +1
    Growth rank in VIC
    11th 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 (~50), extrapolated at +0.6% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

    2021 Census figures

    2021 Census

    Population
    27
    Median age
    62
    Median household income / week
    $1,375
    Dwelling vacancy
    18.8%
    Unoccupied private dwellings
    3 of 16
    Median monthly mortgage
    $650
    Employment rate
    51.9%
    Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
    16 / 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 decreased compared with the previous period.

    Offence counts & rates
    Total offences (2026)
    1
    Against the person
    1
    Against property
    0
    Rate per 1,000 residents
    37
    Person-crime prevalence
    About 1 in 27 residents
    State safety percentile
    33.6th (lower crime is better)
    Decrease (daily rate)
    -50%

    Most common offence types

    • A212 Non-Fv Serious Assault1

    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)
    2
    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
    Alexandra District Health (11.2 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)
    1
    Participants per 1,000 residents
    37.0

    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
    28° / 11°
    Rainfall
    176 mm · ~22 rainy days

    Autumn (Mar–May)

    Usual max / min
    21° / 7°
    Rainfall
    233 mm · ~29 rainy days

    Winter (Jun–Aug)

    Usual max / min
    12° / 2°
    Rainfall
    385 mm · ~48 rainy days

    Spring (Sep–Nov)

    Usual max / min
    19° / 6°
    Rainfall
    295 mm · ~37 rainy days

    Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

    Temperature and humidity comfort

    Data sources & freshness

    • Seasonal climate normalsWorldClim 2.1 · Updated

    Future & Planning

    Roadworks & transport

    8 active roadworks / incidents

    • Maintenance Works activities occurring between 12/05/2026 and 31/08/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM, Weekends 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed eastbound. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 6 to 10 min.GOULBURN VALLEY HIGHWAY, RIDDS ROAD11 May 2026 – 30 Aug 2026
    • Maintenance Works activities occurring between 12/05/2026 and 31/08/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM, Weekends 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed eastbound. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 6 to 10 min.GOULBURN VALLEY HIGHWAY, MAROONDAH LINK HIGHWAY11 May 2026 – 30 Aug 2026
    • Maintenance Works activities occurring between 12/05/2026 and 31/08/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM, Weekends 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed eastbound. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 6 to 10 min.MAROONDAH LINK HIGHWAY, GOULBURN VALLEY HIGHWAY11 May 2026 – 30 Aug 2026
    • Maintenance Works activities occurring between 12/05/2026 and 31/08/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM, Weekends 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed eastbound. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 6 to 10 min.RIDDS ROAD, GOULBURN VALLEY HIGHWAY11 May 2026 – 30 Aug 2026
    • Maintenance Works activities occurring between 12/05/2026 and 31/08/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM, Weekends 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed westbound. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 6 to 10 min.GOULBURN VALLEY HIGHWAY, MAROONDAH LINK HIGHWAY11 May 2026 – 30 Aug 2026
    • Maintenance Works activities occurring between 12/05/2026 and 31/08/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM, Weekends 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed westbound. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 6 to 10 min.MAROONDAH LINK HIGHWAY, GOULBURN VALLEY HIGHWAY11 May 2026 – 30 Aug 2026
    • Maintenance Works activities occurring between 12/05/2026 and 31/08/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM, Weekends 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed westbound. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 6 to 10 min.GOULBURN VALLEY HIGHWAY, RIDDS ROAD11 May 2026 – 30 Aug 2026
    • Maintenance Works activities occurring between 12/05/2026 and 31/08/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM, Weekends 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed westbound. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 6 to 10 min.RIDDS ROAD, GOULBURN VALLEY HIGHWAY11 May 2026 – 30 Aug 2026

    Data sources & freshness

    • Road incidents & closuresState road authority open-data feeds · current · Updated

    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
    Indi
    Member of Parliament
    Helen HAINES (Independent)
    Results from
    2025 federal election
    Electorate enrolment (2025)
    120,774
    Turnout (2025)
    92.8%
    Swing since 2022 (2025)
    -1.4 pp toward Coalition

    Two-party preferred (2025)

    Coalition 56.7%Labor 43.3%

    Estimated suburb voting profile

    Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 33.0 km away).

    Coalition 59.7%Labor 40.3%

    3.0 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

    Estimated swing since 2022: -1.8 pp toward Coalition

    Nearest polling places

    • AlexandraLabor 41.2% · Coalition 58.8% TPP (2025)8.7 km away
    • YeaLabor 39.3% · Coalition 60.7% TPP (2025)17.2 km away
    • ThorntonLabor 31.5% · Coalition 68.5% TPP (2025)19.5 km away
    • TaggertyLabor 43.9% · Coalition 56.1% TPP (2025)19.7 km away
    • RuffyLabor 41.9% · Coalition 58.1% TPP (2025)23.0 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)
    6/10
    IRSD decile (2021)
    6/10

    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 Murrindindi Council

    Other suburbs in the same local government area.