VIC · Hepburn Council
Clunes, 3370
Current weather
7.7°CLight drizzle
95% humidity · 20.8 km/h wind · 10.1° / 6.6° today · 11 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- National parks
- Heritage area
- Excellent transport
- Education hub
Suburb profile
Clunes is a regional centre in Hepburn that balances local services with a more relaxed pace of life. The community is self-contained in the best sense. Local life comes first, with the region opening up beyond. 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. Local shops, markets and community spots keep everyday life grounded in the town itself. Pocket parks and green corners give residents room to get outside without leaving the neighbourhood.
The area offers approachable housing costs alongside a lifestyle that still feels complete. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and housing affordability lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in safety and parks and green space.
Population
- Population
- 1,844
- Median age
- 51
- Median household income / week
- $1,037
- Dwelling vacancy
- 18.3%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 178 of 975
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,127
- Employment rate
- 43.6%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 86 / 10 / 3
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)
- 59
- Against the person
- 16
- Against property
- 33
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 32
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 115 residents
- State safety percentile
- 26.5th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -28.9%
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- A231 Fv Common Assault4
- B21 Criminal Damage6
- B42 Steal From A Motor Vehicle5
- B49 Other Theft12
- Other Crimes Against The Person4
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- Recorded offences by suburb/town — Crime Statistics Agency (Victoria) · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Year ending March release
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 978
- Clunes Primary SchoolPrimary
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Public transport
7 public transport stops in this suburb
- Butcher Shop/Service St
- Butcher Shop/Service St
- Clunes Railway Station
- Clunes Station
- Clunes Station/Ballarat Maryborough Rd
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
Roadworks & transport
1 active roadworks / incidents
- Maintenance Works activities occurring between 12/03/2026 and 30/07/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Note that changed conditions may also be in place during 5:00 PM to 7:00 AM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed both directions. Altered speed limit during operation will be 60 and the traffic delay is expected to be Nil.BAILEY STREET, TEMPLETON STREET12 Mar 2026 – 29 Jul 2026
Data sources & freshness
- Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · Hourly refresh where supported
Amenities
22 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Bendigo BankBank
- Bbq (2)
- Bench (4)
- Books
- Rose and OakCafe
53 Fraser Street, Clunes
- Drinking water
- Fountain
- Clunes and District Pre-SchoolKindergarten
- Pharmacy
- Picnic Table (3)
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
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
6 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Clunes Bushland ReserveNature reserve
- Collins PlacePark
- Esmond ParkPark
- Lothair mine reservePark
- PinetumPark
- Queens ParkPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 2/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 2/10
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
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Heritage
6 state heritage places
- CLUB HOTELNH0341
- CLUNES POST OFFICENH0601
- CLUNES TOWN HALL AND COURT HOUSENH2180
- FORMER ES&A BANKNH0340
- FORMER ST PAULS CHURCH OF ENGLAND CLUNESNH1859
- HAMLIN PIPE ORGANNH1858
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site
Childcare
1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap
- Clunes and District Pre-Schoolkindergarten
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
Childcare centre count
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Period: current · Updated on site
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)
- 11
- Parks (OSM)
- 7
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
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 37.4/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 3815th in Australia
- State rank
- 727th in VIC
- Peer rank
- #125 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #304 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 80%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- A231 Fv Common Assaultcrime4
- B21 Criminal Damagecrime6
- B42 Steal From A Motor Vehiclecrime5
- B49 Other Theftcrime12
- Other Crimes Against The Personcrime4
- Clunes and District Pre-Schoolchildcarekindergarten
- CLUB HOTELheritageNH0341
- CLUNES POST OFFICEheritageNH0601
- CLUNES TOWN HALL AND COURT HOUSEheritageNH2180
- FORMER ES&A BANKheritageNH0340
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Updated on site
- Recorded offences by suburb/town — Crime Statistics Agency (Victoria) · Updated on site · Year ending March release
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Updated on site
More in Hepburn Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Victoria.