VIC · Mount Alexander Council
Harcourt, 3453
Current weather
9.6°CLight drizzle
95% humidity · 25.4 km/h wind · 10.9° / 8.1° today · 12.1 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Rural
- Green space
- Established
- Residential
- Amenities
Suburb profile
Harcourt offers a slower smaller community life in Mount Alexander, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. The community is self-contained in the best sense. Local life comes first, with the region opening up beyond. Open skies and rolling countryside set a calm backdrop to everyday routines.
Established families and long-term residents give the suburb a settled feel, with family life visible on every street. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting. Housing is well-priced for what you get: space, location and everyday convenience.
This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
The desirability score is below average, pulled down chiefly by weaker local dining and lifestyle amenities and safety relative to similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 1,038
- Median age
- 46
- Median household income / week
- $1,430
- Dwelling vacancy
- 11.7%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 52 of 446
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,517
- Employment rate
- 56%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 23 / 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)
- 238
- Against the person
- 181
- Against property
- 32
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 229.3
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 6 residents
- State safety percentile
- 92.6th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +366.7%
Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- B42 Steal From A Motor Vehicle5
- B49 Other Theft9
- C32 Drug Possession7
- E21 Breach Family Violence Order8
- Other Crimes Against The Person172
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
- 1,015
- Harcourt Valley 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
6 public transport stops in this suburb
- Blackjack Rd/Midland Hwy
- Coolstore Rd/Midland Hwy
- Market St/Harmony Way
- Market St/Harmony Way
- Market St/Harmony Way
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
30 active roadworks / incidents
- Maintenance Works activities occurring between 16/04/2026 and 31/08/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Weekends 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Impact to traffic will be exit ramp closed. Altered speed limit during operation will be 80 and the traffic delay is expected to be Greater than 10 min.CALDER FREEWAY, CALDER OUT-MIDLAND RAMP OF15 Apr 2026 – 30 Aug 2026
- Maintenance Works activities occurring between 16/04/2026 and 31/08/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Weekends 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Impact to traffic will be exit ramp closed. Altered speed limit during operation will be 80 and the traffic delay is expected to be Greater than 10 min.CALDER OUT-MIDLAND RAMP OF, CALDER FREEWAY15 Apr 2026 – 30 Aug 2026
- Maintenance Works activities occurring between 16/04/2026 and 31/08/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Weekends 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed multiple directions. Altered speed limit during operation will be 60 and the traffic delay is expected to be 0 to 5 min.CALDER OUT-MIDLAND RAMP OF, CALDER FREEWAY15 Apr 2026 – 30 Aug 2026
- Maintenance Works activities occurring between 16/04/2026 and 31/08/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Weekends 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Impact to traffic will be lanes closed multiple directions. Altered speed limit during operation will be 60 and the traffic delay is expected to be 0 to 5 min.CALDER FREEWAY, CALDER OUT-MIDLAND RAMP OF15 Apr 2026 – 30 Aug 2026
- Maintenance Works activities occurring between 16/06/2026 and 31/08/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. 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.CALDER FREEWAY, MIDLAND-CALDER OUT RAMP ON15 Jun 2026 – 30 Aug 2026
- Maintenance Works activities occurring between 16/06/2026 and 31/08/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. 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.CALDER FREEWAY, FOGARTYS GAP ROAD15 Jun 2026 – 30 Aug 2026
- Maintenance Works activities occurring between 17/05/2026 and 31/08/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Weekends 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Impact to traffic will be exit ramp closed. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 6 to 10 min.VICTORIA ROAD, CALDER IN-VICTORIA RAMP OF16 May 2026 – 30 Aug 2026
- Maintenance Works activities occurring between 17/05/2026 and 31/08/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Weekends 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Impact to traffic will be exit ramp closed. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 6 to 10 min.VICTORIA ROAD, CALDER IN-VICTORIA RAMP OF16 May 2026 – 30 Aug 2026
- Maintenance Works activities occurring between 17/05/2026 and 31/08/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Weekends 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Impact to traffic will be exit ramp closed. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 6 to 10 min.CALDER OUT-MIDLAND RAMP OF, CALDER FREEWAY16 May 2026 – 30 Aug 2026
- Maintenance Works activities occurring between 17/05/2026 and 31/08/2026 during the following times: Weekdays 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Weekends 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Impact to traffic will be exit ramp closed. Altered speed limit during operation will be 40 and the traffic delay is expected to be 6 to 10 min.VICTORIA-CALDER IN RAMP ON, VICTORIA ROAD16 May 2026 – 30 Aug 2026
Data sources & freshness
- Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site · Hourly refresh where supported
Amenities
7 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Coolstore Rd/Midland HwyBus stop
- Market St/Harmony WayBus stop
- Drinking water
- Charging the RegionsEV charging
- BPPetrol station
- Post Box
- Telstra coin phoneTelephone
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
2 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Harcourt Recreation ReservePark
- Walmer I139 Bushland ReserveNature reserve
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 5/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 5/10
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
4 state heritage places
- BLACKJACK ROAD RAILWAY PRECINCTNH1783
- HARCOURT RAILWAY PRECINCTNH1785
- PORCUPINE HILL RAILWAY PRECINCTNH1784
- RAIL BRIDGENH1433
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · 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)
- 4
- Parks (OSM)
- 3
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
- 30.1/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 5203rd in Australia
- State rank
- 986th in VIC
- Peer rank
- #245 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #507 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 74%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- B42 Steal From A Motor Vehiclecrime5
- B49 Other Theftcrime9
- C32 Drug Possessioncrime7
- E21 Breach Family Violence Ordercrime8
- Other Crimes Against The Personcrime172
- BLACKJACK ROAD RAILWAY PRECINCTheritageNH1783
- HARCOURT RAILWAY PRECINCTheritageNH1785
- PORCUPINE HILL RAILWAY PRECINCTheritageNH1784
- RAIL BRIDGEheritageNH1433
- Harcourt Recreation Reservegovernmentpark
Data sources & freshness
- Recorded offences by suburb/town — Crime Statistics Agency (Victoria) · Updated on site · Year ending March release
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Updated on site
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.