VIC · Hepburn Council

Hepburn Springs, 3461

Est. population · Jun 2025

374

Growth (1 yr)

+1.1%

Growth (5 yr)

+6.3%

Median age

58

Median income

$1,232/wk

Employment rate

52.3%

University qualified

35%

Work from home

33.2%

Median house price · 4th Quarter 2025

$750,000

Languages at home

5.7%non-English

Mostly English at home

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

49.3/100
Average

Top 42% of Victoria's suburbs

Verified 95% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Leafy
  • Country town
What Hepburn Springs is known for: Leafy, Country town

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Hepburn Springs, VIC suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

Cite this suburb snapshot

Suburb Guide, “Hepburn Springs, VIC Suburb Guide”, updated 2 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/vic/hepburn-springs

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Suburb profile

Hepburn Springs is a regional town in Victoria, in Hepburn Council, characterised by volcanic landscape. It is set against the Great Dividing Range and close to Mt. Franklin.

Shops and everyday services are easier to access than in most comparable places. School access is strong, with school access 100% above the peer median. University qualifications are among the highest in the peer group, placing it among the highest-ranked regional towns, and socio-economic advantage sits well above the peer median. Trade-offs centre on higher housing costs and thinner park access, with median house prices 28% above the peer median.

Overall, Hepburn Springs suits people prioritising university qualifications and daily services over lower housing costs.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Regional town · compared with regional towns in Victoria (187)

Strengths

  • University qualifications are among the highest in the peer group
  • Shops and everyday services are easier to access than in most comparable places
  • School access is strong
  • Socio-economic advantage sits well above the peer median

Weaknesses

  • Housing is among the most expensive in its peer group
  • Park access is a relative weakness

What stands out

  • Volcanic landscape
  • Mt. Franklin
  • Great Dividing Range

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How Hepburn Springs compares

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

Median house price

$750k

-22% change

Median rent (Census)

$341/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

374

+1.1% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

43.3%

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

#121

among Country & regional · Mature

Crime rate

68th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

71st

percentile in VIC

Rented dwellings

23%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

8/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

49th

percentile among schools with ICSEA

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
49.3/100 — Average
State standing
Top 42% of Victoria's suburbs
National rank
2132nd in Australia
State rank
531st in VIC
Peer rank
#121 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#220 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
95%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Housing

Median house price (4th Quarter 2025)
$750,000
Median price change
-22.1%

Contributes to desirability score · Housing (10%) · Future Growth (6%)

Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band

Data sources & freshness

Population

Estimated resident population

374(June 2025)

+1.1% annual · +6.3% over 5 years · 71th percentile in VIC

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.1%
5-year growth
+6.3%
Change in 1 year
+4
Change in 5 years
+22
Growth rank in VIC
71th 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 (~400), extrapolated at +1.3% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
368
Median age
58
Median household income / week
$1,232
Dwelling vacancy
43.3%
Unoccupied private dwellings
133 of 307
Median monthly mortgage
$1,387
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$341
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
38% / 38.6% / 23.4%
Employment rate
52.3%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
33.2% / 0% / 43.5%
Walked or cycled to work
3.8%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
157 / 6 / 0 (+ 4 other)

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

  • Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Qualifications

35% of adults have a university degree, compared with 29.2% across Victoria. 9.5% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified35% · 29.2% VIC
  • Diploma qualified10.4% · 9.8% VIC
  • Trade / vocational9.5% · 14.2% VIC
  • Year 12 or below45.1% · 46.8% VIC

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Society and culture22.7%
  • Management and commerce18%
  • Education13.7%
  • Creative arts10.4%
  • Engineering and related technologies10%
  • Health9%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

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

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$46,694

20th percentile in VIC · -20% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$54,547

31st percentile in VIC · -16% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
15.0%

68th percentile in VIC · +9% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$100,299

77th percentile in VIC · +58% vs Australia

Residents with business income
19.0%

96th percentile in VIC · +83% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 3461 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
2,741
Taxpayers reporting net rent
416
Median net rent
$445
Taxpayers reporting business income
513
Taxable income vs state median
-12%
Salary / wages vs state median
-7%
Rental investment vs state median
+15%
Super vs state median
+25%
Business income vs state median
+73%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in VIC, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

5.7% speak a language other than English at home; 19.6% born overseas

Language at home
316 English only · 19 other
Non-English at home
5.7%
Born overseas
66 (19.6%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
5 (1.4%)
Australian citizens
316

Religion

58.7%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 58.7%, while Christianity accounts for 26.4%.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion58.7%38.8%
Christianity26.4%40.9%
Other / not stated14.9%20.3%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic13.9%20.5%
Anglican7.6%6.5%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted 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)
30
Against the person
3
Against property
21
Rate per 1,000 residents
80.2
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 123 residents
State crime-rate percentile
67.9th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate)
+66.7%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
4
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
10.7

Most common offence types

  • B21 Criminal Damage7
  • B321 Residential Non-Aggravated Burglary2
  • E21 Breach Family Violence Order4
  • B41 Motor Vehicle Theft2
  • B42 Steal From A Motor Vehicle7

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
2
Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
1,004
Median ICSEA percentile
49th
Primary catchments overlapping suburb
2
Secondary catchments overlapping suburb
1
School list
  • Hepburn Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1001 · 47th percentile · LBOTE 0% · 42 students · Top SEA quarter 13% · 1.2 km awayView on My School →
  • Daylesford Secondary CollegeSecondary · Government · ICSEA 1007 · 50th percentile · LBOTE 6% · 417 students · Top SEA quarter 10% · 2.0 km awayView on My School →
School catchments
  • Daylesford Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Daylesford Secondary CollegeGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Hepburn Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment

Government school intake zones that overlap this suburb boundary. Living in a catchment does not guarantee enrolment; check the education authority.

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

8 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Fifth St/Hepburn Springs Rd
  • Fifth St/Hepburn Springs Rd
  • Fifth St/Hepburn Springs Rd
  • Main Rd/Mineral Springs Cres
  • Mineral Springs Cres/Main Rd

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

15 mapped amenities

1 restaurants · 1 cafes · 1 pubs

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Reasonable bus and transport access — 8 public transport stops
Walkability proxy
18/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
2.72
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
8.15
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink(3)
  • Harry's HepburnCafe

    115 Main Road, Hepburn Springs

  • Hepburn Springs Brewing Co.Pub

    12 Forest Avenue, Hepburn Springs

  • Rubens @ HepburnRestaurant

    70 Main Road, Hepburn Springs

Sport & outdoors(1)
  • Sports field
Places to stay(1)
  • Savoia HotelHotel

    69 Main Road, Hepburn Springs

Transport(3)

3 bus stops

Other(5)
  • Portal 108Clothes

    108 Main Road, Hepburn Springs

  • Hepburn Springs General StoreGeneral

    102 Main Road, Hepburn Springs

  • Parking (3)
  • Australia PostPost Box
  • TelstraTelephone

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
29.9%
Woodland / forest cover
29.9%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
1
Parks (OSM)
0
Typical summer maximum
27°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Health access

Nearest hospital
Daylesford Hospital and Nursing Home (2.0 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
9
Participants per 1,000 residents
24.1

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
27° / 12°
Rainfall
115 mm · ~14 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
21° / 8°
Rainfall
133 mm · ~17 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
13° / 4°
Rainfall
180 mm · ~22 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
19° / 7°
Rainfall
172 mm · ~22 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Heritage

3 heritage places

  • FORMER MACARONI FACTORYNH0407
  • MAXWELL CONSOLIDATED QUARTZ GOLD MINENH1760
  • PARMA HOUSENH0608

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Heritage listings as established streetscape

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
Overlay applies
Flood / inundation overlay
No mapped inundation on suburb boundary

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Victorian Bushfire Management Overlay mapping. Flood cover uses inundation overlay polygons against the suburb boundary where published.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State 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 23.9 km away).

Coalition 29.9%Labor 70.1%

9.5 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: -0.1 pp toward Coalition

Nearest polling places

  • Hepburn SpringsLabor 71.0% · Coalition 29.0% TPP (2025)1.5 km away
  • DaylesfordLabor 69.0% · Coalition 31.0% TPP (2025)2.5 km away
  • GlenlyonLabor 67.3% · Coalition 32.7% TPP (2025)9.9 km away
  • YandoitLabor 63.0% · Coalition 37.0% TPP (2025)12.8 km away
  • NewlynLabor 44.2% · Coalition 55.8% TPP (2025)16.9 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)
8/10
IRSD decile (2021)
7/10

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 (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

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.