Median house price
—
No data available
VIC · Mildura Council
Merbein West, 3505
Est. population · Jun 2025
222
Growth (1 yr)
+0.9%
Growth (5 yr)
-0.9%
Median age
42
Median income
$1,312/wk
Employment rate
54.5%
Languages at home
2.7%non-English
Mostly English at home
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- High desirability
Suburb profile
In Mildura Council, Merbein West keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. Established families and long-term residents give the suburb a settled feel, with plenty of young families in the mix. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting.
Green space punches above what many regional towns offer, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb. A car helps for most daily errands, with fewer amenities clustered within an easy walk. Housing is more affordable than in many parts of the state.
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.
Versus similar regional towns, the suburb reads below average on desirability, chiefly because local dining and lifestyle amenities, plus community and employment trail behind. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
At a glance
Merbein West snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
—
No data available
Population (ERP)
222
+0.9% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
4.1%
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
#104
among Country & regional · Established
Safety
79th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
66th
percentile in VIC
Advantage (IRSAD)
3/10
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
- 34.3/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 4817th in Australia
- State rank
- 931st in VIC
- Peer rank
- #104 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #449 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 58%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Population
Estimated resident population
222(June 2025)
+0.9% annual · -0.9% over 5 years · 66th percentile in VIC
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +0.9%
- 5-year growth
- -0.9%
- Change in 1 year
- +2
- Change in 5 years
- -2
- Growth rank in VIC
- 66th 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 (~250), extrapolated at +0.4% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 223
- Median age
- 42
- Median household income / week
- $1,312
- Dwelling vacancy
- 4.1%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 3 of 74
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,083
- Employment rate
- 54.5%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 70 / 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 · Updated
The 2026 Census runs 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
Community & culture
No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian 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)
- 26
- Against the person
- 1
- Against property
- 11
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 117.1
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 223 residents
- State safety percentile
- 79.4th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +271.4%
Most common offence types
- B21 Criminal Damage2
- B42 Steal From A Motor Vehicle2
- B49 Other Theft4
- D11 Firearms Offences5
- E21 Breach Family Violence Order5
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) · 2025 · Updated
Family & Lifestyle
Amenities
9 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
6 swimming pools
Local character & venue list
Local character
- Limited walkable amenities nearby
- Great for outdoor family life — 1 parks mapped in suburb
- Walkability proxy
- 0/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 4.48
Sport & outdoors(6)
- Swimming pool (6)
Other(3)
- Merbein Auto CentreCar
378 Paschendale Avenue
- Garden
- Parking
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 insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 1
- Parks (OSM)
- 1
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 — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Nearest hospital
- Mildura Base Public Hospital (12.6 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · current · Updated
NDIS participation
- NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
- 9
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 40.5
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
- NDIS participants by SA2 — National Disability Insurance Agency · 2026-Q1 · Updated · Quarterly SA2 counts allocated to suburb boundaries
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
- 32° / 16°
- Rainfall
- 66 mm · ~8 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 24° / 11°
- Rainfall
- 63 mm · ~8 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 17° / 5°
- Rainfall
- 76 mm · ~10 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 25° / 10°
- Rainfall
- 82 mm · ~10 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Temperature and humidity comfort
Data sources & freshness
- Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated
Future & Planning
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 · current · Updated
Politics & representation
- Federal electorate
- Mallee
- Member of Parliament
- Anne WEBSTER (The Nationals)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 121,604
- Turnout (2025)
- 91.5%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- -0.1 pp toward Coalition
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 69.0%Labor 31.0%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 14.4 km away).
Coalition 68.6%Labor 31.4%
0.4 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +0.2 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
- MerbeinLabor 29.9% · Coalition 70.2% TPP (2025)4.7 km away
- CabaritaLabor 22.9% · Coalition 77.1% TPP (2025)9.1 km away
- Mildura South WestLabor 38.6% · Coalition 61.4% TPP (2025)12.0 km away
- Mildura SouthLabor 33.1% · Coalition 66.9% TPP (2025)12.2 km away
- Mildura WestLabor 40.7% · Coalition 59.3% TPP (2025)13.4 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
- Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated · 2025 election with by-election overlays
Socio-economic
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 3/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 3/10
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
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
More in Mildura Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Victoria.