VIC · Mount Alexander Council

Sandon, 3462

Est. population · Jun 2025

94

Growth (1 yr)

+1.1%

Growth (5 yr)

+8.1%

Median age

53

Median income

$1,224/wk

Employment rate

44.4%

University qualified

30.4%

Work from home

21.6%

Languages at home

3.7%non-English

Mostly English at home

2021 Census · usual residence

  • Green suburb
  • Rural living
What Sandon is known for: Green suburb, Rural living

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Sandon, VIC suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Sandon, VIC Suburb Guide”, updated 30 September 2026, https://suburb.guide/vic/sandon-vic

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Suburb profile

Sandon is a rural locality in Victoria, in Mount Alexander Council. It is close to Mount Alexander Shire.

University qualifications are among the highest in the peer group, placing it among the highest-ranked rural localities, and green cover is an exceptional strength, and population has been growing faster than in comparable places. Employment rates sit below those of comparable places, with employment 27% below the peer median.

Overall, Sandon suits people prioritising university qualifications over employment.

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

Rural locality · compared with rural localities in Victoria (1828)

Strengths

  • University qualifications are among the highest in the peer group
  • Green cover is stronger than in comparable places
  • Population has been growing faster than in comparable places

Weaknesses

  • Employment rates sit below those of comparable places

What stands out

  • Mount Alexander Shire

Who it suits

  • StudentsInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How Sandon compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent (Census)

$330/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

94

+1.1% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

32.1%

Census unoccupied dwellings

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Crime rate

28th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

71st

percentile in VIC

Rented dwellings

0%

2021 Census tenure

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

94(June 2025)

+1.1% annual · +8.1% over 5 years · 71th percentile in VIC

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.1%
5-year growth
+8.1%
Change in 1 year
+1
Change in 5 years
+7
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 (~100), extrapolated at +1.2% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
89
Median age
53
Median household income / week
$1,224
Dwelling vacancy
32.1%
Unoccupied private dwellings
17 of 53
Median monthly mortgage
$1,339
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$330
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
77.5% / 22.5% / 0%
Employment rate
44.4%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
21.6% / 0% / 62.2%
Walked or cycled to work
0%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
36 / 0 / 0

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

30.4% of adults have a university degree, compared with 29.2% across Victoria. 17.7% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified30.4% · 29.2% VIC
  • Diploma qualified13.9% · 9.8% VIC
  • Trade / vocational17.7% · 14.2% VIC
  • Year 12 or below38% · 46.8% VIC

Highest qualification field

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

  • Health24.2%
  • Society and culture24.2%
  • Engineering and related technologies18.2%
  • Education15.2%
  • Architecture and building9.1%
  • Management and commerce9.1%
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)
$43,843

9th percentile in VIC · -25% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$51,770

17th percentile in VIC · -20% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
16.0%

77th percentile in VIC · +16% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$95,989

71st percentile in VIC · +52% vs Australia

Residents with business income
20.0%

98th percentile in VIC · +92% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 3462 — 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
701
Taxpayers reporting net rent
109
Median net rent
$3,543
Taxpayers reporting business income
141
Taxable income vs state median
-18%
Salary / wages vs state median
-11%
Rental investment vs state median
+23%
Super vs state median
+19%
Business income vs state median
+82%

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

3.7% speak a language other than English at home; 12.3% born overseas

Language at home
79 English only · 3 other
Non-English at home
3.7%
Born overseas
10 (12.3%)
Australian citizens
76

Religion

76.4%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 76.4%.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion76.4%38.8%
Other / not stated23.6%61.2%

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)
3
Against the person
0
Against property
1
Rate per 1,000 residents
31.9
State crime-rate percentile
27.6th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate)
+50%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
14
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
148.94

Most common offence types

  • B321 Residential Non-Aggravated Burglary1
  • D11 Firearms Offences2

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

School list
School catchments
  • Castlemaine Secondary CollegeGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Daylesford Secondary CollegeGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Newstead Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Yandoit 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

  • Victorian designated neighbourhood zones — Victorian Department of Education · current · Updated · Open catchment polygons where published

Amenities

2 mapped amenities

1 places of worship

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
Walkability proxy
0/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Other(2)
  • Sandon Catholic CemeteryGrave Yard
  • Sandon CatholicPlace of worship

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
10.1%
Woodland / forest cover
10.1%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
4
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

Places of worship

1 places of worship within ~1.5 km

  • Sandon Catholic

From OpenStreetMap within ~1.5 km of the suburb centre.

Data sources & freshness

Health access

Nearest hospital
Maldon Hospital (19.8 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)
3
Participants per 1,000 residents
31.9

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

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid
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
Bendigo
Member of Parliament
Lisa CHESTERS (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
120,088
Turnout (2025)
94.0%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+51.4 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 48.6%Labor 51.4%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 22.1 km away).

Coalition 28.5%Labor 71.5%

20.1 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +71.5 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • NewsteadLabor 68.9% · Coalition 31.1% TPP (2025)7.1 km away
  • GuildfordLabor 69.7% · Coalition 30.3% TPP (2025)11.5 km away
  • Campbells CreekLabor 66.4% · Coalition 33.6% TPP (2025)16.8 km away
  • Castlemaine SouthLabor 84.0% · Coalition 16.0% TPP (2025)18.5 km away
  • CastlemaineLabor 78.0% · Coalition 22.0% TPP (2025)19.6 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)
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 Mount Alexander Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Victoria.