VIC · Nillumbik Council

Smiths Gully, 3760

Population

356

Growth (1 yr)

0.0%

Growth (5 yr)

-1.1%

Median age

49

Median income

$2,468/wk

Employment rate

69.9%

University qualified

30.1%

Work from home

33%

Languages at home

2.7%non-English

Mostly English at home

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

55.4/100
Good

Top 21% of Victoria's suburbs

Verified 81% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • Hills
  • Rural living
What Smiths Gully is known for: Green suburb, Hills, Rural living

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Smiths Gully, VIC suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

Cite this suburb snapshot

Suburb Guide, “Smiths Gully, VIC Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/vic/smiths-gully

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Suburb profile

Smiths Gully is a semi-rural locality near Melbourne, in Nillumbik Council.

Open-space access is better than in most comparable places, well above typical levels for semi-rural and lifestyle localities. Socio-economic advantage is among the highest in the peer group, and university qualifications are more common than in comparable places, with university qualifications 46% above the peer median. Space is a strength, but car dependence is high. Trade-offs centre on higher rents and higher recorded crash rates relative to resident population, with median rents 10% above the peer median.

Smiths Gully is a better fit for people who value socio-economic advantage and open space more than lower rents.

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

Semi-rural locality · compared with semi-rural and lifestyle localities in Victoria (228)

Strengths

  • Socio-economic advantage is among the highest in the peer group
  • Open-space access is better than in most comparable places
  • University qualifications are more common than in comparable places

Weaknesses

  • Rents run above those in comparable places
  • Recorded crashes relative to resident population are elevated

What stands out

  • Space is a strength, but car dependence is high

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • StudentsInsufficient data
  • Budget buyersInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How Smiths Gully compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent

$640/wk

Population (Census)

356

0.0% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

4.8%

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

#38

among Country & regional · Mature

Crime rate

60th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

34th

percentile in VIC

Rented dwellings

4%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

10/10

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
55.4/100 — Good
State standing
Top 21% of Victoria's suburbs
National rank
1070th in Australia
State rank
265th in VIC
Peer rank
#38 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#70 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
81%

Data sources & freshness

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

Housing

All types (Sep 2025 (council median))
$640

Median weekly rent from Victorian government rent reports. Council median fallback may apply where suburb rent is unavailable.

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

Population growth

0.0% annual · -1.1% over 5 years · 34th percentile in VIC

Growth rates are from ABS Estimated Resident Population at SA2 level. Headcount uses 2021 Census when allocated ERP is too low relative to Census to display reliably.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
356
Median age
49
Median household income / week
$2,468
Dwelling vacancy
4.8%
Unoccupied private dwellings
6 of 124
Median monthly mortgage
$2,167
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$278
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
47.2% / 49.1% / 3.8%
Employment rate
69.9%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
33% / 0% / 47.4%
Walked or cycled to work
1.4%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
116 / 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

30.1% of adults have a university degree, compared with 29.2% across Victoria. 18.4% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified30.1% · 29.2% VIC
  • Diploma qualified10% · 9.8% VIC
  • Trade / vocational18.4% · 14.2% VIC
  • Year 12 or below41.5% · 46.8% VIC

Highest qualification field

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

  • Engineering and related technologies20.4%
  • Health14.5%
  • Education13.4%
  • Society and culture12.4%
  • Architecture and building10.2%
  • 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)
$52,798

48th percentile in VIC · -10% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$59,106

53rd percentile in VIC · -9% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
12.0%

38th percentile in VIC · -13% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$131,603

92nd percentile in VIC · +108% vs Australia

Residents with business income
9.0%

7th percentile in VIC · -13% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 3760 — 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
266
Taxpayers reporting net rent
32
Median net rent
$5,288
Taxpayers reporting business income
25
Taxable income vs state median
-1%
Salary / wages vs state median
+1%
Rental investment vs state median
-8%
Super vs state median
+64%
Business income vs state median
-18%

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

2.7% speak a language other than English at home; 11.5% born overseas

Language at home
330 English only · 9 other
Non-English at home
2.7%
Born overseas
39 (11.5%)
Australian citizens
331

Religion

59%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 59%, while Christianity accounts for 29.5%.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion59%38.8%
Christianity29.5%40.9%
Other / not stated11.5%20.3%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic10.4%20.5%
Anglican9.8%6.5%
Uniting Church3.4%2.4%

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 decreased compared with the previous period.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (2026)
6
Against the person
2
Against property
4
Rate per 1,000 residents
67.4
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 178 residents
State crime-rate percentile
60.4th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate)
-14.3%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
12
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
134.83

Most common offence types

  • A712 Non-Fv Stalking1
  • A732 Non-Fv Threatening Behaviour1
  • B21 Criminal Damage1
  • B322 Non-Residential Non-Aggravated Burglary1
  • B321 Residential Non-Aggravated Burglary1

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
  • Christmas Hills Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Diamond Valley CollegeGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Lilydale Heights CollegeGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Panton Hill Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • St Andrews 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

9 mapped amenities

1 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
2.81
Sport & outdoors(6)
  • Bulwidj ReserveNature reserve
  • Smiths Gully and Peter Franke Nature Conservation ReserveNature reserve
  • Smiths Gully G147 Bushland ReserveNature reserve
  • Smiths Gully G150 Bushland ReserveNature reserve
  • Sports field
  • Swimming pool
Other(3)
  • Bench
  • St Andrews Pony ClubHorse Riding
  • 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. 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

Sporting clubs

1 named sporting club in this suburb

  • St Andrews Pony Club

    Equestrian

Named sporting clubs from OpenStreetMap, assigned to this suburb's boundary. Sporting facilities such as ovals, courts and recreation centres are listed under Amenities.

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap sporting clubs — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Geofabrik australia-latest.osm.pbf

Parks & reserves

4 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Bulwidj ReserveNature reserve
  • Peter Franke ReservePark
  • Smiths Gully G147 Bushland ReserveNature reserve
  • Smiths Gully G150 Bushland ReserveNature reserve

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
21.2%
Woodland / forest cover
21%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
7
Parks (OSM)
1
Typical summer maximum
24°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
Yarra Ranges Health (15.4 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)
2
Participants per 1,000 residents
22.5

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

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
24° / 13°
Rainfall
155 mm · ~19 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
20° / 11°
Rainfall
186 mm · ~23 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
14° / 6°
Rainfall
203 mm · ~25 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
18° / 9°
Rainfall
207 mm · ~26 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Planning & development

Development applications from PPARS statewide register (lodged 2020–2022). Free public PPARS MapServer — applications through ~2022 (service last updated Feb 2024).

11 planning-related records

2021· 6 proposals
  • September 2021

  • Removal of vegetation
    70 SMITHS GULLY ROAD SMITHS GULLY 3760Withdrawn
  • August 2021

  • Buildings and works to construct an outbuilding
    215 SMITHS GULLY ROAD SMITHS GULLY 3760Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • July 2021

  • Buildings and works to construct a shed and install four water tanks
    170 ONE TREE HILL ROAD SMITHS GULLY 3760Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • May 2021

  • Amendment - Buildings and works to construct two outbuildings
    44 One Tree Hill RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • April 2021

  • Amendment - Buildings and works for an extension to the dwelling including the construction of a deck, verandah and the construction of a swimming pool
    480 CLINTONS ROAD SMITHS GULLY 3760Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Buildings and works to construct a shed and retaining wall
    910 KANGAROO GROUND-ST ANDREWS ROAD SMITHS GULLY 3760Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
2020· 5 proposals
  • October 2020

  • Buildings and works to construct a shed
    67 Joyce RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • August 2020

  • Removal of three shrubs
    Kangaroo Ground-St Andrews RoadNo permit required
  • June 2020

  • Buildings and works to construct two outbuildings
    44 One Tree Hill RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Buildings and works to construct a shed and associated earthworks
    180 Smiths Gully RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • April 2020

  • Buildings and works to construct a water tank
    55 Brens RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

Data sources & freshness

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
Casey
Member of Parliament
Aaron VIOLI (Liberal)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
122,351
Turnout (2025)
94.5%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
-1.5 pp toward Coalition

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 52.9%Labor 47.1%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 14.9 km away).

Coalition 42.8%Labor 57.2%

10.0 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: 0.0 pp

Nearest polling places

  • St Andrews (Casey)Labor 66.1% · Coalition 33.9% TPP (2025)3.4 km away
  • Yarra GlenLabor 40.1% · Coalition 59.9% TPP (2025)7.6 km away
  • Wonga ParkLabor 37.7% · Coalition 62.3% TPP (2025)11.4 km away
  • Lilydale NorthLabor 47.7% · Coalition 52.3% TPP (2025)13.7 km away
  • Chirnside ParkLabor 45.5% · Coalition 54.5% TPP (2025)14.0 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)
10/10
IRSD decile (2021)
10/10

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

Compare with

Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.

More in Nillumbik Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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