Median house price
—
No data available
VIC · Hepburn Council
Sulky, 3352
Est. population · Jun 2025
232
Growth (1 yr)
+0.9%
Growth (5 yr)
0.0%
Median age
45
Median income
$2,250/wk
Employment rate
74.2%
Languages at home
1.3%non-English
Mostly English at home
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- Excellent transport
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Sulky is a quieter smaller community in Hepburn Council, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. Long-term locals and family households define much of the community, with family life visible on every street. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting.
There is enough green space nearby for walks, picnics and after-school play. A car helps for most daily errands, though buses still link the suburb further afield. Housing sits above the suburban middle: not the top of the market, but clearly pricier than average.
Crime trends have improved of late compared with the previous period. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
Desirability lands around average here: softer growth momentum weighing on the result versus similar regional towns, even with community and employment holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
At a glance
Sulky snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
—
No data available
Population (ERP)
232
+0.9% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
4.5%
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
#46
among Country & regional · Mature
Safety
4th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
65th
percentile in VIC
Advantage (IRSAD)
8/10
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
- 48.0/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 41% of Victoria's suburbs
- National rank
- 2438th in Australia
- State rank
- 513th in VIC
- Peer rank
- #46 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #142 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 70%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Population
Estimated resident population
232(June 2025)
+0.9% annual · 0.0% over 5 years · 65th percentile in VIC
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +0.9%
- 5-year growth
- 0.0%
- Change in 1 year
- +2
- Change in 5 years
- 0
- Growth rank in VIC
- 65th 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 +0.5% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 234
- Median age
- 45
- Median household income / week
- $2,250
- Dwelling vacancy
- 4.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 4 of 89
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,647
- Employment rate
- 74.2%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 84 / 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 decreased compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
- Total offences (2026)
- 2
- Against the person
- 0
- Against property
- 2
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 8.6
- State safety percentile
- 3.7th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -60%
Most common offence types
- B49 Other Theft2
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
Public transport
9 public transport stops in this suburb
- 1012 Creswick Rd
- Blackmore Rd/Midland Hwy
- Bullock Creek Rd/Midland Hwy
- Jubilee Rd/Midland Hwy
- Kennedys Rd/Creswick Rd
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · current · Updated
Amenities
5 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
Local character & venue list
Local character
- Limited walkable amenities nearby
- Reasonable bus and transport access — 9 public transport stops
- Walkability proxy
- 14/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 0
Sport & outdoors(1)
- Sports field
Transport(4)
4 bus stops
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)
- 6
- Parks (OSM)
- 0
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
- Creswick Hospital and Nursing Home (5.8 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)
- 6
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 25.9
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
- 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
- 26° / 12°
- Rainfall
- 128 mm · ~16 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 21° / 10°
- Rainfall
- 124 mm · ~16 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 14° / 6°
- Rainfall
- 149 mm · ~19 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 19° / 8°
- Rainfall
- 182 mm · ~23 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
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).
2 planning-related records
2020· 2 proposals
October 2020
- Construction of verandah1113 Midland HighwayPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
March 2020
- Development of an agricultural shed212 Sulky RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- PPARS planning permit activity (statewide) — Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria) · 2020–2022 · Updated · MapServer through FY 2022–23; newer data needs council/API access
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
- 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 10.1 km away).
Coalition 36.1%Labor 63.9%
3.3 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: -2.4 pp toward Coalition
Nearest polling places
- CreswickLabor 64.3% · Coalition 35.7% TPP (2025)4.6 km away
- Creswick NorthLabor 60.6% · Coalition 39.4% TPP (2025)6.0 km away
- Miners RestLabor 59.6% · Coalition 40.4% TPP (2025)6.4 km away
- Wendouree NorthLabor 62.6% · Coalition 37.4% TPP (2025)7.2 km away
- Wendouree WestLabor 72.7% · Coalition 27.3% TPP (2025)8.6 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
- Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated · 2025 election with by-election overlays
Socio-economic
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 8/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 8/10
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 Hepburn Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Victoria.