suburb.guide

VIC · East Gippsland Council

Swifts Creek, 3896

Current weather

9.1°CLight drizzle

77% humidity · 31 km/h wind · 10.1° / 7.3° today · 14.1 mm rain

Updated

Desirability score

16.3/100
Below average

1254th in VIC

89% data confidence

How this score is calculated
  • High desirability
  • Green suburb
What Swifts Creek is known for: High desirability, Green suburb

Suburb profile

Swifts Creek is a regional centre in East Gippsland that balances local services with a more relaxed pace of life. Distance from the capital is noticeable, but the trade-off is space, calm and a community that knows its neighbours. Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life.

Weekends tend to revolve around local favourites: a café, a market run, a walk through town. Homes offer solid value for the lifestyle on offer.

The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.

The desirability score is below average, pulled down chiefly by weaker housing affordability and parks and green space relative to similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

Population

Population
232
Median age
50
Median household income / week
$1,412
Dwelling vacancy
38.1%
Unoccupied private dwellings
61 of 160
Median monthly mortgage
$975
Employment rate
59.5%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
5 / 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 · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release

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

Crime & safety

Total offences (2026)
28
Against the person
6
Against property
12
Rate per 1,000 residents
120.7
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 39 residents
State safety percentile
80.3th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate)
+300%

Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.

Reported offences by period

Most common offence types

  • A732 Non-Fv Threatening Behaviour4
  • B21 Criminal Damage3
  • B41 Motor Vehicle Theft2
  • B49 Other Theft4
  • E21 Breach Family Violence Order6

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

Schools & preschools

Schools & preschools
1
Median school ICSEA
964
  • Swifts Creek P-12 SchoolCombined

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

1 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Swifts Creek General Store/Great Alpine Rd

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Public transport stop coverage

Data sources & freshness

Planning & development

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

5 planning-related records

2021· 2 proposals

  • June 2021

  • Buildings and works for a storage shed for the purpose of a Section 2 use and within a Design and Development Overlay
    6840 GREAT ALPINE ROAD SWIFTS CREEK 3896Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • March 2021

  • Two Lot Subdivision and Alteration of Access Adjacent to a Road in a Transport Zone 2
    6745 GREAT ALPINE ROAD SWIFTS CREEK 3896Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
2020· 3 proposals

  • September 2020

  • Extension of Red Line Area
    43 Cassilis RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • July 2020

  • Development of a farm shed
    31 Saleyards RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • April 2020

  • Construct outbuilding associated with a dwelling
    6986 Great Alpine 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) · Period: 2020–2022 · Updated on site · Public MapServer last updated Feb 2024 — applications through FY 2022–23 only; newer PPARS data requires council/API access

Amenities

26 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

  • Swifts Creek Village GrocerAlcohol
  • Swiffts Creek BakeryBakery
  • Bbq
  • Swifts Creek General Store/Great Alpine RdBus stop
  • Community Centre Swifts CreekCommunity centre
  • Great Alpine GardensGarden Centre
  • ElgasGas
  • Swifts Creek Village GrocerGas
  • Swifts Creek Village Grocer / IGA X-pressGeneral
  • Gift

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics
1
Emergency department
Not in suburb
  • Swifts Creek Bush Nursing Centrenurse

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
5/10
IRSD decile (2021)
5/10

SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)

Data sources & freshness

Heritage

2 state heritage places

  • CASSILIS GMC TREATMENT WORKSNH1941
  • ODELLS GULLY GOLD BATTERY SITENH1275

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site

Childcare

1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap

  • Uniting Swifts Creek Early Learningchildcare

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

Childcare centre count

Data sources & freshness

  • Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Period: current · Updated on site

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 · Period: current · Updated on site

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
1
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 features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Desirability Index

Desirability score
16.3/100 — Below average
National rank
6797th in Australia
State rank
1254th in VIC
Peer rank
#406 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#727 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
89%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics

Recent changes

  • Bbqamenitiesbbq
  • Community Centre Swifts Creekamenitiescommunity_centre
  • Elgasamenitiesgas
  • Giftamenitiesgift
  • Great Alpine Gardensamenitiesgarden_centre
  • Junction Hotelamenitiespub
  • Parkingamenitiesparking
  • Picnic Tableamenitiespicnic_table
  • Picnic Tableamenitiespicnic_table
  • Picnic Tableamenitiespicnic_table

Data sources & freshness

More in East Gippsland Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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