Median house price
—
No data available
VIC · Wellington Council
The Heart, 3851
Est. population · Jun 2025
18
Growth (1 yr)
0.0%
Growth (5 yr)
0.0%
Median age
42
Median income
$2,583/wk
Employment rate
54.5%
Languages at home
Mostly English at home
2021 Census · usual residence
- National parks
Suburb profile
In Wellington Council, The Heart keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. Distance from Melbourne is unmistakable: this is well outside the capital's everyday orbit. Established families and long-term residents give the suburb a settled feel, with family life visible on every street.
With limited local amenities, residents regularly travel to a neighbouring town for shops, appointments and a wider choice. Local green pockets are modest, with bigger outdoor outings usually found in neighbouring areas. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here than in denser, more walkable pockets.
Property prices run toward the upper end of the local market. Crime reports are up on the previous period.
At a glance
The Heart snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
$450/wk
Population (ERP)
18
0.0% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
0.0%
Census unoccupied dwellings
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Safety
96th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
37th
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
Housing
- All types (Sep 2025 (council median))
- $450
Median weekly rent from Victorian government rent reports. Council median fallback may apply where suburb rent is unavailable.
Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)
Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum
Data sources & freshness
- DFFH rent report and Valuer-General property sales report — Department of Families, Fairness and Housing / Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria) · Sep 2025 (council median) · Updated · Quarterly releases; council median rent fallback where suburb rent unavailable
Population
Estimated resident population
18(June 2025)
0.0% annual · 0.0% over 5 years · 37th percentile in VIC
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- 0.0%
- 5-year growth
- 0.0%
- Change in 1 year
- 0
- Change in 5 years
- 0
- Growth rank in VIC
- 37th 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 (~0), extrapolated at +1.8% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 30
- Median age
- 42
- Median household income / week
- $2,583
- Dwelling vacancy
- 0%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 0 of 14
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Employment rate
- 54.5%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 9 / 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)
- 6
- Against the person
- 0
- Against property
- 6
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 333.3
- State safety percentile
- 96th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +50.4%
Most common offence types
- B21 Criminal Damage1
- B41 Motor Vehicle Theft1
- B42 Steal From A Motor Vehicle1
- B49 Other Theft3
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) · 2024 · Updated
Family & Lifestyle
Amenities
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
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
Parks & reserves
2 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Sale Camping Reserve Gippsland Lakes ReserveNature reserve
- The Waterhole Gippsland Lakes ReserveNature reserve
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · current · Updated
Health access
- Nearest hospital
- Community Rehabilitation Centre (8.0 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
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
- 25° / 13°
- Rainfall
- 149 mm · ~19 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 21° / 9°
- Rainfall
- 153 mm · ~19 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 15° / 4°
- Rainfall
- 133 mm · ~17 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 20° / 8°
- Rainfall
- 177 mm · ~22 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
- Gippsland
- Member of Parliament
- Darren CHESTER (The Nationals)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 118,075
- Turnout (2025)
- 92.0%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- +1.2 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 69.4%Labor 30.6%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 21.5 km away).
Coalition 76.0%Labor 24.0%
6.6 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +2.3 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
- CobainsLabor 17.3% · Coalition 82.7% TPP (2025)6.4 km away
- Sale EastLabor 34.4% · Coalition 65.6% TPP (2025)8.4 km away
- LongfordLabor 19.1% · Coalition 80.8% TPP (2025)10.2 km away
- SaleLabor 30.7% · Coalition 69.3% TPP (2025)10.3 km away
- Sale NorthLabor 25.1% · Coalition 74.9% TPP (2025)10.6 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 Wellington Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.