Median house price
—
No data available
VIC · Buloke Council
Watchem, 3482
Est. population · Jun 2025
119
Growth (1 yr)
0.0%
Growth (5 yr)
-4.0%
Median age
56
Median income
$1,031/wk
Employment rate
26.5%
Languages at home
5.1%non-English
Mostly English at home
2021 Census · usual residence
- National parks
- Green suburb
- Excellent transport
Suburb profile
Watchem offers a slower smaller community life in Buloke Council, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. A genuine café and dining culture runs through the area, denser than many peers of a similar size.
Open space is thinner than in many comparable suburbs, so residents often travel a little further for a longer park day. Day-to-day life is more car-oriented here, with buses covering longer trips across the wider area. Housing sits above the suburban middle: not the top of the market, but clearly pricier than average.
Reported crime has been falling recently. Tree-lined streets and established homes set the tone, with little pressure to reinvent the neighbourhood.
At a glance
Watchem snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
—
No data available
Population (ERP)
119
0.0% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
36.2%
Census unoccupied dwellings
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Safety
65th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
40th
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
Population
Estimated resident population
119(June 2025)
0.0% annual · -4.0% over 5 years · 40th percentile in VIC
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- 0.0%
- 5-year growth
- -4.0%
- Change in 1 year
- 0
- Change in 5 years
- -5
- Growth rank in VIC
- 40th 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 -0.6% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 124
- Median age
- 56
- Median household income / week
- $1,031
- Dwelling vacancy
- 36.2%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 25 of 69
- Median monthly mortgage
- $477
- Employment rate
- 26.5%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 43 / 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)
- 9
- Against the person
- 1
- Against property
- 3
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 75.6
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 124 residents
- State safety percentile
- 65.3th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -35.7%
Most common offence types
- B321 Residential Non-Aggravated Burglary1
- B41 Motor Vehicle Theft1
- B42 Steal From A Motor Vehicle1
- E21 Breach Family Violence Order5
- Other Crimes Against The Person1
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
2 public transport stops in this suburb
- Hotel/Sunraysia Hwy
- Hotel/Sunraysia Hwy
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
15 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
1 pubs · 1 sports centres · 2 swimming pools · 1 post offices
Local character & venue list
Local character
- Limited walkable amenities nearby
- Walkability proxy
- 5/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 8.06
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 0
Food & drink(1)
- Watchem HotelPub
Community(1)
- Watchem Public HallCommunity centre
Sport & outdoors(4)
- Watchem Swimming PoolSports centre
- Sports field
- Swimming pool (2)
Other(8)
- Garden
- Watchem StoreGeneral
- Parking
- Picnic Table (2)
- Australia PostPost Box
- Watchem LPOPost office
- Watchem Comfort StationPublic toilets
- Shelter
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
Parks & reserves
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Corack I135 Bushland ReserveNature reserve
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 5
- 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
- East Wimmera Health Service (Birchip Campus) (19.4 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)
- 3
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 25.2
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
- 30° / 14°
- Rainfall
- 75 mm · ~9 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 23° / 9°
- Rainfall
- 87 mm · ~11 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 15° / 4°
- Rainfall
- 107 mm · ~13 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 22° / 8°
- Rainfall
- 111 mm · ~14 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).
1 planning-related records
2020· 1 proposal
August 2020
- Construction of carport75 Camp StreetPermit 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
- Mallee
- Member of Parliament
- Anne WEBSTER (The Nationals)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 121,604
- Turnout (2025)
- 91.5%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- -0.1 pp toward Coalition
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 69.0%Labor 31.0%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 55.5 km away).
Coalition 77.3%Labor 22.7%
8.3 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: -1.1 pp toward Coalition
Nearest polling places
- BirchipLabor 20.3% · Coalition 79.7% TPP (2025)19.3 km away
- DonaldLabor 26.8% · Coalition 73.2% TPP (2025)26.1 km away
- WycheproofLabor 22.6% · Coalition 77.4% TPP (2025)32.6 km away
- MinyipLabor 25.2% · Coalition 74.8% TPP (2025)43.0 km away
- WarracknabealLabor 25.1% · Coalition 74.9% TPP (2025)44.3 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)
- 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 (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
More in Buloke Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Victoria.