VIC · Wellington Council

Wurruk, 3850

Est. population · Jun 2025

1,499

Growth (1 yr)

-0.3%

Growth (5 yr)

+0.4%

Median age

41

Median income

$1,495/wk

Employment rate

57.8%

University qualified

15%

Work from home

8.6%

Languages at home

4.5%non-English

Most common: Arabic, Bengali, Afrikaans

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

40.1/100
Average

981st in VIC

Verified 92% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Country town
What Wurruk is known for: Country town

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Wurruk, VIC suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

Cite this suburb snapshot

Suburb Guide, “Wurruk, VIC Suburb Guide”, updated 2 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/vic/wurruk

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Suburb profile

Wurruk is a regional town in Victoria, in Wellington Council. It is close to the Thompson River.

The suburb is highly walkable compared with similar places, placing it among the highest-ranked regional towns. Recorded road-crash rates are lower than in comparable places, with recorded road crashes 91% below the peer median, and green cover is an exceptional strength. Trade-offs centre on lower school ICSEA scores and lower socio-economic advantage.

Overall, Wurruk suits people prioritising walkability over school quality.

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

Regional town · compared with regional towns in Victoria (187)

Strengths

  • The suburb is highly walkable compared with similar places
  • Recorded road-crash rates are lower than in comparable places
  • Green cover is a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • School ICSEA scores are a relative weakness
  • Socio-economic advantage sits below the peer median

What stands out

  • Thompson River

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How Wurruk compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent

$450/wk

Population (ERP)

1,499

-0.3% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

5.0%

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

#120

among Country & regional · Established

Crime rate

74th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

3rd

percentile in VIC

Rented dwellings

21%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

3/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

4th

percentile among schools with ICSEA

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
40.1/100 — Average
National rank
4381st in Australia
State rank
981st in VIC
Peer rank
#120 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
Cohort rank
#545 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
92%

Data sources & freshness

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

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 (10%) · Future Growth (6%)

Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band

Data sources & freshness

Population

Estimated resident population

1,499(June 2025)

-0.3% annual · +0.4% over 5 years · 3th percentile in VIC

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
-0.3%
5-year growth
+0.4%
Change in 1 year
-4
Change in 5 years
+6
Growth rank in VIC
3th 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 (~1,550), extrapolated at +0.4% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
1,177
Median age
41
Median household income / week
$1,495
Dwelling vacancy
5%
Unoccupied private dwellings
22 of 436
Median monthly mortgage
$1,517
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$250
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
35.9% / 43.3% / 20.8%
Employment rate
57.8%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
8.6% / 0.9% / 73.7%
Walked or cycled to work
0.6%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
407 / 4 / 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

15% of adults have a university degree, compared with 29.2% across Victoria. 20.1% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified15% · 29.2% VIC
  • Diploma qualified9.6% · 9.8% VIC
  • Trade / vocational20.1% · 14.2% VIC
  • Year 12 or below55.4% · 46.8% VIC

Highest qualification field

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

  • Engineering and related technologies24.5%
  • Management and commerce15.4%
  • Health14.7%
  • Society and culture13.3%
  • Education11.9%
  • Architecture and building6.5%
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)
$54,343

54th percentile in VIC · -7% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$60,008

57th percentile in VIC · -8% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
13.0%

56th percentile in VIC · -6% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$76,008

44th percentile in VIC · +20% vs Australia

Residents with business income
9.0%

16th percentile in VIC · -13% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 3850 — 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
8,933
Taxpayers reporting net rent
1,174
Median net rent
-$482
Taxpayers reporting business income
768
Taxable income vs state median
+2%
Salary / wages vs state median
+3%
Rental investment vs state median
0%
Super vs state median
-6%
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

4.5% speak a language other than English at home; 11.7% born overseas

Language at home
1,050 English only · 50 other
Non-English at home
4.5%
Born overseas
129 (11.7%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
33 (2.8%)
Australian citizens
1,068
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
4

Top languages other than English

Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).

  • Arabic5 · 29.4%
  • Bengali5 · 29.4%
  • Afrikaans4 · 23.5%
  • Sinhalese3 · 17.6%

Religion

46.6%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 46.6%, while 42.9% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion42.9%38.8%
Christianity46.6%40.9%
Other / not stated10.5%20.3%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic18.5%20.5%
Anglican15.3%6.5%
Jehovah's Witnesses2.4%0.2%
Uniting Church2.1%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)
143
Against the person
50
Against property
50
Rate per 1,000 residents
95.4
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 24 residents
State crime-rate percentile
74.3th (higher = more crime)
Decrease (daily rate)
-22.3%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
8
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
5.34

Most common offence types

  • A231 Fv Common Assault18
  • B21 Criminal Damage17
  • B49 Other Theft11
  • E21 Breach Family Violence Order18
  • Other Crimes Against The Person10

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

Schools within 2 km
1
Median school ICSEA
827
Median ICSEA percentile
4th
Primary catchments overlapping suburb
2
Secondary catchments overlapping suburb
1
School list
  • Wurruk Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 827 · 4th percentile · LBOTE 5% · 40 students · Top SEA quarter 2% · 0.6 km awayView on My School →
School catchments
  • Sale CollegeGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Sale Primary SchoolGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Wurruk 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

Public transport

10 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Curran St/Frith St
  • Frith St/Gould St
  • Hunt Pl/Princes Hwy
  • Hunt Pl/Princes Hwy
  • Irwin St/Princes Hwy

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

16 mapped amenities

1 playgrounds · 1 swimming pools · 2 petrol stations

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Decent local green space — 0 parks in suburb, 1 playgrounds nearby
  • Reasonable bus and transport access — 10 public transport stops
Walkability proxy
15/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Everyday services(2)
  • BPPetrol station
  • Petrol station
Community(1)
  • Wurruk Primary SchoolSchool

    15-19 Fisk Street

Sport & outdoors(4)
  • Wurruk PlaygroundPlayground
  • Wurruk Bowls ClubSports field
  • Wurruk OvalSports field
  • Swimming pool
Places to stay(2)
  • Captain's Lodge InternationalMotel

    46-54 Wurruk Way

  • Rivers Inn MotelMotel
Transport(6)

6 bus stops

Other(1)
  • Sale Satellite Fire Station (Wurruk) CFAFire station

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

  • Wurruk Bowls Club

    Lawn Bowls

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

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
9%
Woodland / forest cover
9%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
1
Parks (OSM)
0
Typical summer maximum
25°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
Maternal and Child Health (4.0 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)
69
Participants per 1,000 residents
46.0

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
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 (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).

3 planning-related records

2021· 2 proposals
  • July 2021

  • Buildings and works assoicated with the construction of storage units. Buildings and works assoicated with the construction of storage units.
    1 Hunt PlacePermit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • May 2021

  • Two lot subdivision. Two lot subdivision.
    8 Jemma CourtPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
2020· 1 proposal
  • December 2020

  • Vary the restrictive covenant on title. Vary the restrictive covenant on title.
    8 Jemma CourtPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

Data sources & freshness

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid
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
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 16.5 km away).

Coalition 72.2%Labor 27.8%

2.8 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +1.1 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • SaleLabor 30.7% · Coalition 69.3% TPP (2025)3.0 km away
  • Sale NorthLabor 25.1% · Coalition 74.9% TPP (2025)4.6 km away
  • Sale EastLabor 34.4% · Coalition 65.6% TPP (2025)4.9 km away
  • LongfordLabor 19.1% · Coalition 80.8% TPP (2025)7.4 km away
  • CobainsLabor 17.3% · Coalition 82.7% TPP (2025)9.5 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)
3/10
IRSD decile (2021)
3/10

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 Wellington Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

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