Castle Donnington is a rural locality in Victoria, 332 km from Melbourne CBD, around 3 hours 50 minutes by car. Population is 139; the median age is 43 and the median household income is $80,132 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 20% nationally. The locality grew 6.1% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $250 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,564. Castle Donnington is characterised by high flood risk. Walkability is low.
This locality is too small to rate.
The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 139. Below that the school, census and safety figures behind the score cover too few people to rank fairly against the rest of the state. The individual measures further down this page are still shown.
How do you rate the liveability in Castle Donnington?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
Not enough data to score this locality.
Residents say
…
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20252 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the locality carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Schools
Walkability
Castle Donnington is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car.
We hold no public transport timetable data for this area, so public transport is not rated here and the score is spread across the remaining components. It is not counted as zero.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Castle Donnington.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 64
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Swan Hill: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this locality alone — this locality's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
Castle Donnington is home to 139 residents, with a median age of 43, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $80,000 a year, with unemployment at 4.5%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
139
Median Age
43
Median Household Income
$80,132/yr
Census Median Rent
$250/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,564/mo
Avg Household Size
2.5
Median Personal Income
$44,356/yr
Unemployment Rate
4.5%
Unoccupied Dwellings
11.5%
Total Dwellings
52
Owner-Occupier Rate
100.0%
Houses
88.5%
Rental Stress
16.2%
Mortgage Stress
23.4%
Work From Home
11.5%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 81.3%
- English Spoken at Home
- 82.0%
- Employment Rate
- 59.6%
- Completed Year 12
- 32.4%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $2,333 a year through Swan Hill based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 97%
- Infrastructure and transport 2%
- Parks and recreation 2%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the locality around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Swan Hill
In the year to August 2026, 91 new dwellings were approved across Swan Hill. That mix is 87 houses and 4 units. Approvals are down 85.7% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
The Registered Aboriginal Party for this area is Wamba Wemba Aboriginal Corporation (appointed 2024).
Registered Aboriginal Parties are appointed by the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 as the primary guardians, keepers and knowledge holders of Aboriginal cultural heritage for their area. They are the body to contact about cultural heritage here.
Climate & Setting
from Kerang, 48.7 kmDry climate — very hot summers, cold winters with occasional frost.
- Elevation
- 76 m
- above sea level, at the locality centre
- Annual rainfall
- 364 mm
- 54 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 32.1°C
- 34 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 4.5°C
- 6 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the locality centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
EV adoption
In postcode 3585, 10 of 11,176 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.8% (201 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.9%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3585, 2,026 rooftop-solar systems totalling 16.9 MW have been installed since 2001, against 4,887 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 93 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$10,000 for new homes priced up to $750,000.
The separate First Home Buyer Duty Reduction (stamp-duty concession) runs alongside this grant.
5 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3585 in 2025-26, rank 129 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 108, in 2001-02.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Anne Webster The Nationals
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Anne Webster | 31.0% | 69.0% | -0.1 |
| 2022 | Anne Webster | 31.0% | 69.0% | +3.3 |
| 2019 | Anne Webster | 33.8% | 66.2% | -3.6 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact locality's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Peter Walsh The Nationals
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Peter Walsh NP | 61.8% | 27.1% | 72.9% |
| 2018 | Peter Walsh NP | 60.3% | 26.1% | 74.0% |
| 2014 | Peter Walsh NP | 63.3% | 27.6% | 72.4% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this locality's voters. Results: Victorian Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0.
Looking at a specific address in Castle Donnington?
Every figure above is a locality average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 139 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Nearby suburbs
Compare Castle Donnington to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other VIC suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Castle Donnington
Is Castle Donnington a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Castle Donnington is low (13/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Castle Donnington?
Castle Donnington has a low recorded bushfire history (37/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a high share of it (70/100). These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
What is the population of Castle Donnington?
Castle Donnington, VIC had a population of 139 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Castle Donnington, VIC?
The postcode for Castle Donnington, VIC is 3585.
How far is Castle Donnington from Melbourne?
Castle Donnington is 332 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 231 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Castle Donnington?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Castle Donnington was $80,132 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Castle Donnington?
There are too few current rental listings in Castle Donnington for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $250, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Castle Donnington?
The median age of residents in Castle Donnington was 43 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Castle Donnington at risk of bushfire?
Castle Donnington has a low recorded bushfire history (37/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the locality relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.
What is the weather like in Castle Donnington?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Castle Donnington, Kerang (48.7 km away), summer days average 32.1°C, winter nights 4.5°C, 364 mm of rain a year over 54 rainy days, and 34 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Castle Donnington?
First-home buyers in VIC may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $750,000. The grant is administered by State Revenue Office Victoria; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Castle Donnington belong to?
Castle Donnington sits within the Swan Hill local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Castle Donnington?
The average residential rates bill through Swan Hill is $2,333 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Castle Donnington?
Across Swan Hill, 91 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 85.7% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Castle Donnington in?
Castle Donnington sits within the federal Division of Mallee, currently held by Anne Webster (The Nationals).
Search another suburb or address
Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2026
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2022
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
Was the information on this page useful to you?
Thanks! Anything we could improve?
We hate spam as much as you do — we'll never use your email for marketing, and we might not be able to reply to everyone.
Thanks for your feedback! 🙏
Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.