Chiltern VIC 3683
Chiltern sits 293 km from Melbourne CBD in Victoria, around 3 hours 5 minutes by car. Census data records 1,580 residents with a median age of 50 and a median household income of $67,860 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. The town fell 1.6% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $260 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,300. Chiltern is characterised by high bushfire risk. Of 2 schools within the town boundary, 1 ranks above the state average, and walkability is low.
Is Chiltern a good town?
Chiltern scores a D (26/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on transit.
Mixed results
2 schools · 1 above peer schools
Car-dependent
Walkability 0/100 · 293.2 km · 186 min drive to Melbourne
Around the state median
Median $586K · Cheaper than 82% of VIC
Moderate bushfire risk
Fire 66/100 · Crime 45/100 · Flood 24/100
Below-average income
SEIFA decile 3/10 · median age 50 · 1,580 residents
Liveability Rating
26 / 100 · Ranked #775 in VICEach bar is Chiltern's rank among VIC suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
How do you rate the liveability in Chiltern?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
26 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataChiltern's house market is moving lower: the median sale price reached $586,000, roughly 16% below where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$586,500
Based on 36 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 40 days — median across 5 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 5 sales $382K
- 3 bed 23 sales $625K
- 4 bed 5 sales $645K
Units
$275,000
Based on only 5 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Chiltern are currently listed at around $580,000 on average. Based on 7 houses listed in the past six months.
$580K
7 houses listed in the last 6 months.
7 of the suburb's 660 dwellings (1.1%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Is Chiltern safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Chiltern sits in the moderate band, with 51 incidents recorded in 2026.
51 offences
no change since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20259 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 1 of them fatal
Where they happened
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the town carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Schools
Two schools serve Chiltern, and results are mixed — some outperforming peer-suburb schools, some below. Chiltern Primary School leads the pack.
- • 104 students across 2 schools (avg 52)
- • Sectors: 1 Government, 1 Catholic
- • ICSEA 987-988, median 988 (around the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Chiltern Primary School (71 students)
Primary
Walkability
Chiltern 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 Chiltern.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 45%
- Premises covered
- 767
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
Indigo: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this town alone — this town's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 6 small areas inside this town and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 3 different deciles — a narrow range, so the average describes the town closely.
Chiltern is home to about 1,600 residents, with a median age of 50 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $68,000 a year, with unemployment at 4.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,580
Median Age
50
Median Household Income
$67,860/yr
Census Median Rent
$260/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,300/mo
Avg Household Size
2.3
Median Personal Income
$35,464/yr
Unemployment Rate
4.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
8.6%
Total Dwellings
660
Owner-Occupier Rate
88.2%
Houses
92.9%
Rental Stress
19.9%
Mortgage Stress
23.0%
Work From Home
15.4%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 82.2%
- English Spoken at Home
- 93.0%
- Employment Rate
- 53.9%
- Completed Year 12
- 33.5%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
3 residents (0.2%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
3.4% of residents (52) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Melbourne (46).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,512 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
1% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (5 of 723).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,828 a year through Indigo based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 53%
- Parks and recreation 45%
- Infrastructure and transport 1%
- Zones under 1% 1%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the town around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Indigo
In the year to August 2026, 120 new dwellings were approved across Indigo. That mix is 117 houses and 3 units. Approvals are up 15.0% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
No Registered Aboriginal Party is appointed for this area. About an eighth of Victoria, mostly in the north-east, has no appointment; that is a fact about the register rather than about the Country.
Climate & Setting
from Rutherglen Research, 14.2 kmModerate rainfall — hot summers, frosty winters.
- Elevation
- 221 m
- above sea level, at the town centre
- Annual rainfall
- 567 mm
- 68 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 31.7°C
- 25 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 2.1°C
- 53 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the town 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 3683, 5 of 1,951 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.0% (19 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.2%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3683, 505 rooftop-solar systems totalling 2.8 MW have been installed since 2001, against 793 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 33 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.
0 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3683 in 2025-26. The most was 17, in 2002-03.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
Land transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with State Revenue Office Victoria
The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $750,000 may qualify for $10,000 — see what qualifies with State Revenue Office Victoria.
At $586,500 this is under the $750,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $10,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with State Revenue Office Victoria.
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Helen Haines Independent
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Helen Haines | 43.3% | 56.7% | -1.4 |
| 2022 | Helen Haines | 44.7% | 55.3% | -7.5 |
| 2019 | Helen Haines | 37.3% | 62.7% | +7.7 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact town's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Bill Tilley Liberal
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Bill Tilley LP | 50.9% | 36.7% | 63.3% |
| 2018 | Bill Tilley LP | 52.5% | 41.1% | 58.9% |
| 2014 | Bill Tilley LP | 54.6% | 40.3% | 59.7% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this town's voters. Results: Victorian Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0.
Looking at a specific address in Chiltern?
Every figure above is a town 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 1,580 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 Chiltern 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 Chiltern
Is Chiltern a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Chiltern is moderate (45/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Chiltern?
Chiltern has a moderate recorded bushfire history (66/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a low share of it (24/100). These are town-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Chiltern a good place to live?
Chiltern has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (26/100), ranked against other VIC suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Chiltern?
Chiltern, VIC had a population of 1,580 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Chiltern, VIC?
The postcode for Chiltern, VIC is 3683.
How far is Chiltern from Melbourne?
Chiltern is 293 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 186 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Chiltern?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Chiltern was $67,860 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 Chiltern?
There are too few current rental listings in Chiltern for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $260, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Chiltern?
The median age of residents in Chiltern was 50 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Chiltern at risk of bushfire?
Chiltern has a moderate recorded bushfire history (66/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the town 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.
How are the schools in Chiltern?
There are 2 schools inside the Chiltern boundary: 1 above and 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
What is the weather like in Chiltern?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Chiltern, Rutherglen Research (14.2 km away), summer days average 31.7°C, winter nights 2.1°C, 567 mm of rain a year over 68 rainy days, and 25 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Chiltern?
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 Chiltern belong to?
Chiltern sits within the Indigo local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Chiltern?
The average residential rates bill through Indigo is $1,828 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Chiltern?
Across Indigo, 120 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 15.0% 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 Chiltern in?
Chiltern sits within the federal Division of Indi, currently held by Helen Haines (Independent).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- 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.
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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.