Clunes VIC 3370

Clunes sits 146 km from Melbourne CBD in Victoria, around 1 hour 45 minutes by car. Census data records 1,844 residents with a median age of 51 and a median household income of $53,924 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The town grew 6.7% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $220 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,127. Clunes is characterised by high bushfire risk. 1 school sits within the town boundary, and walkability is moderate.

Is Clunes a good town?

Clunes scores a D (25/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on safety and community.

Schools

Mixed results

1 school

Transit

Some car dependence

Walkability 48/100 · 146.5 km · 104 min drive to Melbourne

Prices

Around the state median

Median $510K · Cheaper than 89% of VIC

Safety

High bushfire risk

Fire 73/100 · Crime 38/100 · Flood 56/100

Community

Highly disadvantaged

SEIFA decile 2/10 · median age 51 · 1,844 residents

D

Liveability Rating

25 / 100 · Ranked #779 in VIC

Each bar is Clunes'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.

Schools quality no data
too few schools to rate
Safety
23
Bushfire High · Crime Low · Flood Moderate
Socio-economic
12
Disadvantaged
Walkability
52
Somewhat walkable
CBD access
26
146.5 km · 104 min drive to Melbourne
How it's calculated: Safety rank 23 × 25% + Socio-economic rank 12 × 25% + Walkability rank 52 × 15% + CBD access rank 26 × 10% = 25 / 100. Missing components rebalance the remaining weights.

How do you rate the liveability in Clunes?

Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.

Our score

25 / 100

From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.

Residents say

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Median House Price

Public listings data

Clunes's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $510,000, roughly 19% above where it sat a year earlier.

Houses

$510,000

last 7 quarters
Cheaper than 89% of VIC
↑ +18.9% year-on-year

Based on 78 recorded sales in the last 24 months.

Typically sold in 106 days — median across 28 sales that recorded a listing period

By bedrooms

  • 2 bed 13 sales $460K
  • 3 bed 42 sales $510K
  • 4 bed 17 sales $620K

Land

$260,000

last 4 quarters
↓ −4.6% year-on-year

Based on 24 recorded sales in the last 24 months.

Typically sold in 107 days — median across 9 sales that recorded a listing period

Currently for Sale

Last 6 months

Houses in Clunes are currently listed at around $580,000 on average. Based on 31 houses listed in the past six months.

$580K

last 2 months
↓ −13.1% vs previous 6 months from $668K
Since 2022: $628K → $624K (-1%)

31 houses listed in the last 6 months.

31 of the suburb's 802 dwellings (3.9%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.

Is Clunes safe? Crime statistics

2026

Crime in Clunes sits in the low band, with 50 incidents recorded in 2026 — up about 2% on the prior year.

50 offences

2.0% since 2025
Theft 18 (36.0%)
Assault 8 (16.0%)
Property Damage 6 (12.0%)
Break & Enter 5 (10.0%)
Arson 4 (8.0%)
Drug Offences 3 (6.0%)
Weapons Offences 2 (4.0%)
Disorderly Conduct 2 (4.0%)
Harassment & Stalking 1 (2.0%)
Fraud & Deception 1 (2.0%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

13 crashes

where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 2 of them fatal

Where they happened

Ballarat-Maryborough Road 4 (30.8%)

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

One school serve Clunes, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.

50
out of 100
Average
1 school in this town
1 at similar
  • • 96 students in one school (avg 96)

Primary

Government · Prep-6 · 96 students
ICSEA 978 (higher than 37% of Australian schools) · 13% top-SEA students
At similar

Walkability

Clunes is car-dependent on foot — at 48/100, most errands require a car. Within the town there are 1 supermarket, 10 parks and 4 cafes to anchor that walking radius.

48
out of 100
Car-Dependent
Top 14% in VIC
Public Transport within 1 km 34
Schools within 1.5 km 60
Parks within 800 m 100
Supermarkets within 1 km 60
GPs within 1 km 0
Pharmacies within 1 km 60
Childcare within 1 km 60
Hospitals within 5 km 0

NBN connectivity

The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Clunes.

64
connectivity score / 100
Top 24% in VIC
Most common
Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
43%
Premises covered
1,066
Technology mix
Fibre to the premises (FTTP) 43%
Fibre to the node (FTTN) 36%
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 13%
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 9%

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

Supermarkets
1 in town
Shopping Centres
None
Cafes & Restaurants
4 in town
Parks & Reserves
10 in town
Sport & Recreation
4 in town
Beaches
None
Waterways
18 in town
Childcare
1 in town
GPs
1 in town
Pharmacies
1 in town
Hospitals
None
Police Stations
1 in town
Banks & Bank@Post
1 in town
Fuel Stations
1 in town
EV Chargers
None
Pubs & Bars
1 in town
Arts & Culture
None
Places of Worship
2 in town

Hepburn: council population

The whole council area, not just Clunes · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
17,011
+1.2% in a year
Change
+194
people since 2024
Density
12
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
-49
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+195
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+48
arrivals minus departures

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

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
2/10
1/10 within VIC
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
2/10
1/10 within VIC
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
4/10
2/10 within VIC
qualifications and job type, income excluded
How evenly that is spread

The ABS scores 5 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.

Clunes is home to about 1,800 residents, with a median age of 51 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $54,000 a year, with unemployment at 7.7%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

1,844

6.7% since 2016

Median Age

51

2.0% since 2016

Median Household Income

$53,924/yr

24.3% since 2016
Bottom 12% in VIC

Census Median Rent

$220/wk

10.0% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$1,127/mo

4.1% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.2

no change since 2016

Median Personal Income

$26,156/yr

12.0% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

7.7%

17.2% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

22.2%

13.8% since 2016

Total Dwellings

802

12.8% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

85.9%

2.0% since 2016

Houses

94.6%

0.5% since 2016

Rental Stress

21.2%

11.7% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

25.1%

16.3% since 2016

Work From Home

20.3%

101.0% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 759 (94.6%)
Flats / Apartments 33 (4.1%)
Townhouses 10 (1.2%)

Property Ownership

Owned Outright 382 (50.2%)
Mortgage 272 (35.7%)
Renting 107 (14.1%)
Of those rentals, social housing 18 (16.8%)

9 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 9 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 107 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.

Demographics

Born in Australia
79.1%
English Spoken at Home
91.0%
Employment Rate
43.6%
5.1% since 2016
Completed Year 12
37.1%

Occupations

Professionals 144 (20.9%)
Technicians & Trades 108 (15.7%)
Labourers 100 (14.5%)
Community & Personal Service 96 (14.0%)
Managers 84 (12.2%)
Clerical & Administrative 57 (8.3%)
Sales 50 (7.3%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 39 (5.7%)

Religion

No Religion 943 (51.1%)
Christianity 683 (37.0%)
Buddhism 26 (1.4%)
Islam 3 (0.2%)
Other Religions 3 (0.2%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 89 (4.8%)
New Zealand 33 (1.8%)
Netherlands 16 (0.9%)
Scotland 13 (0.7%)
Germany 12 (0.7%)
Malaysia 5 (0.3%)
Ireland 5 (0.3%)
South Africa 4 (0.2%)

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.

2016-2021 13 (0.7%)
2011-2015 10 (0.5%)
2001-2010 20 (1.1%)
1991-2000 30 (1.6%)
1981-1990 30 (1.6%)
Before 1981 140 (7.6%)

13 residents (0.7%) 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.

11.5% of residents (201) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Melbourne (190).

Melbourne - West 78 (4.5%)
Melbourne - Inner 42 (2.4%)
Melbourne - South East 26 (1.5%)

Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,747 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.

Mandarin 5 (0.3%)
Italian 5 (0.3%)
German 4 (0.2%)
Turkish 4 (0.2%)

Age Distribution

0-4 97 (5.3%)
5-14 164 (8.9%)
15-19 83 (4.5%)
20-24 67 (3.6%)
25-34 147 (8.0%)
35-44 197 (10.7%)
45-54 260 (14.1%)
55-64 328 (17.8%)
65-74 302 (16.4%)
75-84 149 (8.1%)
85+ 50 (2.7%)

Family & Household Composition

Lone Person 275 (49.5%)
Couple Families 149 (26.8%)
One Parent Families 95 (17.1%)
Group Household 25 (4.5%)
Other Families 12 (2.2%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 415 (71.3%)
Worked from Home 118 (20.3%)
Car (passenger) 23 (4.0%)
Walked Only 22 (3.8%)
Bicycle 4 (0.7%)

3% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (19 of 688).

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

Certificate III & IV 291 (15.8%)
Bachelor Degree 172 (9.3%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 135 (7.3%)
Postgraduate Degree 68 (3.7%)
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 45 (2.4%)

Cars per Dwelling

0 cars 26 (3.3%)
1 car 273 (34.6%)
2 cars 286 (36.3%)
3 cars 135 (17.1%)
4+ cars 68 (8.6%)

Council Rates

Hepburn
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,748 a year through Hepburn based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$1,748/yr
10% below the VIC average of $1,937 · median of 79 councils
Rate in the dollar
0.277¢ / $
of property valuation
Valuation basis
Capital Improved Value
land + buildings

How this land is zoned

Share of Clunes's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Rural and farming 84%
  • Residential 8%
  • Parks and recreation 6%
  • Infrastructure and transport 3%
  • 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: Hepburn

The whole council area, not just Clunes · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

In the year to August 2026, 104 new dwellings were approved across Hepburn. Almost all of the pipeline is detached houses. Approvals are down 5.9% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
104dwellings
-5.9% YoY
Houses
104
detached dwellings
Units
0
townhouses + apartments

Aboriginal Cultural Heritage

The Registered Aboriginal Party for this area is Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation (appointed 2008).

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 Clunes, 2.1 km

Moderate rainfall.

Elevation
329 m
above sea level, at the town centre
Annual rainfall
537 mm
84 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
—
Winter min (Jul)
—

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

1.0%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.00% in 2021
+0.4 points this year
Top 23% in VIC

In postcode 3370, 19 of 1,915 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.1% (21 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.1%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.00%
2022
0.15%
2023
0.31%
2024
0.63%
2025
0.99%

Rooftop solar

47
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 5.7 kW each

In postcode 3370, 470 rooftop-solar systems totalling 2.7 MW have been installed since 2001, against 1,001 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 17 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.

Systems installed, year by year
2019
35
2020
50
2021
29
2022
44
2023
27
2024
23
2025
19
2026
8

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 3370 in 2025-26. The most was 21, in 2001-02.

2000-01 to 2025-26

Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.

Verify eligibility with State Revenue Office Victoria

Mortgage repayments

I'm looking for
Deposit
$
%
Monthly repayment
$2,660
Loan amount
$408,000
Total interest over 30 years
$549,548
Deposit
$102,000
Stamp duty
$22,570
Cash needed at settlement
$124,570

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.

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

Division of Ballarat

Currently held by Catherine King Australian Labor Party

Year Winner 2PP ALP 2PP LNP Swing
2025 Catherine King 60.7% 39.3% -2.3
2022 Catherine King 63.0% 37.0% -2.7
2019 Catherine King 61.0% 39.0% -3.6

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

Ripon District

Currently held by Martha Haylett Australian Labor Party - Victorian Branch

Next state election: 28 November 2026.

Year Winner Won with 2PP ALP 2PP LNP
2022 Martha Haylett ALP 53.0% 53.0% 47.0%
2018 Louise Staley LP 50.0% 50.0% 50.0%
2014 Louise Staley LP 50.8% 49.2% 50.8%

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 Clunes?

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.

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Nearby suburbs

Compare Clunes to another suburb

Side-by-side stats for any other VIC suburb — type a name and pick one.

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Common questions about Clunes

Is Clunes a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Clunes is low (38/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).

What natural hazards affect Clunes?

Clunes has a high recorded bushfire history (73/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a moderate share of it (56/100). These are town-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

Is Clunes a good place to live?

Clunes has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (25/100), 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 Clunes?

Clunes, VIC had a population of 1,844 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Clunes, VIC?

The postcode for Clunes, VIC is 3370.

How far is Clunes from Melbourne?

Clunes is 146 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 104 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Clunes?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Clunes was $53,924 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 Clunes?

There are too few current rental listings in Clunes for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $220, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Clunes?

The median age of residents in Clunes was 51 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is Clunes at risk of bushfire?

Clunes has a high recorded bushfire history (73/100). 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 Clunes?

There is 1 school inside the Clunes boundary: 1 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).

Is Clunes walkable?

Clunes scores 48/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it car-dependent. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.

What is the weather like in Clunes?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Clunes, Clunes (2.1 km away), 537 mm of rain a year over 84 rainy days over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Clunes?

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 Clunes belong to?

Clunes sits within the Hepburn local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Clunes?

The average residential rates bill through Hepburn is $1,748 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Clunes?

Across Hepburn, 104 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 5.9% 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 Clunes in?

Clunes sits within the federal Division of Ballarat, currently held by Catherine King (Australian Labor Party).

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