Cudgewa is a rural locality in Victoria, 437 km from Melbourne CBD, around 4 hours 55 minutes by car. Population is 254; the median age is 54 and the median household income is $66,612 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the middle range nationally. The locality fell 2.7% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $130 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,062. Cudgewa is characterised by high bushfire 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 254. 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 Cudgewa?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
Not enough data to score this locality.
Residents say
…
Is Cudgewa safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Cudgewa sits in the moderate band, with 6 incidents recorded in 2026 — down roughly 46% on the prior year.
6 offences
45.5% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20254 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 1 of them fatal
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
Cudgewa 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 Cudgewa.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 76
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
Towong: 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
Cudgewa is home to 254 residents, with a median age of 54 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $67,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
254
Median Age
54
Median Household Income
$66,612/yr
Census Median Rent
$130/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,062/mo
Avg Household Size
2.1
Median Personal Income
$34,008/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
19.3%
Total Dwellings
88
Owner-Occupier Rate
95.1%
Houses
96.6%
Rental Stress
10.1%
Mortgage Stress
19.1%
Work From Home
34.2%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 72.4%
- English Spoken at Home
- 78.0%
- Employment Rate
- 54.9%
- Completed Year 12
- 28.0%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, 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 $1,875 a year through Towong based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 67%
- Parks and recreation 32%
- 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 locality around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Towong
In the year to August 2026, 19 new dwellings were approved across Towong. Almost all of the pipeline is detached houses.
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 Tumbarumba Post Office, 45.3 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, frosty winters.
- Elevation
- 343 m
- above sea level, at the locality centre
- Annual rainfall
- 952 mm
- 97 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 28.9°C
- 8 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 0.6°C
- 66 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 3705, 0 of 355 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.4% (5 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.4%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3705, 88 rooftop-solar systems totalling 0.6 MW have been installed since 2001, against 110 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 3 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 3705 in 2025-26. The most was 5, in 2001-02.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
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 locality'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 locality's voters. Results: Victorian Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0.
Looking at a specific address in Cudgewa?
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 254 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
Corryong VIC 3707
Walwa VIC 3709
Towong VIC 3707
Nariel Valley VIC 3707
Tintaldra VIC 3708
Colac Colac VIC 3707
Compare Cudgewa 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 Cudgewa
Is Cudgewa a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Cudgewa is moderate (40/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Cudgewa?
Cudgewa has a high recorded bushfire history (95/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a moderate share of it (53/100). These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
What is the population of Cudgewa?
Cudgewa, VIC had a population of 254 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Cudgewa, VIC?
The postcode for Cudgewa, VIC is 3705.
How far is Cudgewa from Melbourne?
Cudgewa is 437 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 295 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Cudgewa?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Cudgewa was $66,612 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 Cudgewa?
There are too few current rental listings in Cudgewa for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $130, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Cudgewa?
The median age of residents in Cudgewa was 54 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Cudgewa at risk of bushfire?
Cudgewa has a high recorded bushfire history (95/100). 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 Cudgewa?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Cudgewa, Tumbarumba Post Office (45.3 km away), summer days average 28.9°C, winter nights 0.6°C, 952 mm of rain a year over 97 rainy days, and 8 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Cudgewa?
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 Cudgewa belong to?
Cudgewa sits within the Towong local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Cudgewa?
The average residential rates bill through Towong is $1,875 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Cudgewa?
Across Towong, 19 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Cudgewa in?
Cudgewa sits within the federal Division of Indi, currently held by Helen Haines (Independent).
Search another suburb or address
Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- 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.
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.