Heathcote VIC 3523
Heathcote is a town in Victoria, 139 km from Melbourne CBD, around 2 hours by car. Population is 2,962; the median age is 57 and the median household income is $49,192 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the bottom 20% nationally. Population grew 6.1% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $255 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,291. The area shows high crime risk. 2 schools sit within the town boundary, and walkability is low.
Is Heathcote a good town?
Heathcote scores a D (25/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on transit, safety, and community.
Mixed results
2 schools
Car-dependent
Walkability 15/100 · 138.9 km · 121 min drive to Melbourne
Around the state median
Median $550K · Cheaper than 87% of VIC
High crime risk
Fire 48/100 · Crime 77/100 · Flood 27/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 2/10 · median age 57 · 2,962 residents
Liveability Rating
25 / 100 · Ranked #782 in VICEach bar is Heathcote'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 Heathcote?
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
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataHeathcote's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $550,000, roughly 17% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$550,000
Based on 118 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 106 days — median across 50 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 23 sales $455K
- 3 bed 57 sales $535K
- 4 bed 32 sales $642K
Land
$400,000
Based on 25 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 33 days — median across 3 sales that recorded a listing period
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Heathcote are currently listed at around $680,000 on average. Based on 93 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$680K
93 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$445K
5 units listed in the last 6 months.
98 of the suburb's 1,256 dwellings (7.8%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Heathcote rent for around $460 a week on average, based on 13 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$460/wk
13 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
14 rentals advertised against an estimated 186 rented homes (7.5%) in the last 6 months.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$460/week ($24,000 a year) on a $680,000 median
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Is Heathcote safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Heathcote sits in the high band, with 220 incidents recorded in 2026 — up roughly 41% on the prior year.
220 offences
41.0% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202519 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 2 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 Heathcote, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 232 students across 2 schools (avg 116)
- • Sectors: 1 Government, 1 Catholic
- • ICSEA 961-1004, median 982 (around the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Heathcote Primary School (150 students)
Primary
Walkability
Heathcote is very car-dependent on foot — at 15/100, nearly all errands require a car. Within the town there are 1 supermarket, 10 parks and 9 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
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.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Heathcote.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 4.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 1.8 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 2.1 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 2 min
- Span of service
- 12.4 hours
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Heathcote.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 31%
- Premises covered
- 1,882
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
Greater Bendigo: 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 8 small areas inside this town and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 4 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this town rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Heathcote is home to about 3,000 residents, with a median age of 57 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $49,000 a year, with unemployment at 5.2%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
2,962
Median Age
57
Median Household Income
$49,192/yr
Census Median Rent
$255/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,291/mo
Avg Household Size
2.0
Median Personal Income
$25,480/yr
Unemployment Rate
5.2%
Unoccupied Dwellings
22.9%
Total Dwellings
1,256
Owner-Occupier Rate
85.2%
Houses
94.8%
Rental Stress
27.0%
Mortgage Stress
31.5%
Work From Home
18.1%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
9 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 11 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 176 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 74.3%
- English Spoken at Home
- 84.3%
- Employment Rate
- 38%
- Completed Year 12
- 26.7%
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.
9 residents (0.3%) 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.
16.2% of residents (464) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Melbourne (434).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 2,867 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
4% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (41 of 1,002).
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 $1,949 a year through Greater Bendigo based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 52%
- Parks and recreation 27%
- Environmental 14%
- Residential 4%
- Infrastructure and transport 2%
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: Greater Bendigo
In the year to August 2026, 885 new dwellings were approved across Greater Bendigo. That mix is 797 houses and 88 units. Approvals are up 28.0% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
The Registered Aboriginal Party for this area is Taungurung Land and Waters Council Aboriginal Corporation (appointed 2009).
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 Redesdale, 21.4 kmModerate rainfall — hot summers, cold winters with occasional frost.
- Elevation
- 330 m
- above sea level, at the town centre
- Annual rainfall
- 553 mm
- 72 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 29.6°C
- 18 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 3.1°C
- 23 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 3523, 31 of 4,560 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 0.9% (43 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.6%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3523, 1,180 rooftop-solar systems totalling 7.2 MW have been installed since 2001, against 2,193 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 73 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 3523 in 2025-26. The most was 25, in 2001-02.
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 $550,000 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 Lisa Chesters Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Lisa Chesters | 51.4% | 48.6% | +51.4 |
| 2022 | Lisa Chesters | 62.1% | 37.9% | -3.3 |
| 2019 | Lisa Chesters | 59.0% | 41.0% | -5.2 |
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 Annabelle Cleeland The Nationals
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Annabelle Cleeland NP | 59.9% | 40.1% | 59.9% |
| 2018 | Steph Ryan NP | 59.0% | 34.6% | 65.4% |
| 2014 | Steph Ryan NP | 64.5% | 35.5% | 64.5% |
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 Heathcote?
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 2,962 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
Puckapunyal VIC 3662
Tooborac VIC 3522
Argyle VIC 3523
Mia Mia VIC 3444
Mount Camel VIC 3523
Ladys Pass VIC 3523
Compare Heathcote 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 Heathcote
Is Heathcote a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Heathcote is high (77/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Heathcote?
Heathcote has a moderate recorded bushfire history (48/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a low share of it (27/100). These are town-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Heathcote a good place to live?
Heathcote 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 Heathcote?
Heathcote, VIC had a population of 2,962 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Heathcote, VIC?
The postcode for Heathcote, VIC is 3523.
How far is Heathcote from Melbourne?
Heathcote is 139 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 121 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Heathcote?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Heathcote was $49,192 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 Heathcote?
The median advertised rent in Heathcote is $460 a week for houses (13 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Heathcote?
The median age of residents in Heathcote was 57 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Heathcote at risk of bushfire?
Heathcote has a moderate recorded bushfire history (48/100). 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 Heathcote?
There are 2 schools inside the Heathcote boundary: 1 at and 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Heathcote walkable?
Heathcote scores 15/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very 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 Heathcote?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Heathcote, Redesdale (21.4 km away), summer days average 29.6°C, winter nights 3.1°C, 553 mm of rain a year over 72 rainy days, and 18 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Heathcote?
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 Heathcote belong to?
Heathcote sits within the Greater Bendigo local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Heathcote?
The average residential rates bill through Greater Bendigo is $1,949 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Heathcote?
Across Greater Bendigo, 885 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 28.0% 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 Heathcote in?
Heathcote sits within the federal Division of Bendigo, currently held by Lisa Chesters (Australian Labor Party).
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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
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- 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.