Howes Creek VIC 3723

Howes Creek is a rural locality in Victoria, 202 km from Melbourne CBD, around 2 hours 50 minutes by car. Population is 67; the median age is 46 and the median household income is $71,500 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. The locality fell 4.3% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $238 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,733. Howes Creek 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 67. 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 Howes Creek?

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Not enough data to score this locality.

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Is Howes Creek safe? Crime statistics

2026

Crime in Howes Creek sits in the low band, with 1 incidents recorded in 2026.

1 offences

Fraud & Deception 1 (100.0%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

1 crash

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

No schools in this locality boundary.

Walkability

Howes Creek is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car.

0
out of 100
Very Car-Dependent
Public Transport within 1 km not measured
Schools within 1.5 km 0
Parks within 800 m 0
Supermarkets within 1 km 0
GPs within 1 km 0
Pharmacies within 1 km 0
Childcare within 1 km 0
Hospitals within 5 km 0

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 Howes Creek.

30
connectivity score / 100
Most common
Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
0%
Premises covered
36
Technology mix
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 100%

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

Mansfield: council population

The whole council area, not just Howes Creek · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
10,979
+1.9% in a year
Change
+209
people since 2024
Density
2.9
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
-2
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+158
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+53
arrivals minus departures

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

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
4/10
3/10 within VIC
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
4/10
3/10 within VIC
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
4/10
2/10 within VIC
qualifications and job type, income excluded

Howes Creek is home to 67 residents, with a median age of 46, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $72,000 a year, with unemployment at 0.0%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

67

4.3% since 2016

Median Age

46

7.0% since 2016

Median Household Income

$71,500/yr

3.8% since 2016

Census Median Rent

$238/wk

Census Median Mortgage

$1,733/mo

14.8% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.6

3.7% since 2016

Median Personal Income

$42,328/yr

41.6% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

0.0%

Unoccupied Dwellings

31.8%

62.2% since 2016

Total Dwellings

22

15.8% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

77.3%

22.7% since 2016

Houses

100.0%

no change since 2016

Rental Stress

17.3%

Mortgage Stress

29.1%

17.8% since 2016

Work From Home

45.2%

148.4% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 22 (100.0%)

Property Ownership

Mortgage 9 (40.9%)
Owned Outright 8 (36.4%)
Renting 5 (22.7%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
91.0%
English Spoken at Home
101.5%
Employment Rate
70.6%
2.6% since 2016
Completed Year 12
44.8%

Occupations

Managers 10 (26.3%)
Professionals 9 (23.7%)
Sales 6 (15.8%)
Clerical & Administrative 4 (10.5%)
Community & Personal Service 4 (10.5%)
Technicians & Trades 3 (7.9%)
Labourers 3 (7.9%)

Religion

No Religion 47 (70.1%)
Christianity 21 (31.3%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

South Africa 3 (4.5%)

Age Distribution

5-14 14 (20.9%)
15-19 3 (4.5%)
20-24 5 (7.5%)
35-44 7 (10.4%)
45-54 13 (19.4%)
55-64 11 (16.4%)
65-74 7 (10.4%)

Family & Household Composition

Couple Families 11 (57.9%)
Lone Person 8 (42.1%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 17 (54.8%)
Worked from Home 14 (45.2%)

Education

Certificate III & IV 15 (22.4%)
Bachelor Degree 10 (14.9%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4 (6.0%)

Cars per Dwelling

1 car 4 (18.2%)
2 cars 8 (36.4%)
3 cars 5 (22.7%)
4+ cars 3 (13.6%)

Council Rates

Mansfield
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,697 a year through Mansfield based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$1,697/yr
12% below the VIC average of $1,937 · median of 79 councils
Rate in the dollar
0.240¢ / $
of property valuation
Valuation basis
Capital Improved Value
land + buildings

How this land is zoned

Share of Howes Creek's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Rural and farming 62%
  • Infrastructure and transport 34%
  • Parks and recreation 4%

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: Mansfield

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

In the year to August 2026, 76 new dwellings were approved across Mansfield. That mix is 69 houses and 7 units. Approvals are down 50.0% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
76dwellings
-50.0% YoY
Houses
69
detached dwellings
Units
7
townhouses + apartments

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 Lake Eildon, 12.9 km

Moderate rainfall — hot summers, cold winters with occasional frost.

Elevation
284 m
above sea level, at the locality centre
Annual rainfall
810 mm
99 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
29.3°C
14 days ≥ 35°C
Winter min (Jul)
4.1°C
10 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

0.6%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.08% in 2021
+0.2 points this year

In postcode 3723, 24 of 3,968 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.0% (40 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.6%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.08%
2022
0.30%
2023
0.27%
2024
0.41%
2025
0.60%

Rooftop solar

33
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 7.0 kW each

In postcode 3723, 899 rooftop-solar systems totalling 6.3 MW have been installed since 2001, against 2,729 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 44 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
60
2020
83
2021
78
2022
59
2023
65
2024
58
2025
43
2026
18

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.

1 first-home grant was paid in postcode 3723 in 2025-26, rank 213 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 23, in 2002-03.

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

Federal Electorate

Division of Indi

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

Eildon District

Currently held by Cindy McLeish Liberal

Next state election: 28 November 2026.

Year Winner Won with 2PP ALP 2PP LNP
2022 Cindy McLeish LP 53.3% 42.9% 57.1%
2018 Cindy McLeish LP 50.2% 47.6% 52.4%
2014 Cindy McLeish LP 51.7% 46.2% 53.8%

Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this locality's voters. Results: Victorian Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0.

Looking at a specific address in Howes Creek?

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.

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Nearby suburbs

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Common questions about Howes Creek

Is Howes Creek a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Howes Creek is low (22/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).

What natural hazards affect Howes Creek?

Howes Creek has a moderate recorded bushfire history (41/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a high share of it (92/100). These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

What is the population of Howes Creek?

Howes Creek, VIC had a population of 67 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Howes Creek, VIC?

The postcode for Howes Creek, VIC is 3723.

How far is Howes Creek from Melbourne?

Howes Creek is 202 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 172 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Howes Creek?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Howes Creek was $71,500 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 Howes Creek?

There are too few current rental listings in Howes Creek for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $238, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Howes Creek?

The median age of residents in Howes Creek was 46 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is Howes Creek at risk of bushfire?

Howes Creek has a moderate recorded bushfire history (41/100). 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 Howes Creek?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Howes Creek, Lake Eildon (12.9 km away), summer days average 29.3°C, winter nights 4.1°C, 810 mm of rain a year over 99 rainy days, and 14 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Howes Creek?

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 Howes Creek belong to?

Howes Creek sits within the Mansfield local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Howes Creek?

The average residential rates bill through Mansfield is $1,697 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Howes Creek?

Across Mansfield, 76 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 50.0% 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 Howes Creek in?

Howes Creek sits within the federal Division of Indi, currently held by Helen Haines (Independent).

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