Macarthur VIC 3286

Located in Victoria, Macarthur sits 298 km from Melbourne CBD, around 3 hours 45 minutes by car. The locality has 469 residents, a median age of 51, and a median household income of $55,068 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the middle range nationally. Population fell 10.2% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $158 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $819. The area shows high bushfire risk and no recorded flood exposure. 1 school sits within the locality boundary, and 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 469. 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 Macarthur?

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Median House Price

Public listings data

Macarthur's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $298,000, roughly 47% above where it sat a year earlier.

$297,500

last 2 quarters
Cheaper than 99% of VIC
↑ +47.3% year-on-year

Based on 14 recorded sales in the last 24 months.

By bedrooms

  • 2 bed 5 sales $220K
  • 3 bed 7 sales $315K

Short-Stay Rentals

3 active Airbnb listings: 3 whole homes and 0 rooms. Whole homes are about 1.2% of the locality's homes.

Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months. The share is against private dwellings at the 2021 Census.

Is Macarthur safe? Crime statistics

2026

Crime in Macarthur sits in the low band, with 10 incidents recorded in 2026 — up roughly 25% on the prior year.

10 offences

25.0% since 2025
Theft 3 (30.0%)
Harassment & Stalking 2 (20.0%)
Assault 1 (10.0%)
Property Damage 1 (10.0%)
Fraud & Deception 1 (10.0%)
Weapons Offences 1 (10.0%)
Disorderly Conduct 1 (10.0%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

3 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

One school serve Macarthur, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.

38
out of 100
Weak
1 school in this locality
1 below similar
  • • 24 students in one school (avg 24)

Primary

Government · Prep-5 · 24 students
ICSEA 951 (higher than 41% of Australian schools) · 5% top-SEA students
Below similar

Walkability

Macarthur 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 Macarthur.

29
connectivity score / 100
Most common
Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
0%
Premises covered
299
Technology mix
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 95%
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 5%

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
2 in locality
Sport & Recreation
1 in locality
Beaches
None
Waterways
12 in locality
Childcare
1 in locality
GPs
None
Pharmacies
None
Hospitals
None
Police Stations
1 in locality
Banks & Bank@Post
None
Fuel Stations
1 in locality
EV Chargers
None
Pubs & Bars
1 in locality
Arts & Culture
None
Places of Worship
None

Moyne: council population

The whole council area, not just Macarthur · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
17,760
+0.5% in a year
Change
+94
people since 2024
Density
3.2
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
+50
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
-7
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+51
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
5/10
4/10 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
6/10
5/10 within VIC
qualifications and job type, income excluded

Macarthur is home to 469 residents, with a median age of 51 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $55,000 a year, with unemployment at 2.3%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

469

10.2% since 2016

Median Age

51

6.2% since 2016

Median Household Income

$55,068/yr

8.1% since 2016
Bottom 13% in VIC

Census Median Rent

$158/wk

12.9% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$819/mo

5.5% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.2

4.3% since 2016

Median Personal Income

$31,928/yr

18.8% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

2.3%

43.9% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

23.7%

8.8% since 2016

Total Dwellings

207

3.7% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

92.0%

9.4% since 2016

Houses

96.6%

0.6% since 2016

Rental Stress

14.9%

4.2% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

17.8%

12.7% since 2016

Work From Home

21.8%

6.0% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 200 (96.6%)
Flats / Apartments 7 (3.4%)

Property Ownership

Owned Outright 111 (59.0%)
Mortgage 62 (33.0%)
Renting 15 (8.0%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
86.1%
English Spoken at Home
93.6%
Employment Rate
54.5%
5.2% since 2016
Completed Year 12
33.7%

Occupations

Managers 67 (30.6%)
Professionals 34 (15.5%)
Labourers 27 (12.3%)
Technicians & Trades 26 (11.9%)
Clerical & Administrative 24 (11.0%)
Sales 18 (8.2%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 11 (5.0%)
Community & Personal Service 10 (4.6%)

Religion

Christianity 247 (52.7%)
No Religion 181 (38.6%)
Other Religions 4 (0.9%)
Buddhism 3 (0.6%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

New Zealand 12 (2.6%)
England 6 (1.3%)
Netherlands 5 (1.1%)
Scotland 4 (0.9%)
Philippines 3 (0.6%)

Age Distribution

0-4 9 (1.9%)
5-14 59 (12.6%)
15-19 35 (7.5%)
20-24 16 (3.4%)
25-34 33 (7.0%)
35-44 48 (10.2%)
45-54 56 (11.9%)
55-64 85 (18.1%)
65-74 82 (17.5%)
75-84 34 (7.2%)
85+ 13 (2.8%)

Family & Household Composition

Lone Person 65 (48.1%)
Couple Families 47 (34.8%)
One Parent Families 15 (11.1%)
Group Household 8 (5.9%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 132 (67.0%)
Worked from Home 43 (21.8%)
Walked Only 13 (6.6%)
Car (passenger) 9 (4.6%)

3% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (6 of 219).

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 81 (17.3%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 43 (9.2%)
Bachelor Degree 28 (6.0%)
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 7 (1.5%)
Postgraduate Degree 5 (1.1%)

Cars per Dwelling

0 cars 5 (2.6%)
1 car 49 (25.1%)
2 cars 66 (33.8%)
3 cars 33 (16.9%)
4+ cars 33 (16.9%)

Council Rates

Moyne
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,613 a year through Moyne based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$1,613/yr
17% below the VIC average of $1,937 · median of 79 councils
Rate in the dollar
0.211¢ / $
of property valuation
Valuation basis
Capital Improved Value
land + buildings

How this land is zoned

Share of Macarthur's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Rural and farming 95%
  • Parks and recreation 5%
  • 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: Moyne

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

In the year to August 2026, 64 new dwellings were approved across Moyne. That mix is 59 houses and 5 units. Approvals are down 15.4% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
64dwellings
-15.4% YoY
Houses
59
detached dwellings
Units
5
townhouses + apartments

Aboriginal Cultural Heritage

This area is jointly appointed to Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation (appointed 2013) and Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (appointed 2007).

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 Port Fairy AWS, 42.5 km

Moderate rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.

Elevation
75 m
above sea level, at the locality centre
Distance to the ocean
26.7 km
Annual rainfall
699 mm
111 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
22.5°C
5 days ≥ 35°C
Winter min (Jul)
7.2°C
0 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

0.0%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.00% in 2021

In postcode 3286, 0 of 649 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 0.6% (4 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 0.6%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.00%
2022
0.00%
2023
0.00%
2024
0.46%
2025
0.00%

Rooftop solar

30
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 6.7 kW each

In postcode 3286, 82 rooftop-solar systems totalling 0.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 277 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 1 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
7
2020
4
2021
12
2022
5
2023
5
2024
3
2025
4
2026
0

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 3286 in 2025-26. The most was 7, 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
$1,552
Loan amount
$238,000
Total interest over 30 years
$320,570
Deposit
$59,500
Stamp duty
$11,245
Cash needed at settlement
$70,745

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 Wannon

Currently held by Dan Tehan Liberal

Year Winner 2PP ALP 2PP LNP Swing
2025 Dan Tehan 39.1% 60.9% -2.3
2022 Dan Tehan 40.9% 59.1% -1.1
2019 Dan Tehan 39.6% 60.4% +1.2

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

South-West Coast District

Currently held by Roma Britnell Liberal

Next state election: 28 November 2026.

Year Winner Won with 2PP ALP 2PP LNP
2022 Roma Britnell LP 58.0% 42.0% 58.0%
2018 Roma Britnell LP 52.3% 47.7% 52.3%
2014 Denis Napthine LP 57.0% 39.0% 61.0%

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 Macarthur?

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

Compare Macarthur 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 Macarthur

Is Macarthur a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Macarthur is low (25/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).

What natural hazards affect Macarthur?

Macarthur has a high recorded bushfire history (82/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). No mapped flood overlay applies. These are locality-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

What is the population of Macarthur?

Macarthur, VIC had a population of 469 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Macarthur, VIC?

The postcode for Macarthur, VIC is 3286.

How far is Macarthur from Melbourne?

Macarthur is 298 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 224 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Macarthur?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Macarthur was $55,068 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 Macarthur?

There are too few current rental listings in Macarthur for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $158, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Macarthur?

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

Is Macarthur at risk of bushfire?

Macarthur has a high recorded bushfire history (82/100). 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.

How are the schools in Macarthur?

There is 1 school inside the Macarthur boundary: 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 Macarthur?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Macarthur, Port Fairy AWS (42.5 km away), summer days average 22.5°C, winter nights 7.2°C, 699 mm of rain a year over 111 rainy days, and 5 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Macarthur?

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 Macarthur belong to?

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

How much are council rates in Macarthur?

The average residential rates bill through Moyne is $1,613 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Macarthur?

Across Moyne, 64 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 15.4% 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 Macarthur in?

Macarthur sits within the federal Division of Wannon, currently held by Dan Tehan (Liberal).

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