Marong VIC 3515

Located in Victoria, Marong sits 157 km from Melbourne CBD, around 1 hour 50 minutes by car. The town has 2,005 residents, a median age of 31, and a median household income of $103,428 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the middle range nationally. Population grew 41.6% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $350 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,560. 1 school sits within the town boundary, and walkability is low.

Is Marong a good town?

Marong scores a C (40/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on prices, weaker on transit.

Schools

Mixed results

1 school

Transit

Car-dependent

Walkability 0/100 · 157 km · 110 min drive to Melbourne

Prices

More affordable than most

Median $675K · More affordable than 87% of VIC

Safety

Moderate bushfire risk

Fire 40/100 · Crime 34/100 · Flood 45/100

Community

Mid-range socio-economic

SEIFA decile 6/10 · median age 31 · 2,005 residents

C

Liveability Rating

40 / 100 · Ranked #561 in VIC

Each bar is Marong'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
60
Bushfire Moderate · Crime Low · Flood Moderate
Socio-economic
46
Mid-range
Walkability
9
Very car-dependent
CBD access
23
157.0 km · 110 min drive to Melbourne
How it's calculated: Safety rank 60 × 25% + Socio-economic rank 46 × 25% + Walkability rank 9 × 15% + CBD access rank 23 × 10% = 40 / 100. Missing components rebalance the remaining weights.

How do you rate the liveability in Marong?

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

Our score

40 / 100

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

Residents say

…

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Median House Price

Public listings data

Marong's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $675,000, about 3% above where it sat a year earlier.

Houses

$675,000

last 5 quarters
↑ +2.6% year-on-year

Based on 39 recorded sales in the last 24 months.

Typically sold in 31 days — median across 15 sales that recorded a listing period

By bedrooms

  • 3 bed 15 sales $635K
  • 4 bed 18 sales $692K

Land

$620,000

↓ −57.3% year-on-year

Based on 13 recorded sales in the last 24 months.

Typically sold in 50 days — median across 8 sales that recorded a listing period

Currently for Sale

Last 6 months

Houses in Marong are currently listed at around $733,000 on average. Based on 6 houses listed in the past six months.

$733K

↓ −22.9% vs previous 6 months from $950K
Since 2022: $668K → $707K (+6%)

6 houses listed in the last 6 months.

6 of the suburb's 651 dwellings (0.9%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.

Is Marong safe? Crime statistics

2026

Crime in Marong sits in the low band, with 43 incidents recorded in 2026 — down roughly 17% on the prior year.

43 offences

17.3% since 2025
Theft 12 (27.9%)
Assault 9 (20.9%)
Property Damage 7 (16.3%)
Drug Offences 4 (9.3%)
Harassment & Stalking 3 (7.0%)
Break & Enter 3 (7.0%)
Fraud & Deception 3 (7.0%)
Weapons Offences 2 (4.7%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

9 crashes

where someone was killed or admitted to hospital

Where they happened

Calder Alternative Highway 6 (66.7%)

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 Marong, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.

50
out of 100
Average
1 school in this town
1 at similar
  • • 235 students in one school (avg 235)

Primary

Government · Prep-6 · 235 students
ICSEA 994 (higher than 44% of Australian schools) · 9% top-SEA students
At similar

Walkability

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

0
out of 100
Very Car-Dependent
Bottom 11% in VIC
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 Marong.

78
connectivity score / 100
Top 12% in VIC
Most common
Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
65%
Premises covered
913
Technology mix
Fibre to the premises (FTTP) 65%
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 25%
Fibre to the node (FTTN) 7%
Fibre to the curb (FTTC) 3%
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 0%

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

Greater Bendigo: council population

The whole council area, not just Marong · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
126,568
+1.0% in a year
Change
+1,275
people since 2024
Density
42
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
+450
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+423
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+402
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
6/10
5/10 within VIC
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
9/10
9/10 within VIC
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
4/10
3/10 within VIC
qualifications and job type, income excluded
How evenly that is spread

The ABS scores 4 small areas inside this town and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 2 different deciles — a narrow range, so the average describes the town closely.

Marong is home to about 2,000 residents, and skews young, with a median age of 31 against the national 38. Median household income runs at $103,000 a year, with unemployment at 1.9%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

2,005

41.6% since 2016

Median Age

31

no change since 2016

Median Household Income

$103,428/yr

35.4% since 2016
Top 24% in VIC

Census Median Rent

$350/wk

16.7% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$1,560/mo

3.3% since 2016

Avg Household Size

3.0

7.1% since 2016

Median Personal Income

$46,800/yr

24.5% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

1.9%

53.7% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

6.3%

8.7% since 2016

Total Dwellings

651

40.6% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

88.6%

6.4% since 2016

Houses

97.5%

1.9% since 2016

Rental Stress

17.6%

13.7% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

18.1%

28.7% since 2016

Work From Home

14.3%

146.6% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 635 (97.5%)
Flats / Apartments 16 (2.5%)

Property Ownership

Mortgage 412 (64.6%)
Owned Outright 153 (24.0%)
Renting 73 (11.4%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
89.9%
English Spoken at Home
92.6%
Employment Rate
71.8%
10.1% since 2016
Completed Year 12
36.2%

Occupations

Technicians & Trades 178 (17.1%)
Community & Personal Service 147 (14.1%)
Professionals 140 (13.5%)
Clerical & Administrative 137 (13.2%)
Managers 130 (12.5%)
Labourers 118 (11.4%)
Sales 101 (9.7%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 75 (7.2%)

Religion

No Religion 1,080 (53.9%)
Christianity 765 (38.2%)
Sikhism 8 (0.4%)
Other Religions 8 (0.4%)
Buddhism 6 (0.3%)
Islam 3 (0.1%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 24 (1.2%)
New Zealand 15 (0.7%)
India 12 (0.6%)
Myanmar 12 (0.6%)
Philippines 10 (0.5%)
Vietnam 5 (0.2%)
Scotland 5 (0.2%)
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 23 (1.1%)
2011-2015 31 (1.5%)
2001-2010 27 (1.3%)
1991-2000 9 (0.4%)
1981-1990 11 (0.5%)
Before 1981 19 (0.9%)

23 residents (1.1%) 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.

5.5% of residents (98) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Melbourne (80).

North West 35 (2.0%)
Melbourne - West 31 (1.7%)

Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,787 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 4 (0.2%)
Hindi 3 (0.1%)
Punjabi 3 (0.1%)

Age Distribution

0-4 218 (10.9%)
5-14 333 (16.6%)
15-19 102 (5.1%)
20-24 81 (4.0%)
25-34 390 (19.5%)
35-44 333 (16.6%)
45-54 160 (8.0%)
55-64 174 (8.7%)
65-74 156 (7.8%)
75-84 50 (2.5%)
85+ 13 (0.6%)

Family & Household Composition

Couple Families 310 (67.2%)
Lone Person 92 (20.0%)
One Parent Families 45 (9.8%)
Group Household 10 (2.2%)
Other Families 4 (0.9%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 711 (79.8%)
Worked from Home 127 (14.3%)
Car (passenger) 41 (4.6%)
Walked Only 12 (1.3%)

1% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (8 of 1,039).

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 398 (19.9%)
Bachelor Degree 167 (8.3%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 150 (7.5%)
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 32 (1.6%)
Postgraduate Degree 25 (1.2%)

Cars per Dwelling

1 car 120 (18.6%)
2 cars 320 (49.6%)
3 cars 135 (20.9%)
4+ cars 72 (11.2%)

Council Rates

Greater Bendigo
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,949 a year through Greater Bendigo based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$1,949/yr
About the VIC average ($1,937) · median of 79 councils
Rate in the dollar
0.395¢ / $
of property valuation
Valuation basis
Capital Improved Value
land + buildings

How this land is zoned

Share of Marong's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Rural and farming 87%
  • Parks and recreation 10%
  • Residential 2%
  • Infrastructure and transport 2%

Rezoned since Oct 2025

  • Farming Zone → Industrial 1 Zone · C296gben, Oct 2026 294.8 ha

and 1 smaller change

Proposed rezonings

  • Public Conservation and Resource Zone → Farming Zone · C285gben, exhibited Oct 2025 6.4 ha

Land in this town moved from one zone to another by a planning scheme amendment (Vicmap Planning, CC BY 4.0). Exhibited amendments are proposals and can change or lapse.

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

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

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.

Trailing 12 months
885dwellings
+28.0% YoY
Houses
797
detached dwellings
Units
88
townhouses + apartments

New Homes Planned

New homes planned in this town: 2,098 homes

  • Land zoned for housing, not yet subdivided 150 homes
  • Land set aside, awaiting a precinct structure plan 1,948 homes

From the Victorian Government's Urban Development Program: growth-area land and approved lots (metropolitan 2025, regional June 2024) and projects of 10 or more homes in Melbourne (2025), by stage. Lots and homes are counted as published; a lot usually becomes one home.

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 Castlemaine Prison, 38.6 km

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

Elevation
192 m
above sea level, at the town centre
Annual rainfall
598 mm
83 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
27.9°C
11 days ≥ 35°C
Winter min (Jul)
3.7°C
19 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.

Industrial Emissions Nearby

1 facility within 5 km

EV adoption

0.4%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.00% in 2021
+0.1 points this year

In postcode 3515, 10 of 2,415 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.4% (35 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.9%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.00%
2022
0.00%
2023
0.14%
2024
0.30%
2025
0.41%

Rooftop solar

69
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 6.9 kW each

In postcode 3515, 604 rooftop-solar systems totalling 4.2 MW have been installed since 2001, against 881 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 57 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
52
2020
42
2021
64
2022
46
2023
59
2024
52
2025
60
2026
25

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.

7 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3515 in 2025-26, rank 108 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 40, in 2014-15.

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
$3,520
Loan amount
$540,000
Total interest over 30 years
$727,343

1 mortgage broker is registered in this town.

Deposit
$135,000
Stamp duty
$35,570
Cash needed at settlement
$170,570

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 Bendigo

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

Bendigo West District

Currently held by Maree Edwards Australian Labor Party - Victorian Branch

Next state election: 28 November 2026.

Year Winner Won with 2PP ALP 2PP LNP
2022 Maree Edwards ALP 50.7% 64.3% 35.6%
2018 Maree Edwards ALP 53.5% 68.5% 31.4%
2014 Maree Edwards ALP 50.4% 62.2% 37.8%

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 Marong?

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 Marong 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 Marong

Is Marong a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Marong is low (34/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).

What natural hazards affect Marong?

Marong has a moderate recorded bushfire history (40/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a moderate share of it (45/100). These are town-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

Is Marong a good place to live?

Marong has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (40/100), 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 Marong?

Marong, VIC had a population of 2,005 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Marong, VIC?

The postcode for Marong, VIC is 3515.

How far is Marong from Melbourne?

Marong is 157 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 110 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Marong?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Marong was $103,428 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 Marong?

There are too few current rental listings in Marong for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $350, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Marong?

The median age of residents in Marong was 31 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is Marong at risk of bushfire?

Marong has a moderate recorded bushfire history (40/100). 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 Marong?

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

What is the weather like in Marong?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Marong, Castlemaine Prison (38.6 km away), summer days average 27.9°C, winter nights 3.7°C, 598 mm of rain a year over 83 rainy days, and 11 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Marong?

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 Marong belong to?

Marong 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 Marong?

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 Marong?

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 Marong in?

Marong sits within the federal Division of Bendigo, currently held by Lisa Chesters (Australian Labor Party).

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