Nicholson is a town in Victoria, 295 km from Melbourne CBD, around 3 hours 40 minutes by car. Population is 1,322; the median age is 47 and the median household income is $72,280 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the lower-middle tier nationally. Population grew 20.7% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $300 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,733. The area shows high bushfire risk and high flood risk. 1 school sits within the town boundary, and walkability is low.
Is Nicholson a good town?
Nicholson scores a D (18/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on transit and safety.
Mixed results
1 school
Car-dependent
Walkability 22/100 · 294.8 km · 221 min drive to Melbourne
Median available
Median $710K
High bushfire risk
Fire 94/100 · Crime 60/100 · Flood 67/100
Below-average income
SEIFA decile 4/10 · median age 47 · 1,322 residents
Liveability Rating
18 / 100 · Ranked #839 in VICEach bar is Nicholson'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 Nicholson?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
18 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataNicholson's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $710,000, about 9% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$710,000
27% above its 5 neighbours (median $558,000)
Based on 37 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 104 days — median across 16 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 13 sales $745K
- 4 bed 15 sales $730K
Land
$380,000
Based on 31 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 77 days — median across 11 sales that recorded a listing period
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Nicholson are currently listed at around $799,000 on average. Based on 29 houses listed in the past six months.
$799K
29 houses listed in the last 6 months.
29 of the suburb's 494 dwellings (5.9%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Nicholson rent for around $600 a week on average, based on 3 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$600/wk
3 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$600/week ($31,000 a year) on a $799,000 median
Based on a small sample (3 listings) — indicative only.
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 Nicholson safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Nicholson sits in the moderate band, with 60 incidents recorded in 2026 — up roughly 15% on the prior year.
60 offences
15.4% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20255 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 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 Nicholson, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 70 students in one school (avg 70)
Primary
Walkability
Nicholson is very car-dependent on foot — at 22/100, nearly all errands require a car.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Nicholson.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 613
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
East Gippsland: 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
Nicholson is home to about 1,300 residents, with a median age of 47, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $72,000 a year, with unemployment at 4.1%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
1,322
Median Age
47
Median Household Income
$72,280/yr
Census Median Rent
$300/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,733/mo
Avg Household Size
2.5
Median Personal Income
$34,684/yr
Unemployment Rate
4.1%
Unoccupied Dwellings
10.9%
Total Dwellings
494
Owner-Occupier Rate
92.3%
Houses
93.1%
Rental Stress
21.6%
Mortgage Stress
28.8%
Work From Home
13.2%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 84.0%
- English Spoken at Home
- 92.8%
- Employment Rate
- 55.4%
- Completed Year 12
- 33.3%
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.
16 residents (1.2%) 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.
12.7% of residents (159) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Melbourne (138).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,253 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
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,807 a year through East Gippsland based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 86%
- Parks and recreation 10%
- Residential 4%
- Zones under 1% 1%
Proposed rezonings
- Farming Zone → Rural Activity Zone · C170egip, exhibited Nov 2024 2,650.1 ha
- Public Park and Recreation Zone → Rural Activity Zone · C170egip, exhibited Nov 2024 0.8 ha
and 1 smaller change
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: East Gippsland
In the year to August 2026, 386 new dwellings were approved across East Gippsland. That mix is 362 houses and 24 units. Approvals are up 50.0% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
The Registered Aboriginal Party for this area is Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (appointed 2017).
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 Bairnsdale Airport, 17.6 kmModerate rainfall — warm summers, cold winters with occasional frost.
- Elevation
- 18 m
- above sea level, at the town centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 15.6 km
- Annual rainfall
- 620 mm
- 82 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 25.5°C
- 8 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 4.5°C
- 7 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 3882, 0 of 1,432 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 0.9% (13 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 0.9%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3882, 344 rooftop-solar systems totalling 2.1 MW have been installed since 2001, against 550 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 28 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.
3 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3882 in 2025-26, rank 155 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 19, in 2020-21.
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 $710,000 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 Darren Chester The Nationals
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Darren Chester | 30.6% | 69.4% | +1.2 |
| 2022 | Darren Chester | 29.4% | 70.6% | +3.9 |
| 2019 | Darren Chester | 33.3% | 66.7% | -1.5 |
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 Tim Bull The Nationals
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Tim Bull NP | 63.3% | 26.1% | 73.9% |
| 2018 | Tim Bull NP | 56.7% | 32.4% | 67.6% |
| 2014 | Tim Bull NP | 60.4% | 32.1% | 67.9% |
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 Nicholson?
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 1,322 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
Metung VIC 3904
Lucknow VIC 3875
East Bairnsdale VIC 3875
Eagle Point VIC 3878
Sarsfield VIC 3875
Johnsonville VIC 3902
Compare Nicholson 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 Nicholson
Is Nicholson a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Nicholson is moderate (60/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Nicholson?
Nicholson has a high recorded bushfire history (94/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a moderate share of it (67/100). These are town-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Nicholson a good place to live?
Nicholson has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (18/100), 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 Nicholson?
Nicholson, VIC had a population of 1,322 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Nicholson, VIC?
The postcode for Nicholson, VIC is 3882.
How far is Nicholson from Melbourne?
Nicholson is 295 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 221 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Nicholson?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Nicholson was $72,280 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 Nicholson?
The median advertised rent in Nicholson is $600 a week for houses (3 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Nicholson?
The median age of residents in Nicholson was 47 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Nicholson at risk of bushfire?
Nicholson has a high recorded bushfire history (94/100). 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 Nicholson?
There is 1 school inside the Nicholson boundary: 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Nicholson walkable?
Nicholson scores 22/100 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 Nicholson?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Nicholson, Bairnsdale Airport (17.6 km away), summer days average 25.5°C, winter nights 4.5°C, 620 mm of rain a year over 82 rainy days, and 8 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Nicholson?
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 Nicholson belong to?
Nicholson sits within the East Gippsland local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Nicholson?
The average residential rates bill through East Gippsland is $1,807 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Nicholson?
Across East Gippsland, 386 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 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 Nicholson in?
Nicholson sits within the federal Division of Gippsland, currently held by Darren Chester (The Nationals).
Search another suburb or address
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
- 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.