Located in Victoria, Staffordshire Reef sits 150 km from Melbourne CBD, around 2 hours 5 minutes by car. The locality has 63 residents, a median age of 60, and a median household income of $38,428 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the bottom 20% nationally. Population grew 40.0% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $135 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $867. The area shows high bushfire risk and high crime 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 63. 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 Staffordshire Reef?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
Not enough data to score this locality.
Residents say
…
Rental Market
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025110 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 27% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3351.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Is Staffordshire Reef safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Staffordshire Reef sits in the high band, with 4 incidents recorded in 2026 — down roughly 69% on the prior year.
4 offences
69.2% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20251 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
Walkability
Staffordshire Reef is very car-dependent on foot — at 10/100, nearly all errands require a car.
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 Staffordshire Reef.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 27
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
Golden Plains: council population
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
Staffordshire Reef is home to 63 residents, with a median age of 60 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $38,000 a year, with unemployment at 20.8%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
63
Median Age
60
Median Household Income
$38,428/yr
Census Median Rent
$135/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$867/mo
Avg Household Size
1.7
Median Personal Income
$31,304/yr
Unemployment Rate
20.8%
Unoccupied Dwellings
31.0%
Total Dwellings
29
Owner-Occupier Rate
100.0%
Houses
86.2%
Rental Stress
18.3%
Mortgage Stress
27.1%
Work From Home
20.0%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 73.0%
- English Spoken at Home
- 73.0%
- Employment Rate
- 45.1%
- Completed Year 12
- 28.6%
Occupations
Religion
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $2,052 a year through Golden Plains based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Parks and recreation 55%
- Rural and farming 36%
- Environmental 9%
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: Golden Plains
In the year to August 2026, 186 new dwellings were approved across Golden Plains. Almost all of the pipeline is detached houses. Approvals are up 10.0% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
The Registered Aboriginal Party for this area is Wadawurrung Traditional Owners 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 Ballarat Aerodrome, 26.2 kmModerate rainfall — warm summers, cold winters with occasional frost.
- Elevation
- 417 m
- above sea level, at the locality centre
- Annual rainfall
- 605 mm
- 97 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 25.7°C
- 6 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 3.5°C
- 17 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
In postcode 3351, 41 of 9,674 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.2% (113 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.6%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3351, 1,849 rooftop-solar systems totalling 11.9 MW have been installed since 2001, against 3,535 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 97 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.
10 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3351 in 2025-26, rank 91 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 70, in 2021-22.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Catherine King Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Catherine King | 60.7% | 39.3% | -2.3 |
| 2022 | Catherine King | 63.0% | 37.0% | -2.7 |
| 2019 | Catherine King | 61.0% | 39.0% | -3.6 |
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
Currently held by Michaela Settle Australian Labor Party - Victorian Branch
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Michaela Settle ALP | 57.2% | 57.2% | 42.8% |
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 Staffordshire Reef?
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.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 63 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
Compare Staffordshire Reef 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 Staffordshire Reef
Is Staffordshire Reef a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Staffordshire Reef is high (71/100, 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 Staffordshire Reef?
Staffordshire Reef 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 Staffordshire Reef?
Staffordshire Reef, VIC had a population of 63 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Staffordshire Reef, VIC?
The postcode for Staffordshire Reef, VIC is 3351.
How far is Staffordshire Reef from Melbourne?
Staffordshire Reef is 150 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 124 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Staffordshire Reef?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Staffordshire Reef was $38,428 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 Staffordshire Reef?
There are too few current rental listings in Staffordshire Reef for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $135, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Staffordshire Reef?
The median age of residents in Staffordshire Reef was 60 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Staffordshire Reef at risk of bushfire?
Staffordshire Reef 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.
Is Staffordshire Reef walkable?
Staffordshire Reef scores 10/100 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 Staffordshire Reef?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Staffordshire Reef, Ballarat Aerodrome (26.2 km away), summer days average 25.7°C, winter nights 3.5°C, 605 mm of rain a year over 97 rainy days, and 6 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Staffordshire Reef?
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 Staffordshire Reef belong to?
Staffordshire Reef sits within the Golden Plains local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Staffordshire Reef?
The average residential rates bill through Golden Plains is $2,052 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Staffordshire Reef?
Across Golden Plains, 186 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 10.0% 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 Staffordshire Reef in?
Staffordshire Reef sits within the federal Division of Ballarat, currently held by Catherine King (Australian Labor Party).
Search another suburb or address
Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- 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.
Was the information on this page useful to you?
Thanks! Anything we could improve?
We hate spam as much as you do — we'll never use your email for marketing, and we might not be able to reply to everyone.
Thanks for your feedback! 🙏
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.