Swan Hill VIC 3585
Located in Victoria, Swan Hill sits 341 km from Melbourne CBD, around 4 hours 5 minutes by car. The suburb has 11,186 residents, a median age of 38, and a median household income of $72,280 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the lower-middle tier nationally. The suburb grew 2.6% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $235 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,300. Swan Hill is characterised by high crime risk and high flood risk. Of 10 schools within the suburb boundary, 1 ranks above the state average, and walkability is low.
Is Swan Hill a good suburb?
Swan Hill scores a D (22/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on prices, weaker on transit and safety.
Mixed results
10 schools · 1 above peer schools
Car-dependent
Walkability 4/100 · 340.7 km · 243 min drive to Melbourne
More affordable than most
Median $519K · More affordable than 84% of VIC
High crime risk
Fire 31/100 · Crime 84/100 · Flood 60/100
Below-average income
SEIFA decile 3/10 · median age 38 · 11,186 residents
Liveability Rating
22 / 100 · Ranked #814 in VICEach bar is Swan Hill's rank among VIC suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).
How do you rate the liveability in Swan Hill?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
22 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataSwan Hill's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $519,000, about 5% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$519,000
Based on 202 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 36 days — median across 111 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 19 sales $362K
- 3 bed 120 sales $470K
- 4 bed 57 sales $640K
- 5 bed 6 sales $686K
Units
$385,000
Based on 17 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 35 days — median across 11 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 12 sales $368K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Swan Hill are currently listed at around $575,000 on average. Based on 148 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$575K
148 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$410K
15 units listed in the last 6 months.
163 of the suburb's 4,348 dwellings (3.7%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Swan Hill rent for around $520 a week on average, based on 55 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$520/wk
55 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$385/wk
14 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
69 rentals advertised against an estimated 1,426 rented homes (4.8%) in the last 6 months.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$520/week ($27,000 a year) on a $575,000 median
$385/week ($20,000 a year) on a $410,000 median
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 Swan Hill safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Swan Hill sits in the high band, with 1,211 incidents recorded in 2026 — up about 7% on the prior year.
1,211 offences
6.6% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202524 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Where they happened
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Schools
Ten schools serve Swan Hill, and results are mixed — some outperforming peer-suburb schools, some below. St Mary's School leads the pack.
- • 2,704 students across 7 schools (avg 386)
- • Sectors: 5 Government, 3 Catholic, 2 Independent
- • ICSEA 908-1036, median 944 (below the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Swan Hill College (747 students)
Primary
Secondary
Combined
Walkability
Swan Hill is very car-dependent on foot — at 4/100, nearly all errands require a car. Within the suburb there are 4 supermarkets, 24 parks and 19 cafes to anchor that walking radius.
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.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Swan Hill.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 23.5 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 30.9 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 13.2 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 18.3 hours
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Swan Hill.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 39%
- Premises covered
- 6,160
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
Swan Hill: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 27 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 7 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Swan Hill is home to about 11,200 residents, with a median age of 38, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $72,000 a year, with unemployment at 3.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
11,186
Median Age
38
Median Household Income
$72,280/yr
Census Median Rent
$235/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,300/mo
Avg Household Size
2.3
Median Personal Income
$39,208/yr
Unemployment Rate
3.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
9.6%
Total Dwellings
4,348
Owner-Occupier Rate
67.2%
Houses
83.0%
Rental Stress
16.9%
Mortgage Stress
21.6%
Work From Home
7.1%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
210 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 45 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 1,381 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 80.2%
- English Spoken at Home
- 81.0%
- Employment Rate
- 58%
- Completed Year 12
- 34.4%
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.
563 residents (5.0%) 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.
4.0% of residents (420) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Melbourne (316).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 10,439 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
Local Jobs
People who work in this suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 6,444 people work here; 5,241 employed residents live here.
Roughly as many jobs as working residents (1.2 per resident). At least 19% of the people who work here must live elsewhere.
Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $2,333 a year through Swan Hill based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 81%
- Infrastructure and transport 7%
- Residential 7%
- Other and special use 2%
- Parks and recreation 1%
- Industrial 1%
- 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 suburb around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Swan Hill
In the year to August 2026, 91 new dwellings were approved across Swan Hill. That mix is 87 houses and 4 units. Approvals are down 85.7% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
The Registered Aboriginal Party for this area is Wamba Wemba Aboriginal Corporation (appointed 2024).
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.
Setting
- Elevation
- 72 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
Elevation is the ground at the suburb 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
4 facilities within 5 km- 3.0 km
- 3.1 km
- 4.2 km
- 4.5 km
EV adoption
In postcode 3585, 10 of 11,176 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.8% (201 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.9%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3585, 2,026 rooftop-solar systems totalling 16.9 MW have been installed since 2001, against 4,887 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 93 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.
5 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3585 in 2025-26, rank 129 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 108, in 2001-02.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
Mortgage repayments
5 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb.
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 $519,000 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 Anne Webster The Nationals
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Anne Webster | 31.0% | 69.0% | -0.1 |
| 2022 | Anne Webster | 31.0% | 69.0% | +3.3 |
| 2019 | Anne Webster | 33.8% | 66.2% | -3.6 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Peter Walsh The Nationals
Next state election: 28 November 2026.
| Year | Winner | Won with | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Peter Walsh NP | 61.8% | 27.1% | 72.9% |
| 2018 | Peter Walsh NP | 60.3% | 26.1% | 74.0% |
| 2014 | Peter Walsh NP | 63.3% | 27.6% | 72.4% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: Victorian Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0.
Looking at a specific address in Swan Hill?
Every figure above is a suburb 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 11,186 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 Swan Hill 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 Swan Hill
Is Swan Hill a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Swan Hill is high (84/100, 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 Swan Hill?
Swan Hill has a low recorded bushfire history (31/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). Flood overlays cover a moderate share of it (60/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Swan Hill a good place to live?
Swan Hill has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (22/100), 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 Swan Hill?
Swan Hill, VIC had a population of 11,186 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Swan Hill, VIC?
The postcode for Swan Hill, VIC is 3585.
How far is Swan Hill from Melbourne?
Swan Hill is 341 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 243 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Swan Hill?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Swan Hill 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 Swan Hill?
The median advertised rent in Swan Hill is $520 a week for houses (55 listings) and $385 a week for units (14 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Swan Hill?
The median age of residents in Swan Hill was 38 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Swan Hill at risk of bushfire?
Swan Hill has a low recorded bushfire history (31/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the suburb 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 Swan Hill?
There are 10 schools inside the Swan Hill boundary: 1 above, 3 at, and 2 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Swan Hill walkable?
Swan Hill scores 4/100 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.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Swan Hill?
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 Swan Hill belong to?
Swan Hill sits within the Swan Hill local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Swan Hill?
The average residential rates bill through Swan Hill is $2,333 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Swan Hill?
Across Swan Hill, 91 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 85.7% 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 Swan Hill in?
Swan Hill sits within the federal Division of Mallee, currently held by Anne Webster (The Nationals).
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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
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2026
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- 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.