Tongio VIC 3896

Tongio is a rural locality in Victoria, 387 km from Melbourne CBD, around 4 hours 55 minutes by car. Population is 50; the median age is 57 and the median household income is $66,612 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the middle range nationally. Population fell 23.1% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $190 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,317. 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 50. 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 Tongio?

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Is Tongio safe? Crime statistics

2025

Crime in Tongio sits in the moderate band, with 3 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 57% on the prior year.

3 offences

57.1% since 2024
Break & Enter 1 (33.3%)
Theft 1 (33.3%)
Fraud & Deception 1 (33.3%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

1 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

No schools in this locality boundary.

Walkability

Tongio 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 Tongio.

21
connectivity score / 100
Bottom 19% in VIC
Most common
Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
0%
Premises covered
39
Technology mix
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 59%
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 41%

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

East Gippsland: council population

The whole council area, not just Tongio · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
49,669
+1.0% in a year
Change
+486
people since 2024
Density
2.4
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
-136
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+535
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+87
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
7/10
6/10 within VIC
qualifications and job type, income excluded

Tongio is home to 50 residents, with a median age of 57 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $67,000 a year, with unemployment at 0.0%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

50

23.1% since 2016

Median Age

57

1.7% since 2016

Median Household Income

$66,612/yr

20.6% since 2016

Census Median Rent

$190/wk

Census Median Mortgage

$1,317/mo

21.6% since 2016

Avg Household Size

1.9

20.8% since 2016

Median Personal Income

$35,724/yr

39.4% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

0.0%

Unoccupied Dwellings

95.7%

109.0% since 2016

Total Dwellings

23

4.2% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

100.0%

18.8% since 2016

Houses

108.7%

8.7% since 2016

Rental Stress

14.8%

Mortgage Stress

23.7%

0.9% since 2016

Work From Home

36.1%

Dwelling Types

Houses 25 (108.7%)

Property Ownership

Owned Outright 17 (85.0%)
Mortgage 3 (15.0%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
80.0%
English Spoken at Home
92.0%
Employment Rate
69.6%
64.5% since 2016
Completed Year 12
52.0%

Occupations

Managers 17 (48.6%)
Professionals 10 (28.6%)
Technicians & Trades 6 (17.1%)
Labourers 4 (11.4%)
Community & Personal Service 3 (8.6%)

Religion

No Religion 22 (44.0%)
Christianity 22 (44.0%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

Germany 3 (6.0%)

Age Distribution

0-4 4 (8.0%)
5-14 4 (8.0%)
15-19 4 (8.0%)
25-34 9 (18.0%)
45-54 10 (20.0%)
55-64 9 (18.0%)
65-74 10 (20.0%)
75-84 8 (16.0%)

Family & Household Composition

Lone Person 8 (50.0%)
Couple Families 4 (25.0%)
One Parent Families 4 (25.0%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 18 (50.0%)
Worked from Home 13 (36.1%)
Walked Only 5 (13.9%)

Education

Bachelor Degree 8 (16.0%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8 (16.0%)
Certificate III & IV 8 (16.0%)

Cars per Dwelling

1 car 5 (21.7%)
2 cars 9 (39.1%)
3 cars 5 (21.7%)
4+ cars 3 (13.0%)

Council Rates

East Gippsland
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,807 a year through East Gippsland based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$1,807/yr
7% below the VIC average of $1,937 · median of 79 councils
Rate in the dollar
0.370¢ / $
of property valuation
Valuation basis
Capital Improved Value
land + buildings

How this land is zoned

Share of Tongio's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Rural and farming 55%
  • Parks and recreation 44%

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: East Gippsland

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

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.

Trailing 12 months
386dwellings
+50.0% YoY
Houses
362
detached dwellings
Units
24
townhouses + apartments

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 Falls Creek, 49.9 km

High rainfall — mild summers, frosty winters.

Elevation
429 m
above sea level, at the locality centre
Annual rainfall
1,488 mm
120 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
17.1°C
0 days ≥ 35°C
Winter min (Jul)
-2.4°C
137 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 3896, 0 of 432 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 0.7% (3 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 0.7%.

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

Rooftop solar

33
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 6.4 kW each

In postcode 3896, 79 rooftop-solar systems totalling 0.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 242 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
4
2020
5
2021
6
2022
2
2023
10
2024
3
2025
2
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 3896 in 2025-26. The most was 3, in 2000-01.

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

Federal Electorate

Division of Gippsland

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 locality's voters across time.

State Electorate

Gippsland East District

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 locality's voters. Results: Victorian Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0.

Looking at a specific address in Tongio?

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

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Side-by-side stats for any other VIC suburb — type a name and pick one.

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Common questions about Tongio

Is Tongio a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Tongio is moderate (69/100, ranked against other VIC suburbs on offences per resident).

What natural hazards affect Tongio?

Tongio has a high recorded bushfire history (97/100, 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 Tongio?

Tongio, VIC had a population of 50 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Tongio, VIC?

The postcode for Tongio, VIC is 3896.

How far is Tongio from Melbourne?

Tongio is 387 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 296 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Tongio?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Tongio was $66,612 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 Tongio?

There are too few current rental listings in Tongio for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $190, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Tongio?

The median age of residents in Tongio was 57 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is Tongio at risk of bushfire?

Tongio has a high recorded bushfire history (97/100). 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.

What is the weather like in Tongio?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Tongio, Falls Creek (49.9 km away), summer days average 17.1°C, winter nights -2.4°C, 1,488 mm of rain a year over 120 rainy days, and 0 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Tongio?

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 Tongio belong to?

Tongio 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 Tongio?

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 Tongio?

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 Tongio in?

Tongio sits within the federal Division of Gippsland, currently held by Darren Chester (The Nationals).

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