Toorloo Arm VIC 3909
Toorloo Arm is a rural locality in Victoria, 332 km from Melbourne CBD, around 4 hours 10 minutes by car. Population is 509; the median age is 45 and the median household income is $68,484 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The locality grew 40.6% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $170 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,372. Toorloo Arm is characterised by high crime risk and high bushfire risk. 1 school sits within the locality boundary, and walkability is low.
Is Toorloo Arm a good place to live?
Toorloo Arm scores a D (9/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on transit, safety, and community.
Mixed results
1 school
Car-dependent
Walkability 0/100 · 332 km · 249 min drive to Melbourne
High bushfire risk
Fire 88/100 · Crime 91/100 · Flood 0/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 1/10 · median age 45 · 509 residents
Liveability Rating
9 / 100 · Ranked #872 in VICEach bar is Toorloo Arm'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 Toorloo Arm?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
9 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Rental Market
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025109 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 28% of its income on the median rent in postcode 3909.
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 Toorloo Arm safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Toorloo Arm sits in the high band, with 80 incidents recorded in 2026 — up roughly 74% on the prior year.
80 offences
73.9% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20252 crashes
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
One school serve Toorloo Arm, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 129 students in one school (avg 129)
Primary
Walkability
Toorloo Arm is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, 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 Toorloo Arm.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 159
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 locality alone — this locality's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
Toorloo Arm is home to 509 residents, with a median age of 45, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $68,000 a year, with unemployment at 4.5%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
509
Median Age
45
Median Household Income
$68,484/yr
Census Median Rent
$170/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,372/mo
Avg Household Size
2.6
Median Personal Income
$31,460/yr
Unemployment Rate
4.5%
Unoccupied Dwellings
19.0%
Total Dwellings
153
Owner-Occupier Rate
76.2%
Houses
93.5%
Rental Stress
12.9%
Mortgage Stress
24.0%
Work From Home
14.2%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
6 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 20 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 34 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 70.3%
- English Spoken at Home
- 75.2%
- Employment Rate
- 40.5%
- Completed Year 12
- 22.8%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, 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
- Parks and recreation 80%
- Rural and farming 11%
- Other and special use 8%
- 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 locality 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, 44.6 kmModerate rainfall — warm summers, cold winters with occasional frost.
- Elevation
- 55 m
- above sea level, at the locality centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 7.7 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 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 3909, 26 of 7,678 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.5% (115 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.8%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 3909, 1,914 rooftop-solar systems totalling 11.4 MW have been installed since 2001, against 4,626 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 92 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.
4 first-home grants were paid in postcode 3909 in 2025-26, rank 143 of 298 Victorian postcodes. The most was 56, in 2001-02.
Grants on new and established homes; established homes stopped qualifying in mid-2013.
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 locality'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 locality's voters. Results: Victorian Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0.
Looking at a specific address in Toorloo Arm?
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 509 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
Lakes Entrance VIC 3909
Bruthen VIC 3885
Lake Tyers Beach VIC 3909
Tambo Upper VIC 3885
Nowa Nowa VIC 3887
Kalimna West VIC 3909
Compare Toorloo Arm 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 Toorloo Arm
Is Toorloo Arm a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Toorloo Arm is high (91/100, 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 Toorloo Arm?
Toorloo Arm has a high recorded bushfire history (88/100, 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.
Is Toorloo Arm a good place to live?
Toorloo Arm has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (9/100), 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 Toorloo Arm?
Toorloo Arm, VIC had a population of 509 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Toorloo Arm, VIC?
The postcode for Toorloo Arm, VIC is 3909.
How far is Toorloo Arm from Melbourne?
Toorloo Arm is 332 km from Melbourne CBD by road, about 249 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Toorloo Arm?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Toorloo Arm was $68,484 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 Toorloo Arm?
There are too few current rental listings in Toorloo Arm for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $170, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Toorloo Arm?
The median age of residents in Toorloo Arm was 45 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Toorloo Arm at risk of bushfire?
Toorloo Arm has a high recorded bushfire history (88/100). 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.
How are the schools in Toorloo Arm?
There is 1 school inside the Toorloo Arm boundary: 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
What is the weather like in Toorloo Arm?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Toorloo Arm, Bairnsdale Airport (44.6 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 Toorloo Arm?
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 Toorloo Arm belong to?
Toorloo Arm 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 Toorloo Arm?
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 Toorloo Arm?
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 Toorloo Arm in?
Toorloo Arm sits within the federal Division of Gippsland, currently held by Darren Chester (The Nationals).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- 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.