Heyfield
Property ownership is unusually high: 46% of residents own their home outright, reflecting long-term, debt-free occupation rather than a market driven by new buyers. Healthcare employs 21.6% of local workers, far above what a town of 2,050 people would typically support, because the sector serves the surrounding Wellington Shire region.
Local council: Wellington
Population
2,050
Median Age
47.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,007/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
5
Median House
$358K
October to December 2025
Only a handful of houses sold here in this period, so this median can jump sharply from one quarter to the next for reasons that have nothing to do with the market. Treat it as a rough guide, not a settled price.
Separate houses dominate at 93.9% of dwellings, so buyers can expect detached housing stock rather than apartments. Three-bedroom homes account for 49% and four-plus-bedroom homes 29.5%, offering practical family-sized options. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,088, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 25%, below the 30% stress threshold even at this suburb's below-national income level.
For Buyers
Separate houses dominate at 93.9% of dwellings, so buyers can expect detached housing stock rather than apartments. Three-bedroom homes account for 49% and four-plus-bedroom homes 29.5%, offering practical family-sized options. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,088, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 25%, below the 30% stress threshold even at this suburb's below-national income level.
For Investors
The rental market in Heyfield is thin: only 19.3% of residents rent and vacancy sits at 8.9%, higher than the typical regional benchmark of 3-5%. Development activity is minimal, with just 2 applications lodged in the past 12 months, both subdivision works with no new dwellings recorded. Population of 2,050 is small with 85.2% of residents having stayed at the same address compared to five years prior, indicating low turnover rather than active demand churn. Investors relying on rental income should weigh the high vacancy rate carefully.
Development Activity
Total DAs
20
Last 12 Months
5
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+66.7%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Heyfield
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Heyfield Primary School
St Michael's School
Demographics
The median age of 47 is 7 years above the national average, pointing to an established, older resident base with limited inflow of younger households. Overseas-born residents account for just 8.7%, which is 12.9 percentage points below the national figure, and ancestry is strongly Anglo-Celtic: English leads at 813 counted responses, followed by Irish at 264 and Scottish at 190. University qualifications reach only 10.7% of residents, 19.4 percentage points below the national rate, consistent with an economy based on healthcare, construction and agriculture rather than professional services. Average household size is 2.3, slightly below the national figure of 2.5, reflecting the couples-without-children household type that makes up 32.1% of families.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
93.9%
Houses
0.4%
Townhouse
5.2%
Apartment
Tenure
Housing in Heyfield is predominantly owner-occupied: 46% own outright and 34.7% hold a mortgage, while just 19.3% rent. The outright ownership rate is well above national norms, reflecting a long-settled population with paid-off mortgages rather than first-home buyers or investors. Separate houses make up 93.9% of dwellings, with apartments at 5.2% and semi-detached at 0.4%, so the stock is almost entirely detached residential.
Mortgage / mo
$1,088
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$210
Census 2021
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$530
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
8.9%
Unoccupied
77
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.9%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.0%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
36.7%
Couples with children
45.1%
Couples, no children
16.0%
Single parent
512
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare is the dominant industry at 21.6% of employed residents, followed by Construction at 12.7%, Agriculture at 9.3%, Manufacturing at 8.8% and Education at 8.1%. The healthcare concentration is high relative to the town's own population, because Heyfield serves as a service node for the Wellington Shire. By occupation, Labourers lead at 126 workers, followed by Managers at 96 and Machinery and Drivers at 93, reflecting the manual and agricultural character of the local economy. The unemployment rate is 4.1% and the participation rate is 42.5%, notably below the national average, because 741 residents are not in the labour force, consistent with the older age profile. Household income sits at the 12.9th percentile nationally, meaning roughly 87% of Australian households earn more.
Unemployment
3.7%
Labour Force
802
Unemployed
30
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
56.0%
Part-time
35.0%
Participation
46.5%
Employed
772
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
10.7%
Postgraduate
1.0%
Born Overseas
8.7%
Dwellings
791
Transport to Work
Car dependency is high at 85.5% of residents driving to work, consistent with a rural town without a commuter rail link. An above-average 8% of residents walk or cycle, reflecting the compact scale of a 2,050-person township spread across 75.68 square kilometres. The volunteering rate of 22.6% is relatively strong, indicating community engagement that often sustains local services in regional areas. Crime totals 190 incidents, giving a rate of 92.7 per 1,000 residents, which is elevated compared to lower-density rural towns nationally; property and deception offences account for the largest share at 60 incidents. No schools are recorded in the suburb dataset. Housing stress measures are comfortable: rent-to-income at 20.9% and mortgage-to-income at 25% both sit below stress thresholds.
Drive
76.4%
Public Transport
N/A
Walk / Cycle
7.2%
Work from Home
10.6%
Growth Outlook
Residential mobility is low: 85.2% of residents stayed at the same address compared to five years prior, 14.8 percentage points below the turnover seen in faster-growing areas. With only 2 development applications in the past 12 months and a population of 2,050 that has changed little, forward growth momentum is limited. The high vacancy rate of 8.9% suggests demand has not kept pace with the available rental stock.
Population trend: Wellington council area
Heyfield sits in the Wellington council area. These are the council area's residents, not Heyfield's.
Residents 2025
46,551
Growth, 5 yr average
+0.6%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+0.6%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
190
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
92.7
Offence Categories
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Heyfield compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Heyfield a good suburb to live in?
The volunteering rate of 22.6% reflects community engagement, and mortgage stress at 25% of income stays below the 30% threshold. The trade-offs are a high vacancy rate of 8.9%, an older age profile with a median age of 47, and limited public transport options.
What schools are in Heyfield?
No schools are recorded inside the Heyfield suburb boundary in this dataset. Wellington Shire provides schooling infrastructure for the wider region, and families in the town typically access schools serving the local catchment. University qualifications locally are 10.7%, which is 19.4 percentage points below the national rate.
Is Heyfield safe?
Heyfield recorded 190 offences in the most recent year, giving a crime rate of 92.7 per 1,000 residents, which is elevated relative to lower-density rural benchmarks nationally. Property and deception offences are the largest category at 60 incidents, followed by justice procedures offences at 48 and crimes against the person at 43.
Is Heyfield good for property investment?
The vacancy rate of 8.9% is high compared to a typical regional rental market benchmark of 3-5%. Only 2 development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, with no new dwellings recorded, indicating little growth in demand.
How is Heyfield's population changing?
Heyfield's population is 2,050. Residential stability is high, with 85.2% of residents remaining at the same address compared to five years prior. The median age of 47 is 7 years above the national average, pointing to an aging resident base. Development activity is minimal, with just 2 applications in the past 12 months and no new dwelling approvals recorded.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), Valuer-General Victoria (house prices), state education open registers (school locations), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications).
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