Bairnsdale, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Bairnsdale is the commercial hub of East Gippsland in eastern Victoria, set on a bend of the Mitchell River about 279 kilometres east of Melbourne. The area is the country of the Tatungalung clan of the Gunaikurnai people. The origin of the name is uncertain, with suggestions ranging from a Norse personal name to a reading of Bairns-dale as the valley of the children; the district was proclaimed a shire in 1868 and Bairnsdale became a city in 1990. Its best-known landmark is St Mary's Catholic Church, whose interior was richly painted by the Italian artist Francesco Floreani during the Great Depression and now draws tens of thousands of visitors a year. The town anchors the Shire of East Gippsland, with health, education and services to the fore.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Bairnsdale is more socio-economically advantaged than about 12% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 899, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Bairnsdale at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 7,905
- Median age
- 44
- Median weekly household income
- $1,101
- SEIFA score
- 899
- Coordinates
- -37.8535, 147.6011
Bairnsdale demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Bairnsdale using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is seniors (65+) at 26%, 33% of homes are rented, and 13% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,341 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 835 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,819 | 23% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,893 | 24% |
| Seniors (65+) | 2,023 | 26% |
Share of the 7,911 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,214 | 37% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 861 | 26% |
| Rented | 1,102 | 33% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,781 | 84% |
| Townhouses & semis | 476 | 14% |
| Flats & apartments | 28 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 3,305 occupied private dwellings in Bairnsdale.
- Median weekly rent
- $270
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,192
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,429
- Median weekly personal income
- $634
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 927 (13%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 505 (7%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 479 (6%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,586 (41%)
- Labour-force participation
- 51.2%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.9%
- Employed full-time
- 1,660
- Employed part-time
- 1,285
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Common questions about Bairnsdale
Where is Bairnsdale?
Bairnsdale is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Bairnsdale?
At the 2021 Census, Bairnsdale had a population of about 7,905.
Is Bairnsdale an advantaged area?
Bairnsdale has an ABS SEIFA score of 899, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 12 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 12% of Australian suburbs.
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