Heathcote (Vic.), VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Heathcote is a town in central Victoria, about 110 kilometres north of Melbourne and 40 kilometres south-east of Bendigo on the McIvor Highway. It lies on the traditional lands of the Taungurung people of the Kulin nation. The explorer Thomas Mitchell passed through in 1836, but the district was transformed late in 1852 when gold was struck at McIvor Creek, drawing some forty thousand diggers within months to one of the richest fields of the Victorian rushes. As the alluvial gold thinned the population fell away, and the settlement that remained took the name Heathcote in 1854. Today the town is best known as the heart of a celebrated wine region prized for its shiraz, with the Pink Cliffs, Lake Eppalock and the O'Keefe Rail Trail drawing visitors.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Heathcote (Vic.) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 14% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 907, 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.
Is Heathcote (Vic.) a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Lower on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for Heathcote (Vic.) from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Socio-economic advantage
14/100Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (14/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
58/100Around the national median for cost
Median weekly rent was $255 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 58% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- Amenities & accessNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap amenity mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- Green spaceNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap green-space mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- TransportNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap public-transport mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
Heathcote (Vic.) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,962
- Median age
- 57
- Median weekly household income
- $946
- SEIFA score
- 907
- Local government area
- Greater Bendigo
- Coordinates
- -36.9114, 144.7235
Map of Heathcote (Vic.)
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Heathcote (Vic.)
What it costs to live in Heathcote (Vic.) and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $255
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,291
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 81%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 14%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Heathcote (Vic.) demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Heathcote (Vic.) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Heathcote (Vic.) 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 35% and 14% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 334 | 11% |
| Youth (15–24) | 185 | 6% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 460 | 16% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 929 | 31% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,043 | 35% |
Share of the 2,951 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 642 | 51% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 373 | 30% |
| Rented | 176 | 14% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,191 | 95% |
| Townhouses & semis | 30 | 2% |
| Flats & apartments | 6 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,250 occupied private dwellings in Heathcote (Vic.).
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,283
- Median weekly personal income
- $490
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 358 (14%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 104 (4%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 49 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 793 (31%)
- Labour-force participation
- 40.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.1%
- Employed full-time
- 527
- Employed part-time
- 385
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.
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Common questions about Heathcote (Vic.)
Is Heathcote (Vic.) a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage and housing affordability, Heathcote (Vic.) rates 29/100 overall (Lower on the data we score). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Heathcote (Vic.)?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Heathcote (Vic.) was $255, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,291. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Heathcote (Vic.)?
Heathcote (Vic.) is a suburb of Victoria, Australia, in the Greater Bendigo local government area.
What is the population of Heathcote (Vic.)?
At the 2021 Census, Heathcote (Vic.) had a population of about 2,962.
Is Heathcote (Vic.) an advantaged area?
Heathcote (Vic.) has an ABS SEIFA score of 907, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 14 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 14% of Australian suburbs.
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