Malmsbury, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Malmsbury is a small town in central Victoria, on the Coliban River about 95km north-west of Melbourne and 11km from Kyneton, on the old road to the goldfields of Bendigo and Castlemaine. It lies on Dja Dja Wurrung country. Squatters first grazed sheep and cattle in the district, and the discovery of gold in 1858 turned Malmsbury into a service centre for diggers heading to the central goldfields. Local bluestone was quarried for buildings across the colony, and the graceful Malmsbury Viaduct, a masonry-arch rail bridge finished in 1859, still carries the line over the river. The Malmsbury Reservoir, built between 1866 and 1877, lies just upstream. Edward Davy, an inventor of the electric relay, served three terms as the town's mayor.
More advantaged than the national average
Malmsbury is more socio-economically advantaged than about 63% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1009, 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.
Malmsbury at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 905
- Median age
- 45
- Median weekly household income
- $1,636
- SEIFA score
- 1009
- Coordinates
- -37.1712, 144.3974
Malmsbury demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Malmsbury 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 mid-life (45–64) at 33%, 11% of homes are rented, and 13% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 162 | 18% |
| Youth (15–24) | 74 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 203 | 22% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 295 | 33% |
| Seniors (65+) | 173 | 19% |
Share of the 907 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 136 | 39% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 168 | 48% |
| Rented | 38 | 11% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 347 | 100% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 347 occupied private dwellings in Malmsbury.
- Median weekly rent
- $350
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,324
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,862
- Median weekly personal income
- $769
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 112 (13%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 41 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 14 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 399 (57%)
- Labour-force participation
- 61.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.6%
- Employed full-time
- 224
- Employed part-time
- 187
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.
Weather and climate in Malmsbury
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Malmsbury is January (average daytime high around 26.1°C) and the coolest is July (around 9.4°C). The area receives roughly 695 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26.1°C | 13°C | 49 mm |
| Feb | 24.6°C | 12.3°C | 25 mm |
| Mar | 22.1°C | 11.3°C | 41 mm |
| Apr | 17.4°C | 8.7°C | 56 mm |
| May | 12.8°C | 6.1°C | 67 mm |
| Jun | 10.1°C | 4.3°C | 76 mm |
| Jul | 9.4°C | 3.5°C | 63 mm |
| Aug | 10.5°C | 3.5°C | 67 mm |
| Sep | 13.3°C | 5°C | 65 mm |
| Oct | 17.2°C | 6.8°C | 76 mm |
| Nov | 20°C | 8.7°C | 62 mm |
| Dec | 23.4°C | 10.8°C | 48 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Malmsbury
Where is Malmsbury?
Malmsbury is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Malmsbury?
At the 2021 Census, Malmsbury had a population of about 905.
Is Malmsbury an advantaged area?
Malmsbury has an ABS SEIFA score of 1009, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 63 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 63% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Malmsbury?
Malmsbury has average daytime highs of about 17.2°C and overnight lows of about 7.8°C, with roughly 695 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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