Rochester (Vic.), VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Rochester sits on the Campaspe River in northern Victoria, around 180km north of Melbourne and 29km south of Echuca. The Campaspe country here was known as Yalooka and was home for thousands of years to the Pinpandoor people. The township was gazetted in 1855 and took its name from Dr John Pearson Rowe, who ran a hotel on the site; the post office followed in 1863 and the railway from Bendigo reached town in 1864. Dairying has long anchored the local economy, alongside tomatoes, cattle, sheep and grain, though the Murray Goulburn milk factory closed in 2017. Rochester is proud of cycling champion Sir Hubert Opperman, born here in 1904 and remembered with a statue and museum; musician Mick Harvey also comes from the town.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Rochester (Vic.) 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.
Rochester (Vic.) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 3,154
- Median age
- 53
- Median weekly household income
- $1,073
- SEIFA score
- 899
- Coordinates
- -36.3624, 144.6946
Rochester (Vic.) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Rochester (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 32%, 19% of homes are rented, and 6% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 442 | 14% |
| Youth (15–24) | 303 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 510 | 16% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 884 | 28% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,011 | 32% |
Share of the 3,150 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 649 | 50% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 353 | 27% |
| Rented | 251 | 19% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,210 | 92% |
| Townhouses & semis | 71 | 5% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,313 occupied private dwellings in Rochester (Vic.).
- Median weekly rent
- $220
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,083
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,439
- Median weekly personal income
- $583
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 181 (6%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 68 (2%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 72 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 792 (30%)
- Labour-force participation
- 47.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.7%
- Employed full-time
- 670
- Employed part-time
- 463
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 Rochester (Vic.)
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Rochester (Vic.) is January (average daytime high around 31.6°C) and the coolest is July (around 13.1°C). The area receives roughly 493 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31.6°C | 17.3°C | 37 mm |
| Feb | 30.2°C | 16.3°C | 15 mm |
| Mar | 27.1°C | 14.8°C | 33 mm |
| Apr | 22°C | 11.1°C | 50 mm |
| May | 16.9°C | 8°C | 39 mm |
| Jun | 13.5°C | 5.8°C | 49 mm |
| Jul | 13.1°C | 5°C | 37 mm |
| Aug | 14.1°C | 5.3°C | 43 mm |
| Sep | 17.5°C | 7°C | 50 mm |
| Oct | 22°C | 9.7°C | 58 mm |
| Nov | 25.4°C | 12.2°C | 46 mm |
| Dec | 29.1°C | 14.8°C | 36 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Rochester (Vic.)
Where is Rochester (Vic.)?
Rochester (Vic.) is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Rochester (Vic.)?
At the 2021 Census, Rochester (Vic.) had a population of about 3,154.
Is Rochester (Vic.) an advantaged area?
Rochester (Vic.) 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.
What is the weather like in Rochester (Vic.)?
Rochester (Vic.) has average daytime highs of about 21.9°C and overnight lows of about 10.6°C, with roughly 493 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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