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.
Is Rochester (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 Rochester (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
12/100Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (12/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
71/100More affordable than the national median
Median weekly rent was $220 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 71% 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.
Rochester (Vic.) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 3,154
- Median age
- 53
- Median weekly household income
- $1,073
- SEIFA score
- 899
- Local government area
- Campaspe
- Coordinates
- -36.3624, 144.6946
Map of Rochester (Vic.)
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Rochester (Vic.)
What it costs to live in Rochester (Vic.) and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $220
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $1,083
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 77%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 19%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Rochester (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.
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% 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.).
- 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).
Share your local knowledge of Rochester (Vic.)
Lived here or spent time in Rochester (Vic.)? Add a review or a quick tip. Reviews and tips are moderated before they appear.
Common questions about Rochester (Vic.)
Is Rochester (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, Rochester (Vic.) rates 32/100 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 Rochester (Vic.)?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Rochester (Vic.) was $220, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,083. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Rochester (Vic.)?
Rochester (Vic.) is a suburb of Victoria, Australia, in the Campaspe local government area.
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).
Nearby suburbs in Victoria
More suburb guides in Victoria
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.