Woodend (Vic.), VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Woodend is a town in the Macedon Ranges of central Victoria, in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range, about 71 kilometres north-west of Melbourne and roughly halfway to Bendigo. Major Thomas Mitchell surveyed the area in 1836, and during the gold rush the town became the main stopping place on the road through the Black Forest, as diggers pushed north to Bendigo and Ballarat; a post office opened in 1854. St Mary's Anglican Church, a Gothic bluestone building of 1864, is among its landmarks, and the surrounding hills hold Mount Macedon, Hanging Rock and several waterfalls. Sitting high enough that winter snow is not unknown, Woodend now supports a large horse-racing community and hosts a Winter Arts Festival each June.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Woodend (Vic.) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 87% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1061, 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 Woodend (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.
Strong on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for Woodend (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
87/100Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (87/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
20/100Less affordable than the national median
Median weekly rent was $400 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 20% 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.
Woodend (Vic.) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 6,732
- Median age
- 45
- Median weekly household income
- $2,104
- SEIFA score
- 1061
- Local government area
- Macedon Ranges
- Coordinates
- -37.3690, 144.5309
Map of Woodend (Vic.)
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Woodend (Vic.)
What it costs to live in Woodend (Vic.) and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $400
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $2,000
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 82%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 16%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Woodend (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.
Woodend (Vic.) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Woodend (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 mid-life (45–64) at 29% and 17% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,302 | 19% |
| Youth (15–24) | 650 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,319 | 20% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,976 | 29% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,479 | 22% |
Share of the 6,726 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,004 | 41% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,009 | 41% |
| Rented | 382 | 16% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,222 | 91% |
| Townhouses & semis | 219 | 9% |
| Flats & apartments | 6 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,447 occupied private dwellings in Woodend (Vic.).
- Average household size
- 2.6 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,549
- Median weekly personal income
- $857
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,081 (17%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 326 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 43 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 3,298 (64%)
- Labour-force participation
- 60.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.6%
- Employed full-time
- 1,751
- Employed part-time
- 1,173
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 Woodend (Vic.)
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Woodend (Vic.) 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).
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Common questions about Woodend (Vic.)
Is Woodend (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, Woodend (Vic.) rates 65/100 overall (Strong 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 Woodend (Vic.)?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Woodend (Vic.) was $400, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,000. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Woodend (Vic.)?
Woodend (Vic.) is a suburb of Victoria, Australia, in the Macedon Ranges local government area.
What is the population of Woodend (Vic.)?
At the 2021 Census, Woodend (Vic.) had a population of about 6,732.
Is Woodend (Vic.) an advantaged area?
Woodend (Vic.) has an ABS SEIFA score of 1061, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 87 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 87% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Woodend (Vic.)?
Woodend (Vic.) 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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