suburb.guide

VIC · Glenelg Council

Bolwarra, 3305

Current weather

8.4°CLight drizzle

85% humidity · 23.4 km/h wind · 13° / 7.2° today · 4.8 mm rain

Updated

Desirability score

28.9/100
Below average

1034th in VIC

70% data confidence

How this score is calculated
  • National parks
  • Green suburb
  • Education hub
  • High desirability
  • Café precinct
What Bolwarra is known for: National parks, Green suburb, Education hub, High desirability, Café precinct

Suburb profile

Bolwarra offers a slower smaller community life in Glenelg, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Out in the wider region, it rewards those who value open country and a pace set by the land, not the clock. The landscape itself is part of the lifestyle: open paddocks, big skies and room to breathe.

A mature community gives the area a calm, settled social fabric, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. The pace is unhurried, with local businesses and community spots doing the heavy lifting. The market sits in a sensible middle ground: not cheap, but fair value for the area.

Light infill development is updating a few streets while the wider area stays largely unchanged.

On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, with local dining and lifestyle amenities and parks and green space the main drags compared with similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

Population

Population
647
Median age
49
Median household income / week
$1,394
Dwelling vacancy
14.4%
Unoccupied private dwellings
41 of 285
Median monthly mortgage
$1,603
Employment rate
54%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
21 / 0 / 0

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release

    The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Total offences (2026)
30
Against the person
7
Against property
4
Rate per 1,000 residents
46.4
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 92 residents
State safety percentile
43.1th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate)
+15.4%

Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.

Reported offences by period

Most common offence types

  • A231 Fv Common Assault3
  • B45 Receiving Or Handling Stolen Goods2
  • C12 Drug Trafficking2
  • C32 Drug Possession2
  • E21 Breach Family Violence Order8

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

Schools & preschools

Schools & preschools
1
Median school ICSEA
979
  • Bolwarra Primary SchoolPrimary

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

Planning & development

Development applications from PPARS statewide register (lodged 2020–2022). Free public PPARS MapServer — applications through ~2022 (service last updated Feb 2024).

14 planning-related records

2021· 9 proposals

  • September 2021

  • Building and Works to Construct an Agricultural Shed
    8729 PRINCES HIGHWAY BOLWARRA 3305Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • August 2021

  • Buildings and works to construct farm shed associated with agriculture
    174 CROWES ROAD BOLWARRA 3305Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Buildings and works to construct an agricultural shed
    49 CROWES ROAD BOLWARRA 3305Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • July 2021

  • Use and development of land for a dwelling
    278 DUTTON WAY BOLWARRA 3305Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • June 2021

  • Development of a dwelling and variation of restrictive covenant for the location of the wastewater system and effluent disposal field
    17 WILKENS LANE BOLWARRA 3305Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • May 2021

  • Use and Development of Land for Two Dwellings and Vegetation Removal
    DUTTON WAY BOLWARRA 3305Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Use and Development of Land for a Dwelling and Vegetation Removal
    DUTTON WAY BOLWARRA 3305Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • February 2021

  • Building and Works to Construct a Shed
    5 Bemeli CourtWithdrawn
  • Building and Works to Construct a Shed
    298 Dutton WayPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
2020· 5 proposals

  • May 2020

  • Buildings and works to construct a domestic outbuilding
    1 Bemeli CourtPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Buildings and works to construct a dwelling
    133 Pennys RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • April 2020

  • Use and development for a dwelling and shed
    15 Tully LanePermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • January 2020

  • Buildings and works to construct a deck, pergola, and carport
    18 Keillers RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Removal of vegetation
    Dutton WayPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)

Development and planning activity

Data sources & freshness

  • PPARS planning permit activity (statewide) — Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria) · Period: 2020–2022 · Updated on site · Public MapServer last updated Feb 2024 — applications through FY 2022–23 only; newer PPARS data requires council/API access

Parks & reserves

3 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Bolwarra H43 Bushland ReserveNature reserve
  • Bolwarra H44 Bushland ReserveNature reserve
  • Bolwarra H45 Bushland ReserveNature reserve

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
4/10
IRSD decile (2021)
5/10

SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)

Data sources & freshness

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via Victorian Bushfire Management Overlay mapping.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Bushfire hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM)
3
Parks (OSM)
0

OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)

Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover features — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh

Desirability Index

Desirability score
28.9/100 — Below average
National rank
5418th in Australia
State rank
1034th in VIC
Peer rank
#271 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#548 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
70%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics

Recent changes

  • A231 Fv Common Assaultcrime3
  • B45 Receiving Or Handling Stolen Goodscrime2
  • C12 Drug Traffickingcrime2
  • C32 Drug Possessioncrime2
  • E21 Breach Family Violence Ordercrime8
  • Bolwarra H43 Bushland Reservegovernmentnature_reserve
  • Bolwarra H44 Bushland Reservegovernmentnature_reserve
  • Bolwarra H45 Bushland Reservegovernmentnature_reserve
  • Building and Works to Construct a Shedplanning5 Bemeli CourtLodged 16 Feb 2021 · Withdrawn
  • Building and Works to Construct a Shedplanning298 Dutton WayLodged 09 Feb 2021 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

Data sources & freshness

More in Glenelg Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Victoria.