VIC · East Gippsland Council

Buchan, 3885

Current weather

13°COvercast

54% humidity · 31.9 km/h wind · 14.6° / 9.2° today · 7.6 mm rain

Desirability score

17/100

6719th in Australia

89% data confidence

How this score is calculated

Last updated 2 July 2026 at 6:15 pm AEST

Suburb snapshot

Buchan is a small locality in the East Gippsland area, home to around 201 residents (2021 Census). Available data shows 20 offences in 2026 with rising year-on-year trends (+400%), roughly 99.5 offences per 1,000 residents, 1 school and preschool site in the area, limited but present public transport access, and notable planning and development activity on record. Snapshot data also shows parks or public open space within the suburb and hospitals or GP clinics within the suburb.

Population

Population: 201
Median age: 54
Median household income / week: $1,083
Dwelling vacancy: 29.4%
Unoccupied private dwellings: 32 of 109
Median monthly mortgage: $1,000
Employment rate: 51.7%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats): 5 / 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 1 July 2026 at 5:05 pm AEST · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Total offences (2026): 20
Against the person: 1
Against property: 2
Rate per 1,000 residents: 99.5
Person-crime prevalence: About 1 in 201 residents
State safety percentile: 75th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate): +400%

Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.

Reported offences by period

Most common offence types

A231 Fv Common Assault1
B21 Criminal Damage1
C32 Drug Possession2
D11 Firearms Offences10
D13 Explosives Offences3

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

Recorded offences by suburb/town — Crime Statistics Agency (Victoria) · Period: 2025 · Updated on site 2 July 2026 at 12:14 pm AEST · Year ending March release

Schools & preschools

Schools & preschools: 1
Median school ICSEA: 1,017

Buchan Primary SchoolPrimary

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA

Data sources & freshness

ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site 1 July 2026 at 5:19 pm AEST · Annual ACARA release
School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site 1 July 2026 at 5:19 pm AEST · Annual ACARA release

Public transport

1 public transport stops in this suburb

Buchan - Orbost Rd/Buchan Rd

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Public transport stop coverage

Data sources & freshness

GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Period: current · Updated on site 1 July 2026 at 5:20 pm AEST · GTFS static feed

Planning & development

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

10 planning-related records

2021· 1 proposal

May 2021
Use and Development of a Dwelling01 May 2021
5553 BUCHAN-ORBOST ROAD BUCHAN 3885Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

2020· 9 proposals

December 2020
Buildings and Works for a replacement dwelling within a Bushfire Management Overlay01 Dec 2020
1275 Basin RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
October 2020
Buildings and works for an outbuilding within a Bushfire Management Overlay26 Oct 2020
454 Gelantipy RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
Development of a replacement dwelling and agricultural shed05 Oct 2020
1071 Basin RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
September 2020
Development of a replacement agricultural shed08 Sep 2020
74 Lanes RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
August 2020
Buildings and works for a replacement dwelling17 Aug 2020
226 Moons RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
Development of a replacement farm shed in a road zone setback05 Aug 2020
2 Anderson StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
July 2020
Buildings and works for a dwelling reconstruction21 Jul 2020
187 Old Buchan RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
June 2020
Development of kennels associated with an existing domestic animal husbandry use05 Jun 2020
2378 Bruthen-Buchan RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
May 2020
Development of a farm shed19 May 2020
1275 Basin RoadPermit 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 1 July 2026 at 5:31 pm AEST · Public MapServer last updated Feb 2024 — applications through FY 2022–23 only; newer PPARS data requires council/API access

Amenities

No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site 1 July 2026 at 5:15 pm AEST · Weekly refresh

Parks & reserves

5 parks and public open space in this suburb

Dicksons Cave ReserveNature reserve
Murrindal Flora ReserveNature reserve
Slocombes Cave ReserveNature reserve
Timbarra River South Nature Conservation ReserveNature reserve
Wyatts ReserveNature reserve

Data sources & freshness

Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site 1 July 2026 at 5:32 pm AEST

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics: 1
Emergency department: Not in suburb

Buchan Bush Nursingnurse

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Period: current · Updated on site 1 July 2026 at 5:32 pm AEST

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021): 3/10
IRSD decile (2021): 2/10

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

SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site 1 July 2026 at 5:05 pm AEST · 2021 SEIFA release

Heritage

2 state heritage places

BUCHAN CAVES RESERVENH1978
MURRINDAL RIVER TRUSS BRIDGENH2311

Data sources & freshness

State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site 1 July 2026 at 5:33 pm AEST

Childcare

1 childcare service from OpenStreetMap

United - Buchan Early Learningchildcare

Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)

Childcare centre count

Data sources & freshness

Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Period: current · Updated on site 1 July 2026 at 6:14 pm AEST

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone: Overlay applies

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 1 July 2026 at 6:14 pm AEST

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM): 67
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 1 July 2026 at 5:16 pm AEST · Weekly refresh

Desirability index

Desirability score: 17.0/100
National rank: 6719th in Australia
State rank: 1250th in VIC
Peer rank: #402 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank: #723 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence: 89%

Data sources & freshness

Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site 2 July 2026 at 6:10 pm AEST · Derived from source metrics

Recent changes

A231 Fv Common Assaultcrime1
B21 Criminal Damagecrime1
C32 Drug Possessioncrime2
D11 Firearms Offencescrime10
D13 Explosives Offencescrime3
United - Buchan Early Learningchildcarechildcare
BUCHAN CAVES RESERVEheritageNH1978
MURRINDAL RIVER TRUSS BRIDGEheritageNH2311
Buchan Bush Nursinghealthnurse
Dicksons Cave Reservegovernmentnature_reserve

Data sources & freshness

Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Updated on site 1 July 2026 at 6:14 pm AEST
Recorded offences by suburb/town — Crime Statistics Agency (Victoria) · Updated on site 2 July 2026 at 12:13 pm AEST · Year ending March release
Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site 1 July 2026 at 5:32 pm AEST
Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Updated on site 1 July 2026 at 5:32 pm AEST
State heritage register — State heritage authority · Updated on site 1 July 2026 at 5:33 pm AEST

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