VIC · Buloke Council
Donald, 3480
Current weather
10.1°CMainly clear
92% humidity · 22 km/h wind · 12.8° / 8.3° today · 6.3 mm rain
Desirability score
Suburb snapshot
Donald is a small locality in the Buloke area, home to around 1,472 residents (2021 Census). Available data shows 83 offences in 2026 with rising year-on-year trends (+73%), roughly 56.4 offences per 1,000 residents, 3 school and preschool sites 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
- 1,472
- Median age
- 52
- Median household income / week
- $1,044
- Dwelling vacancy
- 13.4%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 94 of 699
- Median monthly mortgage
- $815
- Employment rate
- 46%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 35 / 8 / 24
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)
- 83
- Against the person
- 4
- Against property
- 52
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 56.4
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 368 residents
- State safety percentile
- 52.2th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +72.9%
Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- B21 Criminal Damage5
- B41 Motor Vehicle Theft10
- B42 Steal From A Motor Vehicle6
- B49 Other Theft11
- C32 Drug Possession10
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 · Year ending March release
Schools & preschools
- Schools & preschools
- 3
- Median school ICSEA (3 schools)
- 968
- Donald High SchoolSecondary
- Donald Primary SchoolPrimary
- St Mary's 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 · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Public transport
3 public transport stops in this suburb
- Post Office/Sunraysia Hwy
- Post Office/Sunraysia Hwy
- Post Office/Sunraysia Hwy
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 · 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).
18 planning-related records
2021· 8 proposals
May 2021
- Construction of a machinery shed22 CAMP STREET DONALD 3480Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Two lot subdivision of land and use and development of land for animal production (cattle)SUNRAYSIA HIGHWAY DONALD 3480Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Construction of a domestic shed65 Woods StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
April 2021
- Works and removal of native vegatation to extend race trackRacecourse RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Two lot subdivision (rural dwelling excision)35 Aitken AvenuePermit issued by a delegate of the RA
March 2021
- Two lot subdivision (boundary realignment) and use and development of land for one dwelling per lot (two dwellngs)AITKEN AVENUE DONALD 3480Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
February 2021
- Construct and display a double sided, non-illuminated major promotion sign5 Woods StreetRefusal issued by the Resp. Authority
January 2021
- Construction of six units, garage and storage shed associated with existing age care and residential living facility22 Camp StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
2020· 10 proposals
December 2020
- Construction of a shed for machinery storage and servicing36 Tower RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Construct and display an internally illuminated sign with an electronic price board31 Bunker RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
November 2020
- Building and works to locate a sevice station (self-bunded fuel cell)31 Bunker RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Building and works to construct an extension to an existing food production facility22 Racecourse RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
October 2020
- Building and works to locate an office/amenities building31 Bunker RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Construction of a hay shed591 Donald-Stawell RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
September 2020
- Construction of a 5m x 4m outdoor deck at rear of existing dwelling12 Willow CourtPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
May 2020
- Extension to a building8 Racecourse RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
February 2020
- Construction of a domestic shed17 Camp StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
January 2020
- Church7 Blair StreetPermit 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
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 · Weekly refresh
Parks & reserves
6 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Apex ParkPark
- Donald I146 Bushland ReserveNature reserve
- Donald I147 Bushland ReserveNature reserve
- Donald Public ParkPark
- Donald Recreation ReservePark
- Lake Buloke Wildlife Management Co-operative AreaNature reserve
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Health access
- Hospitals & GP clinics
- 1
- Emergency department
- On site
- East Wimmera Health Service - Donald Campushospital
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 2/10
- 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 · 2021 SEIFA release
Heritage
3 state heritage places
- DONALD SHIRE OFFICESNH2437
- GEORGIES HUT (CHINESE MARKET GARDEN)NH0873
- TAGGERTY BUFFET CARYH2318
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site
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)
- 16
- Parks (OSM)
- 6
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
- 33.0/100
- National rank
- 4573rd in Australia
- State rank
- 894th in VIC
- Peer rank
- #195 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #432 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 82%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- B21 Criminal Damagecrime5
- B41 Motor Vehicle Theftcrime10
- B42 Steal From A Motor Vehiclecrime6
- B49 Other Theftcrime11
- C32 Drug Possessioncrime10
- DONALD SHIRE OFFICESheritageNH2437
- GEORGIES HUT (CHINESE MARKET GARDEN)heritageNH0873
- TAGGERTY BUFFET CARheritageYH2318
- East Wimmera Health Service - Donald Campushealthhospital
- Apex Parkgovernmentpark
Data sources & freshness
- Recorded offences by suburb/town — Crime Statistics Agency (Victoria) · Updated on site · Year ending March release
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Updated on site
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · Updated on site
Similar suburbs
Suburbs with a similar population, SEIFA decile and location.