suburb.guide

VIC · East Gippsland Council

Forge Creek, 3875

Current weather

13.7°CDense drizzle

69% humidity · 20.6 km/h wind · 17.1° / 10.2° today · 3.6 mm rain

Desirability score

26.6/100

5722nd in Australia

52% data confidence

How this score is calculated

Suburb snapshot

Forge Creek is a small locality in the East Gippsland area, home to around 346 residents (2021 Census). Available data shows 16 offences in 2026 with rising year-on-year trends (+14%), roughly 46.2 offences per 1,000 residents, and some planning and development activity on record. Snapshot data also shows parks or public open space within the suburb.

Population

Population
346
Median age
45
Median household income / week
$1,863
Dwelling vacancy
18.3%
Unoccupied private dwellings
23 of 126
Median monthly mortgage
$1,517
Employment rate
61.2%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
3 / 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)
16
Against the person
2
Against property
4
Rate per 1,000 residents
46.2
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 173 residents
State safety percentile
43th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate)
+14.3%

Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.

Reported offences by period

Most common offence types

  • A232 Non-Fv Common Assault2
  • B49 Other Theft2
  • C32 Drug Possession2
  • E19 Other Justice Procedures Offences2
  • E23 Breach Bail Conditions2

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

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).

6 planning-related records

2021· 1 proposal

  • July 2021

  • Three lot rural subdivision (boundary realignment)
    40 RIDGEWAY LANE FORGE CREEK 3875Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
2020· 5 proposals

  • December 2020

  • Buildings and works for the purpose of extending a building used for accommodation
    298A Cranswick RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • June 2020

  • Use of land for Low Density Mobile Outdoor Poultry Farming
    940 Forge Creek RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • May 2020

  • Buildings and works for an outbuilding and additions to an existing dwelling
    3/571 Barkhill RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • April 2020

  • Use of land for Grazing Animal Production (Free range eggs)
    30 Cranswick RoadWithdrawn

  • March 2020

  • Use and development of a dwelling and native vegetation removal
    222 Wattle Point 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 · 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

1 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Bairnsdale Flora ReserveNature reserve

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
5/10
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

Desirability index

Desirability score
26.6/100
National rank
5722nd in Australia
State rank
1112th in VIC
Peer rank
#311 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#608 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
52%

Data sources & freshness

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

Recent changes

  • A232 Non-Fv Common Assaultcrime2
  • B49 Other Theftcrime2
  • C32 Drug Possessioncrime2
  • E19 Other Justice Procedures Offencescrime2
  • E23 Breach Bail Conditionscrime2
  • Bairnsdale Flora Reservegovernmentnature_reserve
  • Buildings and works for an outbuilding and additions to an existing dwellingplanning3/571 Barkhill RoadLodged 22 May 2020 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Buildings and works for the purpose of extending a building used for accommodationplanning298A Cranswick RoadLodged 17 Dec 2020 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Three lot rural subdivision (boundary realignment)planning40 RIDGEWAY LANE FORGE CREEK 3875Lodged 26 Jul 2021 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Use and development of a dwelling and native vegetation removalplanning222 Wattle Point RoadLodged 25 Mar 2020 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

Data sources & freshness

Similar suburbs

Suburbs with a similar population, SEIFA decile and location.