VIC · Ararat Council
Lake Bolac, 3351
Current weather
8.2°CPartly cloudy
85% humidity · 27.2 km/h wind · 11.7° / 6.9° today · 3.7 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Regional town
- Shops
- Established
- Open space
- Residential
Suburb profile
Lake Bolac is a regional centre in Ararat that balances local services with a more relaxed pace of life. Set in the wider countryside, it offers distance from the capital and a strong sense of place. Tree-lined streets and leafy pockets give the suburb a noticeably green, settled character.
Retirees and empty-nesters are well represented here, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. The town centre holds its own, with enough local flavour to make staying close to home appealing. Green space is a real strength, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb.
The market sits in a sensible middle ground: not cheap, but fair value for the area. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
The desirability score is below average, weighed down by weaker growth momentum and housing affordability against similar regional towns, even with safety and parks and green space holding up better.
Population
- Population
- 368
- Median age
- 48
- Median household income / week
- $1,230
- Dwelling vacancy
- 19%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 34 of 179
- Median monthly mortgage
- $980
- Employment rate
- 55.9%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 15 / 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)
- 11
- Against the person
- 2
- Against property
- 7
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 29.9
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 184 residents
- State safety percentile
- 24.1th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -76.6%
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- A81 Dangerous Driving1
- B41 Motor Vehicle Theft1
- B42 Steal From A Motor Vehicle2
- B43 Steal From A Retail Store2
- Other Crimes Against The Person1
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
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 936
- Lake Bolac CollegeCombined
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
5 public transport stops in this suburb
- Bush Nursing Centre/Montgomery St
- Information Centre/Glenelg Hwy
- Information Centre/Glenelg Hwy
- Information Centre/Glenelg Hwy
- Lake Bolac College/Montgomery St
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).
4 planning-related records
2021· 1 proposal
September 2021
- 2 Lot Subdivision2127 GLENELG HIGHWAY LAKE BOLAC 3351Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
2020· 3 proposals
August 2020
- Expansion to piggery5615 Mortlake-Ararat RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
July 2020
- Construction of a Shed in an Environmental Significant Overlay217 Parupa Park RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
May 2020
- Rural shed within 100m of a roadway (Category 1)5615 Mortlake-Ararat 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
25 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Britten Ag ServicesAgrarian
- Bendigo BankBank
- Bbq (3)
- Bush Nursing Centre/Montgomery StBus stop
- Information Centre/Glenelg HwyBus stop
- Lake Bolac College/Montgomery StBus stop
- Lake Bolac Diner and CafeCafe
- Lake Bolac Memorial HallCommunity centre
- EVupEV charging
- Lake Bolac CFAFire station
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe).
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
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 5/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 6/10
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
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)
- 56
- 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
- 38.5/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 3595th in Australia
- State rank
- 691st in VIC
- Peer rank
- #110 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #279 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 78%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- A81 Dangerous Drivingcrime1
- B41 Motor Vehicle Theftcrime1
- B42 Steal From A Motor Vehiclecrime2
- B43 Steal From A Retail Storecrime2
- Other Crimes Against The Personcrime1
- 2 Lot Subdivisionplanning2127 GLENELG HIGHWAY LAKE BOLAC 3351Lodged 06 Sep 2021 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Construction of a Shed in an Environmental Significant Overlayplanning217 Parupa Park RoadLodged 06 Jul 2020 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Expansion to piggeryplanning5615 Mortlake-Ararat RoadLodged 06 Aug 2020 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Rural shed within 100m of a roadway (Category 1)planning5615 Mortlake-Ararat RoadLodged 20 May 2020 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Bush Nursing Centre/Montgomery Sttransport
Data sources & freshness
- Recorded offences by suburb/town — Crime Statistics Agency (Victoria) · Updated on site · Year ending March release
- PPARS planning permit activity (statewide) — Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria) · Updated on site · Public MapServer last updated Feb 2024 — applications through FY 2022–23 only; newer PPARS data requires council/API access
- GTFS public transport stops — State transport authority open-data feeds · Updated on site · GTFS static feed
More in Ararat Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Victoria.