VIC · Colac Otway Council
Marengo, 3233
Current weather
9.2°CClear sky
76% humidity · 28.5 km/h wind · 12.1° / 7.5° today · 4.6 mm rain
Desirability score
Suburb snapshot
Marengo (Vic.) is a small locality in the Colac Otway area, home to around 272 residents (2021 Census). Available data shows 8 offences in 2026 with rising year-on-year trends (+300%), roughly 29.4 offences per 1,000 residents, limited but present public transport access, fewer mapped amenities than nearby suburbs, and some planning and development activity on record. Snapshot data also shows parks or public open space within the suburb.
Population
- Population
- 272
- Median age
- 59
- Median household income / week
- $1,292
- Dwelling vacancy
- 56.5%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 156 of 276
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,000
- Employment rate
- 50.4%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 4 / 7 / 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)
- 8
- Against the person
- 1
- Against property
- 5
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 29.4
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 272 residents
- State safety percentile
- 23.6th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +300%
Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- B21 Criminal Damage1
- B321 Residential Non-Aggravated Burglary1
- B42 Steal From A Motor Vehicle1
- B49 Other Theft1
- 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
Public transport
2 public transport stops in this suburb
- Harrison St/Marengo Crst
- Harrison St/Marengo Crst
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· 2 proposals
March 2021
- Building and Works Comprising Construction of Outbuilding17 OCEAN PARK DRIVE MARENGO 3233Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
February 2021
- Subdivision of the Land into Two (2) Lots20 TELFORD STREET MARENGO 3233Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
2020· 2 proposals
September 2020
- Buildings and Works Comprising Construction of Replacement Dwelling8 MITCHELL COURT MARENGO 3233Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
June 2020
- Building and Works Comprising Extension and Alterations to Building30 ROBERTS ROAD MARENGO 3233Permit 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
1 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Harrison St/Marengo CresBus stop
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
Parks & reserves
1 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Heathfield Estate ReservePark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 7/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 8/10
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
- 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
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 9
- Parks (OSM)
- 1
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
- 18.5/100
- National rank
- 6617th in Australia
- State rank
- 1236th in VIC
- Peer rank
- #80 among Coastal & beach · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #129 among Coastal & beach 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
- B21 Criminal Damagecrime1
- B321 Residential Non-Aggravated Burglarycrime1
- B42 Steal From A Motor Vehiclecrime1
- B49 Other Theftcrime1
- Other Crimes Against The Personcrime1
- Heathfield Estate Reservegovernmentpark
- Building and Works Comprising Construction of Outbuildingplanning17 OCEAN PARK DRIVE MARENGO 3233Lodged 10 Mar 2021 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Building and Works Comprising Extension and Alterations to Buildingplanning30 ROBERTS ROAD MARENGO 3233Lodged 22 Jun 2020 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Buildings and Works Comprising Construction of Replacement Dwellingplanning8 MITCHELL COURT MARENGO 3233Lodged 11 Sep 2020 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Subdivision of the Land into Two (2) Lotsplanning20 TELFORD STREET MARENGO 3233Lodged 10 Feb 2021 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
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
- 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
Similar suburbs
Suburbs with a similar population, SEIFA decile and location.