VIC · Ballarat Council
Mount Clear, 3350
Current weather
7.3°CLight drizzle
95% humidity · 25.6 km/h wind · 9.1° / 5.9° today · 13.9 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Growing
- Parks
- Families
- Transport
- Schools
Suburb profile
Mount Clear is a hillside mid-sized suburb in Ballarat, with elevated streets and a greener, quieter pace. Life revolves around the local community, with the wider region offering trips and services when needed. Ridge-top pockets and tree cover give the area a cooler, greener hillside feel.
Working households and growing families are the backbone of local life, with family life visible on every street. Weekends tend to revolve around local favourites: a café, a market run, a walk through town. Green space is a real strength, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb.
Reasonable public transport access helps with commuting and getting around locally. The market sits in a sensible middle ground: not cheap, but fair value for the area.
On the desirability index, the suburb sits around average overall, mainly because local dining and lifestyle amenities and growth momentum lag similar regional towns, despite relative strength in parks and green space and housing affordability.
Population
- Population
- 3,671
- Median age
- 37
- Median household income / week
- $1,462
- Dwelling vacancy
- 7.7%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 113 of 1,468
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,498
- Employment rate
- 57.3%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 97 / 184 / 151
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)
- 213
- Against the person
- 37
- Against property
- 120
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 58
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 99 residents
- State safety percentile
- 53.3th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -3.6%
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- B21 Criminal Damage18
- B41 Motor Vehicle Theft10
- B42 Steal From A Motor Vehicle41
- B49 Other Theft17
- C32 Drug Possession16
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
- 4
- Median school ICSEA (4 schools)
- 1,024
- Damascus CollegeSecondary
- Emmaus Catholic Primary SchoolPrimary
- Mount Clear CollegeSecondary
- Mount Clear 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 · Annual ACARA release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · Period: 2025 · Updated on site · Annual ACARA release
Public transport
14 public transport stops in this suburb
- Glenvale Rd/Geelong Rd
- Midvale SC/Geelong Rd
- Mount Clear PS/Geelong Rd
- Mount Clear Vet Clinic/Geelong Rd
- Olympic Ave/Geelong 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 · 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).
26 planning-related records
2021· 7 proposals
July 2021
- Removal of 1 tree10 HENLIX COURT MOUNT CLEAR 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Development of 11 dwellings and an 11 lot subdivision7 RECREATION ROAD MOUNT CLEAR 3350In progress
May 2021
- Development of five (5) community care accommodation dwellings on a lot1169 GEELONG ROAD MOUNT CLEAR 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
April 2021
- Construction of a second dwelling and two lot subdivision1336 GEELONG ROAD MOUNT CLEAR 3350Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Development of shed94 Jones AvenuePermit issued by a delegate of the RA
February 2021
- Development of a dwelling and boundary fencing15 Landale AvenuePermit issued by a delegate of the RA
January 2021
- Development of a dwelling31 Hermitage AvenuePermit issued by a delegate of the RA
2020· 19 proposals
December 2020
- Construct a fence36B Horwood DrivePermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Development of a shed936 Geelong RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
November 2020
- Development of a dwelling8 Doherty ClosePermit issued by a delegate of the RA
October 2020
- Development of fence19 Marina DrivePermit issued by a delegate of the RA
September 2020
- Removal of one tree35 Hermitage AvenuePermit issued by a delegate of the RA
August 2020
- Development of a dwelling and boundary fencing25 Sailors Gully BoulevardPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
July 2020
- Development of a dwelling10 Fairy Wren CircuitPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Development of a second dwelling, a fence and a two (2) lot subdivision11 Sainsbury CourtPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
June 2020
- Development of a dwelling12 Fairy Wren CircuitPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
April 2020
- Removal of native vegetation (one tree)5 Cartledge AvenueNo permit required
- Development of a dwelling17 Fairy Wren CircuitPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Two lot subdivision1138 Geelong RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
March 2020
- Development of a dwelling15 Fairy Wren CircuitPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Multi-lot subdivision (including boundary realignment)10 Lucia CrescentWithdrawn
February 2020
- Development of a dwelling and vegetation removal1A Marina DrivePermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Development of nine dwellings and a nine lot subdivision209 Tinworth AvenuePermit issued by a delegate of the RA
January 2020
- Development of a dwelling.5 Bunny Hop CourtPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Removal of native vegetation (one tree)82 Hermitage AvenuePermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Removal of native vegetation (one tree)82 Hermitage AvenuePermit 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
40 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Stewart's BakeryBakery
- Bench (10)
- Bicycle Parking
- Bicycle Wheel CleanerBicycle Wash
- Bus stop
- Canadian Gully Ct/Geelong RdBus stop
- Damascus Sec Col/Geelong RdBus stop
- Glenvale Rd/Geelong RdBus stop
- Midvale SC/Geelong RdBus stop
- Mount Clear PS/Geelong RdBus 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
5 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Canadian Creek ReservePark
- Harry Lavery Bushland ReservePark
- Mansfield Avenue ReservePark
- Mount Clear Recreation ReservePark
- Recreation Road Bushland ReservePark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 5/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 4/10
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
Childcare
2 childcare services from OpenStreetMap
- Mt Clear Community Kindergartenkindergarten
- kindergartenkindergarten
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
Childcare centre count
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · 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)
- 15
- Parks (OSM)
- 12
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
- 54.4/100 — Average
- State standing
- Top 23% of Victoria's suburbs
- National rank
- 1276th in Australia
- State rank
- 291st in VIC
- Peer rank
- #9 among Country & regional · Growth area suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #41 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 85%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- B21 Criminal Damagecrime18
- B41 Motor Vehicle Theftcrime10
- B42 Steal From A Motor Vehiclecrime41
- B49 Other Theftcrime17
- C32 Drug Possessioncrime16
- Mt Clear Community Kindergartenchildcarekindergarten
- kindergartenchildcarekindergarten
- Canadian Creek Reservegovernmentpark
- Harry Lavery Bushland Reservegovernmentpark
- Mansfield Avenue Reservegovernmentpark
Data sources & freshness
- Childcare services — OpenStreetMap · Updated on site
- 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
More in Ballarat Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Victoria.