suburb.guide

VIC · Murrindindi Council

Narbethong, 3778

Current weather

8.1°CDense drizzle

97% humidity · 23.5 km/h wind · 8.3° / 6.4° today · 16.4 mm rain

Updated

Desirability score

14/100
Below average

1264th in VIC

74% data confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Green suburb
  • High desirability
  • Café precinct
  • Education hub
What Narbethong is known for: Green suburb, High desirability, Café precinct, Education hub

Suburb profile

Narbethong offers a slower smaller community life in Murrindindi, with open surrounds and a close-knit community feel. Life revolves around the local community, with the wider region offering trips and services when needed. The landscape itself is part of the lifestyle: open paddocks, big skies and room to breathe.

A mature community gives the area a calm, settled social fabric, with families and grandchildren still a visible part of community life. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name. Housing is well-priced for what you get: space, location and everyday convenience.

Light infill development is updating a few streets while the wider area stays largely unchanged.

On the desirability index, the suburb sits below average overall, with local dining and lifestyle amenities and housing affordability the main drags compared with similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.

Population

Population
201
Median age
51
Median household income / week
$1,542
Dwelling vacancy
22.4%
Unoccupied private dwellings
24 of 107
Median monthly mortgage
$1,472
Employment rate
68.6%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
4 / 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)
31
Against the person
2
Against property
23
Rate per 1,000 residents
154.2
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 100 residents
State safety percentile
86.4th (lower crime is better)
Increase (daily rate)
+93.7%

Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.

Reported offences by period

Most common offence types

  • B21 Criminal Damage3
  • B321 Residential Non-Aggravated Burglary5
  • B322 Non-Residential Non-Aggravated Burglary5
  • B42 Steal From A Motor Vehicle2
  • B49 Other Theft6

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)

Crime rate and year-on-year trend

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

2 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Anderson Lane/Maroondah Hwy
  • Anderson Lane/Maroondah Hwy

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Public transport stop coverage

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).

10 planning-related records

2021· 6 proposals

  • August 2021

  • Farm Building Development of a Shed
    946 MAROONDAH HIGHWAY NARBETHONG 3778Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • July 2021

  • Single Dwelling Use and development of land for a dwelling
    36 TARNPIRR ROAD NARBETHONG 3778Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • June 2021

  • Farm Building Development of land for a farm shed
    1409 Maroondah HighwayPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Agriculture Development of land for a farm shed
    1301 Maroondah HighwayPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • April 2021

  • Single Dwelling Use and development of a dwelling (Completion of previously approved dwelling)
    21 Nichols RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • February 2021

  • Farm Building Development of the land for the purpose of a farmshed
    271 Maroondah HighwayPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
2020· 4 proposals

  • November 2020

  • Dwelling (Alts & Adds) Extension to an existing dwelling
    946 Maroondah HighwayNo permit required

  • August 2020

  • Agriculture Development of land for an agricultural shed
    1301 Maroondah HighwayRefusal issued by the Resp. Authority
  • Dwelling (Alts & Adds) Development of the land for the purpose of alterations and additions to the existing dwelling
    1220 Maroondah HighwayPermit issued by a delegate of the RA

  • May 2020

  • Single Dwelling and Garages/Carports/Outbuildings Use and development of land for the purpose of a single dwelling
    36 Tarnpirr RoadWithdrawn

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

Health access

Hospitals & GP clinics
1
Emergency department
Not in suburb
  • Abide Wellness RetreatMaroondah Highwaycentre

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)

Hospitals and GP clinics

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

IRSAD decile (2021)
7/10
IRSD decile (2021)
7/10

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

Heritage

1 state heritage place

  • THE HERMITAGENH0303

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · Period: current · Updated on site

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)
4
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
14.0/100 — Below average
National rank
6869th in Australia
State rank
1264th in VIC
Peer rank
#414 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#737 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence
74%

Data sources & freshness

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

Recent changes

  • B21 Criminal Damagecrime3
  • B321 Residential Non-Aggravated Burglarycrime5
  • B322 Non-Residential Non-Aggravated Burglarycrime5
  • B42 Steal From A Motor Vehiclecrime2
  • B49 Other Theftcrime6
  • THE HERMITAGEheritageNH0303
  • Abide Wellness RetreathealthMaroondah Highwaycentre
  • Agriculture Development of land for a farm shedplanning1301 Maroondah HighwayLodged 01 Jun 2021 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
  • Agriculture Development of land for an agricultural shedplanning1301 Maroondah HighwayLodged 28 Aug 2020 · Refusal issued by the Resp. Authority
  • Dwelling (Alts & Adds) Development of the land for the purpose of alterations and additions to the existing dwellingplanning1220 Maroondah HighwayLodged 10 Aug 2020 · 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
  • Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · Updated on site
  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · 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

More in Murrindindi Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Victoria.