VIC · South Gippsland Council
Poowong, 3988
Current weather
9.4°CRain showers
95% humidity · 29.6 km/h wind · 11.3° / 8.3° today · 22.1 mm rain
Desirability score
Suburb snapshot
Poowong is a small locality in the South Gippsland area, home to around 717 residents (2021 Census). Available data shows 25 offences in 2026 with relatively stable year-on-year trends (-4%), roughly 34.9 offences per 1,000 residents, 1 school and preschool site in the area, limited but present public transport access, fewer mapped amenities than nearby suburbs, and notable planning and development activity on record. Snapshot data also shows parks or public open space within the suburb.
Population
- Population
- 717
- Median age
- 42
- Median household income / week
- $1,625
- Dwelling vacancy
- 7.7%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 23 of 298
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,700
- Employment rate
- 62.2%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 18 / 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)
- 25
- Against the person
- 5
- Against property
- 13
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 34.9
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 143 residents
- State safety percentile
- 30.7th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -3.8%
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- A711 Fv Stalking1
- B322 Non-Residential Non-Aggravated Burglary5
- B49 Other Theft4
- E19 Other Justice Procedures Offences6
- Other Crimes Against The Person3
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
- 985
- Poowong Consolidated 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
3 public transport stops in this suburb
- Houlghans Lane/Poowong Ranceby Rd
- Poowong Post Office/Drouin Poowong Rd
- Timms Rd/Drouin Poowong 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).
15 planning-related records
2021· 6 proposals
August 2021
- 10 lot Subdivision and Creation of access to a Road Zone Category 114 BRISBANE STREET POOWONG 3988Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
July 2021
- Develop land with a dwelling80 RANCEBY ROAD POOWONG 3988Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
April 2021
- Staged subdivision of the land, native vegetation removal and creation of an access to a Road Zone - Category 1 - Amend condition 15(b)28A NYORA ROAD POOWONG 3988Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Use and development of land with a medical centre and ancillary pharmacy30 Ranceby RoadLapsed
February 2021
- Use and development of land with a dwelling and outbuilding78 Frys LanePermit issued by a delegate of the RA
January 2021
- Development of an outbuilding ancillary to the existing dwelling.795 Lang Lang-Poowong RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
2020· 9 proposals
December 2020
- Develop land with an extension to an existing building associated with an existing abattoir60 Gardner LaneNOD issued by a delegate
- Subdivision (boundary realignment) and development of a dwelling and outbuilding - Amend current conditions of the permit2605 Drouin-Korumburra RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Develop land with an extension to a dwelling and develop land with an extension to an existing domestic outbuilding.131-133 Nyora RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
November 2020
- Use and Development of the land for animal keeping1081 Lang Lang-Poowong RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Use of land for a dwelling16 Ranceby RoadNo permit required
October 2020
- Subdivision of land (2 lots and balance lot) and the creation of access to a Road Zone Category 1 - amend endorsed plans14 Brisbane StreetPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Develop land with a domestic outbuilding95 Nyora RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
June 2020
- Use and development of land for a medical centre and a pharmacy30 Ranceby RoadRefusal issued by a delegate
April 2020
- Subdivision of land (2 lots and balance lot) and the creation of access to a Road Zone Category 114 Brisbane StreetPermit 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
7 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
- Poowong CafeConvenience store
- Poowong libraryLibrary
- Place of worship
- Poowong Post OfficePost office
- Poowong HotelPub
- Public toilets
- Poowong IGA X-PressSupermarket
Ranceby Road, Poowong
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
- Nyora Nature Conservation ReserveNature reserve
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 6/10
- 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
Heritage
1 state heritage place
- NOTCHED LOG COTTAGENH1987
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · 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)
- 1
- 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
- 40.9/100
- National rank
- 3080th in Australia
- State rank
- 618th in VIC
- Peer rank
- #124 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #225 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
- A711 Fv Stalkingcrime1
- B322 Non-Residential Non-Aggravated Burglarycrime5
- B49 Other Theftcrime4
- E19 Other Justice Procedures Offencescrime6
- Other Crimes Against The Personcrime3
- NOTCHED LOG COTTAGEheritageNH1987
- Nyora Nature Conservation Reservegovernmentnature_reserve
- 10 lot Subdivision and Creation of access to a Road Zone Category 1planning14 BRISBANE STREET POOWONG 3988Lodged 26 Aug 2021 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Develop land with a domestic outbuildingplanning95 Nyora RoadLodged 06 Oct 2020 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
- Develop land with a dwellingplanning80 RANCEBY ROAD POOWONG 3988Lodged 07 Jul 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
- 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
Similar suburbs
Suburbs with a similar population, SEIFA decile and location.