VIC · Nillumbik Council

Smiths Gully, 3760

Current weather

9.9°CLight drizzle

93% humidity · 29.1 km/h wind · 11° / 8.5° today · 7.8 mm rain

Desirability score

55.6/100

1127th in Australia

62% data confidence

How this score is calculated

Last updated 2 July 2026 at 6:15 pm AEST

Suburb snapshot

Smiths Gully is a small locality in the Nillumbik area, home to around 356 residents (2021 Census). Available data shows 3 offences in 2026 with falling year-on-year trends (-50%), roughly 8.4 offences per 1,000 residents, 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: 356
Median age: 49
Median household income / week: $2,468
Dwelling vacancy: 4.8%
Unoccupied private dwellings: 6 of 124
Median monthly mortgage: $2,167
Employment rate: 69.9%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats): 7 / 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 1 July 2026 at 5:05 pm AEST · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Total offences (2026): 3
Against the person: 0
Against property: 2
Rate per 1,000 residents: 8.4
State safety percentile: 2.4th (lower crime is better)
Decrease (daily rate): -50%

Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.

Reported offences by period

Most common offence types

B321 Residential Non-Aggravated Burglary1
B49 Other Theft1
D35 Improper Movement On Public Or Private Space1

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 2 July 2026 at 12:14 pm AEST · Year ending March release

Planning & development

Development applications from PPARS statewide register (lodged 2020–2022). Free public PPARS MapServer — applications through ~2022 (service last updated Feb 2024).

11 planning-related records

2021· 6 proposals

September 2021
Removal of vegetation14 Sep 2021
70 SMITHS GULLY ROAD SMITHS GULLY 3760Withdrawn
August 2021
Buildings and works to construct an outbuilding10 Aug 2021
215 SMITHS GULLY ROAD SMITHS GULLY 3760Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
July 2021
Buildings and works to construct a shed and install four water tanks05 Jul 2021
170 ONE TREE HILL ROAD SMITHS GULLY 3760Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
May 2021
Amendment - Buildings and works to construct two outbuildings02 May 2021
44 One Tree Hill RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
April 2021
Amendment - Buildings and works for an extension to the dwelling including the construction of a deck, verandah and the construction of a swimming pool22 Apr 2021
480 CLINTONS ROAD SMITHS GULLY 3760Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Buildings and works to construct a shed and retaining wall07 Apr 2021
910 KANGAROO GROUND-ST ANDREWS ROAD SMITHS GULLY 3760Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

2020· 5 proposals

October 2020
Buildings and works to construct a shed26 Oct 2020
67 Joyce RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
August 2020
Removal of three shrubs06 Aug 2020
Kangaroo Ground-St Andrews RoadNo permit required
June 2020
Buildings and works to construct two outbuildings25 Jun 2020
44 One Tree Hill RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
Buildings and works to construct a shed and associated earthworks05 Jun 2020
180 Smiths Gully RoadPermit issued by a delegate of the RA
April 2020
Buildings and works to construct a water tank30 Apr 2020
55 Brens 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 1 July 2026 at 5:31 pm AEST · Public MapServer last updated Feb 2024 — applications through FY 2022–23 only; newer PPARS data requires council/API access

Amenities

2 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km

Bench
Parking

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 1 July 2026 at 5:15 pm AEST · Weekly refresh

Parks & reserves

4 parks and public open space in this suburb

Bulwidj ReserveNature reserve
Peter Franke ReservePark
Smiths Gully G147 Bushland ReserveNature reserve
Smiths Gully G150 Bushland ReserveNature reserve

Data sources & freshness

Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Period: current · Updated on site 1 July 2026 at 5:32 pm AEST

Socio-economic (SEIFA)

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

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 1 July 2026 at 5:05 pm AEST · 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 1 July 2026 at 6:14 pm AEST

Green cover

Parks & woodland (OSM): 7
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 1 July 2026 at 5:16 pm AEST · Weekly refresh

Desirability index

Desirability score: 55.6/100
National rank: 1127th in Australia
State rank: 284th in VIC
Peer rank: #8 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank: #39 among Country & regional suburbs
Data confidence: 62%

Data sources & freshness

Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site 2 July 2026 at 6:10 pm AEST · Derived from source metrics

Recent changes

B321 Residential Non-Aggravated Burglarycrime1
B49 Other Theftcrime1
D35 Improper Movement On Public Or Private Spacecrime1
Bulwidj Reservegovernmentnature_reserve
Peter Franke Reservegovernmentpark
Smiths Gully G147 Bushland Reservegovernmentnature_reserve
Smiths Gully G150 Bushland Reservegovernmentnature_reserve
Amendment - Buildings and works for an extension to the dwelling including the construction of a deck, verandah and the construction of a swimming poolplanning480 CLINTONS ROAD SMITHS GULLY 3760Lodged 22 Apr 2021 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Amendment - Buildings and works to construct two outbuildingsplanning44 One Tree Hill RoadLodged 02 May 2021 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA
Buildings and works to construct a shedplanning67 Joyce RoadLodged 26 Oct 2020 · Permit issued by a delegate of the RA

Data sources & freshness

Recorded offences by suburb/town — Crime Statistics Agency (Victoria) · Updated on site 2 July 2026 at 12:13 pm AEST · Year ending March release
Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · Updated on site 1 July 2026 at 5:32 pm AEST
PPARS planning permit activity (statewide) — Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria) · Updated on site 1 July 2026 at 5:31 pm AEST · 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.