VIC · Buloke Council
Watchupga, 3485
Current weather
10.2°CPartly cloudy
92% humidity · 23.6 km/h wind · 14.4° / 9.2° today · 9.9 mm rain
Updated
- National parks
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Watchupga is a residential smaller community in Buloke with a familiar suburban feel. Out in the wider region, it rewards those who value open country and a pace set by the land, not the clock. The area suits established families and long-term locals, with family life visible on every street.
Weekends tend to revolve around local favourites: a café, a market run, a walk through town. Community life feels grounded and local, with residents who tend to know their neighbourhood well.
The market sits in a sensible middle ground: not cheap, but fair value for the area.
Population
- Population
- 43
- Median age
- 43
- Median household income / week
- $966
- Dwelling vacancy
- 25%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 5 of 20
- Median monthly mortgage
- $335
- Employment rate
- 62.9%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 0 / 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 (2021)
- 5
- Against the person
- 4
- Against property
- 1
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 116.3
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 11 residents
- State safety percentile
- 79.3th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +67.1%
Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- B49 Other Theft1
- Other Crimes Against The Person4
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: 2020 · Updated on site · 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).
1 planning-related records
2020· 1 proposal
July 2020
- Construction of a pig shed406 Stannard 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 · 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
Parks & reserves
2 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Watchupga I185 Bushland ReserveNature reserve
- Watchupga I294 B.RNature 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)
- 5/10
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
- 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)
- 5
- 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
Recent changes
- B49 Other Theftcrime1
- Other Crimes Against The Personcrime4
- Watchupga I185 Bushland Reservegovernmentnature_reserve
- Watchupga I294 B.Rgovernmentnature_reserve
- Construction of a pig shedplanning406 Stannard RoadLodged 06 Jul 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
- 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
More in Buloke Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.