Chiltern, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Chiltern is a historic gold-rush town in north-eastern Victoria, set between Wangaratta and Wodonga about 281 kilometres from Melbourne and roughly 25 kilometres from Beechworth. The area is the traditional land of the Dhudhuroa people, and the town takes its name from the Chiltern Hills in England. Surveyed in 1853, it boomed after gold discoveries in 1858 and 1859, and a post office opened the following year. Well-preserved nineteenth-century streetscapes survive, along with the Grape Vine Hotel, home to a vine planted in 1867 and said to be one of the largest in the country. The town was home to the novelist Henry Handel Richardson and later to the prime minister John McEwen.
Less advantaged than the national average
Chiltern is more socio-economically advantaged than about 25% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 940, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Chiltern at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,580
- Median age
- 50
- Median weekly household income
- $1,305
- SEIFA score
- 940
- Coordinates
- -36.1861, 146.6215
Chiltern demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Chiltern using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is mid-life (45–64) at 32%, 11% of homes are rented, and 11% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 237 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 163 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 272 | 17% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 514 | 32% |
| Seniors (65+) | 402 | 25% |
Share of the 1,588 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 290 | 44% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 270 | 41% |
| Rented | 75 | 11% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 613 | 93% |
| Townhouses & semis | 14 | 2% |
| Flats & apartments | 11 | 2% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 657 occupied private dwellings in Chiltern.
- Median weekly rent
- $260
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,300
- Average household size
- 2.3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,684
- Median weekly personal income
- $682
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 163 (11%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 27 (2%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 20 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 529 (41%)
- Labour-force participation
- 56.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 4%
- Employed full-time
- 416
- Employed part-time
- 246
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Common questions about Chiltern
Where is Chiltern?
Chiltern is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Chiltern?
At the 2021 Census, Chiltern had a population of about 1,580.
Is Chiltern an advantaged area?
Chiltern has an ABS SEIFA score of 940, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 25 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 25% of Australian suburbs.
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