Clunes (Vic.), VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Clunes lies in the central Victorian goldfields, about 36 kilometres north of Ballarat and roughly 140 kilometres from Melbourne. The Dja Dja Wurrung people, part of the Kulin nation, were the first inhabitants of the country around the town. A Scottish overlander, Donald Cameron, took up a pastoral run here in 1839 and named the place after Clunes in the Scottish Highlands. In 1850 gold was found on his station, Victoria's first registered gold discovery, and a strike the following year helped set off the colony's great gold rush. The town swelled past six thousand people before mining wound down in the 1890s. Today its remarkably intact streetscape draws filmmakers and book lovers, the latter for the annual Clunes Booktown Festival.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Clunes (Vic.) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 14% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 907, 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.
Clunes (Vic.) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,844
- Median age
- 51
- Median weekly household income
- $1,037
- SEIFA score
- 907
- Coordinates
- -37.2877, 143.7803
Clunes (Vic.) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Clunes (Vic.) 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%, 13% of homes are rented, and 15% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 261 | 14% |
| Youth (15–24) | 150 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 344 | 19% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 588 | 32% |
| Seniors (65+) | 501 | 27% |
Share of the 1,844 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 382 | 48% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 272 | 34% |
| Rented | 107 | 13% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 759 | 95% |
| Townhouses & semis | 10 | 1% |
| Flats & apartments | 3 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 795 occupied private dwellings in Clunes (Vic.).
- Median weekly rent
- $220
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,127
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,339
- Median weekly personal income
- $503
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 262 (15%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 60 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 47 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 679 (44%)
- Labour-force participation
- 47.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 7.4%
- Employed full-time
- 346
- Employed part-time
- 273
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 Clunes (Vic.)
Where is Clunes (Vic.)?
Clunes (Vic.) is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Clunes (Vic.)?
At the 2021 Census, Clunes (Vic.) had a population of about 1,844.
Is Clunes (Vic.) an advantaged area?
Clunes (Vic.) has an ABS SEIFA score of 907, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 14 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 14% of Australian suburbs.
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