Drouin, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Drouin is a town in West Gippsland, Victoria, about 90 kilometres east of Melbourne and a short distance west of Warragul. The traditional owners of the area are the Kulin and Kurnai peoples. The town's name is usually traced to a French engineer named Derouin, who oversaw a railway construction camp here in the 1870s. Once dense forest, the district was cleared for farming and became known for dairying, with a large cooperative butter factory operating for much of the twentieth century, as well as timber milling and, during the world wars, flax growing. Drouin is known for its flowering gum trees and the annual Ficifolia Festival that celebrates them, and has grown quickly as a commuter town.
Less advantaged than the national average
Drouin is more socio-economically advantaged than about 30% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 951, 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.
Drouin at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 15,287
- Median age
- 39
- Median weekly household income
- $1,432
- SEIFA score
- 951
- Coordinates
- -38.1429, 145.8410
Drouin demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Drouin 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 young adults (25–44) at 25%, 21% of homes are rented, and 14% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 3,122 | 20% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,583 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 3,837 | 25% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 3,460 | 23% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3,283 | 21% |
Share of the 15,285 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 2,035 | 35% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 2,312 | 40% |
| Rented | 1,225 | 21% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 5,146 | 90% |
| Townhouses & semis | 291 | 5% |
| Flats & apartments | 220 | 4% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 5,732 occupied private dwellings in Drouin.
- Median weekly rent
- $330
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,647
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,776
- Median weekly personal income
- $694
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 2,008 (14%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 754 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 279 (2%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 5,101 (44%)
- Labour-force participation
- 57.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.1%
- Employed full-time
- 3,775
- Employed part-time
- 2,452
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.
Weather and climate in Drouin
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Drouin is January (average daytime high around 26.3°C) and the coolest is July (around 12.6°C). The area receives roughly 949 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26.3°C | 14.3°C | 65 mm |
| Feb | 25.1°C | 13.8°C | 40 mm |
| Mar | 23.3°C | 13.2°C | 55 mm |
| Apr | 19.4°C | 10.3°C | 72 mm |
| May | 15.6°C | 8.3°C | 86 mm |
| Jun | 13.1°C | 6.2°C | 89 mm |
| Jul | 12.6°C | 5.9°C | 76 mm |
| Aug | 13.4°C | 5.9°C | 99 mm |
| Sep | 16°C | 7°C | 98 mm |
| Oct | 18.9°C | 8.6°C | 103 mm |
| Nov | 20.9°C | 10.4°C | 98 mm |
| Dec | 24°C | 12.2°C | 68 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Drouin
Where is Drouin?
Drouin is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Drouin?
At the 2021 Census, Drouin had a population of about 15,287.
Is Drouin an advantaged area?
Drouin has an ABS SEIFA score of 951, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 30 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 30% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Drouin?
Drouin has average daytime highs of about 19.1°C and overnight lows of about 9.7°C, with roughly 949 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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