Gisborne, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Gisborne is a town in the Macedon Ranges of central Victoria, about 54 kilometres north-west of Melbourne and 16 kilometres from Sunbury. It is named after Henry Fyshe Gisborne, Commissioner of Crown Lands for the Port Phillip District, who set up a Border Police outpost here in 1840. George Hamilton settled the site in 1837, and John Aitken had earlier run merino sheep brought from Tasmania; a post office opened in 1850, and the Bush Inn was renamed the Gisborne Hotel. In 1858 Edward Cherry founded Cherry and Sons, making timber butter churns and later post-hole diggers, one of the oldest industries in country Victoria, and it lasted until the 1970s. The Presbyterian church, court house and telegraph office survive, and leafy streets now draw Melbourne commuters.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Gisborne is more socio-economically advantaged than about 88% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1067, 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.
Gisborne at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 10,142
- Median age
- 39
- Median weekly household income
- $2,294
- SEIFA score
- 1067
- Coordinates
- -37.5067, 144.5782
Gisborne demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Gisborne 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 26%, 16% of homes are rented, and 14% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 2,360 | 23% |
| Youth (15–24) | 1,127 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,392 | 24% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,679 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,583 | 16% |
Share of the 10,141 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,188 | 35% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,644 | 48% |
| Rented | 546 | 16% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 3,053 | 89% |
| Townhouses & semis | 359 | 10% |
| Flats & apartments | 33 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 3,445 occupied private dwellings in Gisborne.
- Median weekly rent
- $423
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,167
- Average household size
- 2.8 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,648
- Median weekly personal income
- $966
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,356 (14%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 537 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 92 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 4,582 (63%)
- Labour-force participation
- 68.1%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.1%
- Employed full-time
- 3,025
- Employed part-time
- 1,782
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 Gisborne
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Gisborne is January (average daytime high around 24.7°C) and the coolest is July (around 10°C). The area receives roughly 752 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24.7°C | 12.5°C | 74 mm |
| Feb | 23.4°C | 11.8°C | 37 mm |
| Mar | 21.3°C | 11.1°C | 56 mm |
| Apr | 17.2°C | 8.8°C | 61 mm |
| May | 13.3°C | 6.8°C | 61 mm |
| Jun | 10.7°C | 5.1°C | 64 mm |
| Jul | 10°C | 4.4°C | 49 mm |
| Aug | 11°C | 4.3°C | 56 mm |
| Sep | 13.8°C | 5.5°C | 67 mm |
| Oct | 17.2°C | 6.9°C | 77 mm |
| Nov | 19.5°C | 8.6°C | 78 mm |
| Dec | 22.4°C | 10.3°C | 72 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Gisborne
Where is Gisborne?
Gisborne is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Gisborne?
At the 2021 Census, Gisborne had a population of about 10,142.
Is Gisborne an advantaged area?
Gisborne has an ABS SEIFA score of 1067, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 88 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 88% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Gisborne?
Gisborne has average daytime highs of about 17°C and overnight lows of about 8°C, with roughly 752 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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