Mallacoota, VIC
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Mallacoota is a remote coastal town in the far east of Gippsland, Victoria, about 520 kilometres east of Melbourne and almost surrounded by the Croajingolong National Park. Set on the Mallacoota Inlet, it is a popular spot for boating, fishing, birdwatching and surfing, and supports a long-running abalone industry. It lies in the country of the Bidawal people. Its name is often said to mean 'meeting place', though some sources interpret it as referring to the sacred white pipe clay used by local clans. Europeans settled the district from the 1830s, and the lighthouse on nearby Gabo Island dates from the 1850s. In the summer of 2019-20 the town drew national attention when bushfires forced residents and visitors to shelter by the water, and many homes were lost.
Less advantaged than the national average
Mallacoota is more socio-economically advantaged than about 31% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 954, 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.
Mallacoota at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 1,183
- Median age
- 59
- Median weekly household income
- $1,031
- SEIFA score
- 954
- Coordinates
- -37.5239, 149.8094
Mallacoota demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Mallacoota 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 seniors (65+) at 37%, 16% of homes are rented, and 18% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 139 | 12% |
| Youth (15–24) | 68 | 6% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 176 | 15% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 365 | 31% |
| Seniors (65+) | 441 | 37% |
Share of the 1,189 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 296 | 60% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 95 | 19% |
| Rented | 80 | 16% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 468 | 93% |
| Townhouses & semis | 20 | 4% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 501 occupied private dwellings in Mallacoota.
- Median weekly rent
- $221
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,148
- Average household size
- 2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,375
- Median weekly personal income
- $591
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 198 (18%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 57 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 12 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 513 (50%)
- Labour-force participation
- 45.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 2.9%
- Employed full-time
- 191
- Employed part-time
- 226
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 Mallacoota
Where is Mallacoota?
Mallacoota is a suburb of Victoria, Australia.
What is the population of Mallacoota?
At the 2021 Census, Mallacoota had a population of about 1,183.
Is Mallacoota an advantaged area?
Mallacoota has an ABS SEIFA score of 954, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 31 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 31% of Australian suburbs.
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