Ararat

Victoria · North West · 12,124 people · 39 suburbs · 9 postcodes

Ararat at a glance

12,124

Population

#67 of 79 in VIC

4,248

km² area

3/km² density

46.2

Median age

+7.1 vs VIC

$1,276

Median HH income/wk

#65 of 79 in VIC

931

SEIFA IRSAD

#64 of 79 in VIC

Schools

10 gov, 2 Cath, 0 indep

11.2%

Born overseas

22.6%

Renting

Map shows the Ararat LGA boundary in blue with a marker per suburb. Hover for suburb name, click for details.

Marker colour reflects SEIFA IRSAD decile: ● 1-2 (most disadvantaged), ● 3-4, ● 5-6, ● 7-8, ● 9-10 (most advantaged).

Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021. Map tiles: OpenStreetMap contributors.

Ararat is a Local Government Area in Victoria, in the Melbourne region. It covers 39 suburbs across 9 postcodes and an area of 4,248 km². Ararat has a population of 12,124 , ranking #67 most populous in VIC. The most populous suburb is Ararat (8,500 residents), and the highest median household income is in Dobie at $2,833/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,276/week and median age is 46.2. About 11.2% of residents were born overseas and 5.0% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

15.2%

9.5%

23.3%

27.7%

24.3%

0–14 (15.2%) 15–24 (9.5%) 25–44 (23.3%) 45–64 (27.7%) 65+ (24.3%)

Show counts

0–14 years	1,839 (15.2%)
15–24 years	1,147 (9.5%)
25–44 years	2,826 (23.3%)
45–64 years	3,348 (27.7%)
65+ years	2,943 (24.3%)

11.2%

Born overseas

5.0%

Speak a language other than English at home

1.7%

First Nations

2.3

Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

46.9%

30.6%

22.6%

Owned outright (46.9%) Mortgaged (30.6%) Renting (22.6%)

Dwelling type mix

95.4%

Separate house (95.4%) Semi/townhouse (4.2%) Flat/apartment (0.4%)

$224

Median weekly rent

$1,090

Median monthly mortgage

39.8%

Households with 0-1 cars

60.2%

Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

3.6%

Unemployment rate

2,887

In full-time work

1,762

In part-time work

Schools in Ararat

12 schools across Ararat: 83.3% Government, 16.7% Catholic, 0% Independent. The VIC average is 68.6% / 21.4% / 10.0%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 984 (range 862 to 1064). VIC median is 1027; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

83.3%

16.7%

VIC average for comparison

68.6%

21.4%

10.0%

Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

75.0%

16.7%

8.3%

Primary (75.0%) Secondary (16.7%) Combined (8.3%) Special (0%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300

LGA median 984 VIC median 1027LGA range 862 to 1064

ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) summarises the socio-economic background of each school's families. Higher values indicate more advantage. Source: ACARA 2025.

All 12 schools in Ararat, sorted by enrolment:

School	Sector	Type	Suburb	Students	ICSEA
Marian College	Catholic	Secondary	Ararat	369	1017
Ararat Secondary College	Government	Secondary	Ararat	332	940
Ararat West Primary School	Government	Primary	Ararat	257	984
Ararat Primary School	Government	Primary	Ararat	223	971
St Mary's School	Catholic	Primary	Ararat	121	1038
Lake Bolac College	Government	Combined	Lake Bolac	92	936
Ararat North Primary School	Government	Primary	Ararat	49	862
Moyston Primary School	Government	Primary	Moyston	31	983
Maroona Primary School	Government	Primary	Maroona	22	1064
Pomonal Primary School	Government	Primary	Pomonal	22	977
Buangor Primary School	Government	Primary	Buangor	16	1028
Willaura Primary School	Government	Primary	Willaura	13	1034

Source: ACARA School Profiles 2025. ICSEA shown where reported; some schools (notably small primaries) do not publish ICSEA.

SEIFA socio-economic indexes

SEIFA 2021 ranks Australian areas across four dimensions. Scores are population-weighted averages of suburb-level SEIFA scores within Ararat. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

931

Ranked #64 of 79 VIC LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

955

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

963

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

932

Suburbs in Ararat

Ararat contains 39 suburbs and 9 postcodes. Sorted by population.

Suburb	Postcode	Population	Median income	Median age
Ararat	3377	8,500	$1,216/wk	45
Willaura	3379	439	$976/wk	53
Moyston	3377	403	$1,260/wk	49
Lake Bolac	3351	368	$1,230/wk	48
Pomonal	3381	356	$1,625/wk	51
Black Range	3381	274	$1,531/wk	48
Elmhurst	3469	185	$774/wk	58
Streatham	3351	158	$1,083/wk	44
Tatyoon	3378	130	$1,481/wk	35
Wickliffe	3379	123	$1,166/wk	53
Buangor	3375	112	$1,025/wk	51
Cathcart	3377	110	$1,899/wk	53
Armstrong	3377	90	$1,166/wk	53
Maroona	3377	80	$1,874/wk	48
Ballyrogan	3375	77	$2,156/wk	41
Warrak	3377	68	$2,036/wk	43
Westmere	3351	62	$1,625/wk	46
Rhymney	3377	56	$1,624/wk	39
Mininera	3351	51	$1,812/wk	47
Nerrin Nerrin	3351	48	$2,250/wk	34
Stavely	3379	47	$1,874/wk	48
Norval	3377	40	$1,374/wk	55
Bornes Hill	3379	33	$2,374/wk	56
Dobie	3377	33	$2,833/wk	40
Willaura North	3379	33	$2,749/wk	35
Narrapumelap South	3293	31	$1,792/wk	44
Glenlogie	3469	29	$1,375/wk	53
Rossbridge	3377	27	$1,374/wk	45
Langi Logan	3377	23	$2,124/wk	59
Bayindeen	3375	22	$2,166/wk	43
Mount Cole	3377	21	$724/wk	65
Mafeking	3379	20	$1,625/wk	58
Denicull Creek	3377	19	$2,083/wk	50
Dunneworthy	3377	15	$1,437/wk	57
Eversley	3377	14	$2,625/wk	44
Yalla-Y-Poora	3378	13	$1,874/wk	54
Mount Cole Creek	3377	10	$1,375/wk	57
Rocky Point	3377	4	$574/wk	72
Shirley	3373

Postcodes covered

3293, 3351, 3373, 3375, 3377, 3378, 3379, 3381, 3469

Compare Ararat with neighbouring LGAs

Side-by-side demographic and socio-economic snapshot of Ararat and its closest neighbouring LGAs.

LGA	Population	Median age	Median HH income	SEIFA IRSAD	% renting	% overseas-born
Ararat (VIC)	12,124	46.2	$1,276/wk	931	22.6%	11.2%
Pyrenees	7,530	50.0	$1,137/wk	928	12.3%	9.6%
Northern Grampians	11,687	48.6	$1,162/wk	920	20.8%	9.4%
Moyne	17,252	44.6	$1,570/wk	998	16.6%	7.3%
Southern Grampians	16,656	46.4	$1,303/wk	962	20.8%	7.6%
Corangamite	16,100	48.0	$1,318/wk	955	18.6%	7.3%

Services and amenities

NDIS Providers NDIS provider directory for Ararat Climate & weather Climate data for Ararat

Frequently asked questions about Ararat

What is the population of Ararat?

The 2021 Census recorded 12,124 people living in Ararat, across 39 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Ararat?

Ararat contains 39 suburbs. The most populous are Ararat, Willaura, Moyston, Lake Bolac, Pomonal.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Ararat?

Ararat covers 9 postcodes: 3293, 3351, 3373, 3375, 3377, 3378, 3379, 3381, 3469.

What is the median household income in Ararat?

The population-weighted median household income across Ararat is $1,276 per week (2021 Census), ranking #65 of 79 VIC LGAs.

How many schools are in Ararat?

Ararat has 12 schools, including 10 government, 2 Catholic, and 0 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Ararat?

Ararat has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 931, where the national average is 1000. Higher scores indicate more relative advantage.

Page last reviewed June 2026. Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0), SEIFA 2021 (IRSD, IRSAD, IER, IEO), ACARA School Profiles 2025, ABS ASGS 2021 LGA boundaries. How this data is sourced.