Buloke

Victoria · North West · 6,127 people · 83 suburbs · 17 postcodes

Buloke at a glance

6,127
Population
#76 of 79 in VIC
7,748
km² area
1/km² density
51.5
Median age
+12.4 vs VIC
$1,135
Median HH income/wk
#75 of 79 in VIC
945
SEIFA IRSAD
#57 of 79 in VIC
9
Schools
6 gov, 3 Cath, 0 indep
6.3%
Born overseas
15.7%
Renting

Map shows the Buloke 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.

Buloke is a Local Government Area in Victoria, in the Melbourne region. It covers 83 suburbs across 17 postcodes and an area of 7,748 km². Buloke has a population of 6,127 , ranking #76 most populous in VIC. The most populous suburb is Donald (1,472 residents), and the highest median household income is in Carron at $3,750/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,135/week and median age is 51.5. About 6.3% of residents were born overseas and 3.5% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (14.8%) 15–24 (9.0%) 25–44 (16.5%) 45–64 (30.8%) 65+ (28.9%)
Show counts
0–14 years879 (14.8%)
15–24 years533 (9.0%)
25–44 years982 (16.5%)
45–64 years1,833 (30.8%)
65+ years1,717 (28.9%)
6.3%
Born overseas
3.5%
Speak a language other than English at home
1.4%
First Nations
2.2
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (60.7%) Mortgaged (23.5%) Renting (15.7%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (96.1%) Semi/townhouse (3.0%) Flat/apartment (0.9%)
$147
Median weekly rent
$706
Median monthly mortgage
35.5%
Households with 0-1 cars
64.5%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

3.2%
Unemployment rate
1,536
In full-time work
948
In part-time work

Schools in Buloke

9 schools across Buloke: 66.7% Government, 33.3% Catholic, 0% Independent. The VIC average is 68.6% / 21.4% / 10.0%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 992 (range 963 to 1009). VIC median is 1027; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

VIC average for comparison
Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

Primary (44.4%) Secondary (11.1%) Combined (44.4%) Special (0%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300
LGA median 992 VIC median 1027LGA range 963 to 1009

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 9 schools in Buloke, sorted by enrolment:

School Sector Type Suburb Students ICSEA
Birchip P-12 School Government Combined Birchip 162 989
Tyrrell College Government Combined Sea Lake 126 963
Charlton College Government Combined Charlton 123 995
Donald High School Government Secondary Donald 93 968
Wycheproof P-12 College Government Combined Wycheproof 90 992
Donald Primary School Government Primary Donald 81 964
St Mary's School Catholic Primary Sea Lake 39 993
St Joseph's School Catholic Primary Charlton 38 1009
St Mary's School Catholic Primary Donald 28 1001

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 Buloke. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

945
Ranked #57 of 79 VIC LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

973

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

965

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

957

Suburbs in Buloke

Buloke contains 83 suburbs and 17 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
Donald 3480 1,472 $1,044/wk 52
Charlton 3525 1,095 $958/wk 56
Birchip 3483 694 $1,171/wk 49
Sea Lake 3533 619 $883/wk 51
Wycheproof 3527 610 $1,011/wk 56
Berriwillock 3531 180 $1,093/wk 47
Watchem 3482 124 $1,031/wk 56
Nullawil 3529 92 $849/wk 36
Culgoa 3530 86 $1,042/wk 62
Narraport 3483 50 $1,812/wk 36
Watchupga 3485 43 $966/wk 43
Cope Cope 3480 42 $1,375/wk 58
Litchfield 3480 36 $1,416/wk 54
Willangie 3485 35 $1,666/wk 46
Jeffcott 3480 34 $1,687/wk 41
Yeungroon 3525 34 $1,166/wk 53
Corack 3480 33 $1,624/wk 45
Warmur 3482 31 $2,749/wk 43
Coonooer Bridge 3477 30 $1,562/wk 45
Nandaly 3533 30 $1,062/wk 59
Kalpienung 3529 28 $2,624/wk 34
Reedy Dam 3395 28 $1,375/wk 29
Wilkur 3393 28 $1,812/wk 45
Kinnabulla 3483 26 $1,375/wk 29
Wooroonook 3525 26 $1,187/wk 63
Whirily 3483 25 $1,437/wk 43
Nareewillock 3525 24 $1,374/wk 50
Gil Gil 3480 23 $900/wk 54
Massey 3482 23 $933/wk 43
Teddywaddy 3525 23 $1,437/wk 58
Banyan 3485 22 $3,499/wk 54
Barrakee 3525 22 $900/wk 54
Curyo 3483 20 $2,083/wk 59
Ballapur 3483 19 $1,625/wk 30
Boigbeat 3531 19 $1,624/wk 31
Bunguluke 3527 18 $1,125/wk 62
Carron 3480 18 $3,750/wk 36
Dumosa 3527 18 $2,124/wk 59
Jeffcott North 3480 18 $1,125/wk 37
Jil Jil 3483 17 $2,750/wk 39
Nyarrin 3533 17 $2,250/wk 44
Lawler 3480 16 $2,250/wk 50
Tyrrell 3533 16 $1,875/wk 55
Karyrie 3483 15 $2,250/wk 39
Glenloth East 3527 14 $1,499/wk 46
Laen North 3480 14 $1,312/wk 45
Dooboobetic 3478 13 $1,125/wk 60
Warne 3530 13 $2,750/wk 24
Teddywaddy West 3525 12 $762/wk 69
Woosang 3518 12 $900/wk 63
Bimbourie 3533 11 $1,499/wk 59
Straten 3533 11 $2,374/wk 8
Wangie 3530 11 $2,499/wk 48
Yeungroon East 3525 11 $1,875/wk 33
Corack East 3480 10 $1,149/wk 33
Morton Plains 3482 10 $1,625/wk 49
Birchip West 3483 9 $2,250/wk 30
Ninda 3533 9 $2,749/wk 38
Tyrrell Downs 3533 9 $1,125/wk 63
Chirrip 3525 8 $900/wk 74
Glenloth 3527 7 $574/wk 28
Turriff East 3488 7 $725/wk 60
Jeruk 3527 6 $2,624/wk 60
Laen East 3480 6 $1,375/wk 54
Marlbed 3483 6 $2,750/wk 33
Pier Milan 3533 6 $1,875/wk 25
Wycheproof South 3527 6 $725/wk 59
Yawong Hills 3478 5 $874/wk 71
Laen 3480 4 57
Thalia 3527 4 $762/wk 51
Towaninny 3527 4 $2,624/wk 61
Tyenna 3533 4 52
Rich Avon 3480 3 $949/wk 58
Sutton 3530 3 $2,374/wk 52
Berrimal West 3478
Cokum 3542 83
Darkbonee 3478
Elberton 3478
Lake Tyrrell 3533
Medlyn 3478
Mitchells Hill 3478
Titybong 3542
Towaninny South 3527

Postcodes covered

3393, 3395, 3477, 3478, 3480, 3482, 3483, 3485, 3488, 3518, 3525, 3527, 3529, 3530, 3531, 3533, 3542

Compare Buloke with neighbouring LGAs

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

LGA Population Median age Median HH income SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Buloke (VIC) 6,127 51.5 $1,135/wk 945 15.7% 6.3%
Northern Grampians 11,687 48.6 $1,162/wk 920 20.8% 9.4%
Yarriambiack 6,542 51.1 $1,131/wk 923 16.6% 6.7%
Loddon 7,545 52.0 $1,119/wk 926 12.6% 8.1%
Gannawarra 10,714 51.3 $1,092/wk 920 18.8% 5.7%
Swan Hill 21,325 39.4 $1,396/wk 927 30.1% 16.6%

Services and amenities

NDIS Providers NDIS provider directory for Buloke Climate & weather Climate data for Donald

Frequently asked questions about Buloke

What is the population of Buloke?

The 2021 Census recorded 6,127 people living in Buloke, across 83 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Buloke?

Buloke contains 83 suburbs. The most populous are Donald, Charlton, Birchip, Sea Lake, Wycheproof.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Buloke?

Buloke covers 17 postcodes: 3393, 3395, 3477, 3478, 3480, 3482, 3483, 3485, 3488, 3518, 3525, 3527, 3529, 3530, 3531, 3533, 3542.

What is the median household income in Buloke?

The population-weighted median household income across Buloke is $1,135 per week (2021 Census), ranking #75 of 79 VIC LGAs.

How many schools are in Buloke?

Buloke has 9 schools, including 6 government, 3 Catholic, and 0 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Buloke?

Buloke has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 945, where the national average is 1000. Higher scores indicate more relative advantage.

Page last reviewed . 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.