Central Goldfields

Victoria · North West · 13,549 people · 38 suburbs · 7 postcodes

Central Goldfields at a glance

13,549
Population
#66 of 79 in VIC
1,560
km² area
9/km² density
51.7
Median age
+12.6 vs VIC
$941
Median HH income/wk
#79 of 79 in VIC
867
SEIFA IRSAD
#79 of 79 in VIC
8
Schools
6 gov, 1 Cath, 1 indep
9.1%
Born overseas
21.9%
Renting

Map shows the Central Goldfields 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.

Central Goldfields is a Local Government Area in Victoria, in the Melbourne region. It covers 38 suburbs across 7 postcodes and an area of 1,560 km². Central Goldfields has a population of 13,549 , ranking #66 most populous in VIC. The most populous suburb is Maryborough (8,160 residents), and the highest median household income is in Archdale Junction at $3,749/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $941/week and median age is 51.7. About 9.1% of residents were born overseas and 2.9% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (14.6%) 15–24 (9.1%) 25–44 (17.1%) 45–64 (28.0%) 65+ (31.2%)
Show counts
0–14 years1,979 (14.6%)
15–24 years1,232 (9.1%)
25–44 years2,308 (17.1%)
45–64 years3,791 (28.0%)
65+ years4,214 (31.2%)
9.1%
Born overseas
2.9%
Speak a language other than English at home
2.3%
First Nations
2.2
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (49.4%) Mortgaged (28.7%) Renting (21.9%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (94.9%) Semi/townhouse (4.4%) Flat/apartment (0.7%)
$216
Median weekly rent
$1,004
Median monthly mortgage
44.0%
Households with 0-1 cars
56.0%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

6.2%
Unemployment rate
2,408
In full-time work
1,881
In part-time work

Schools in Central Goldfields

8 schools across Central Goldfields: 75.0% Government, 12.5% Catholic, 12.5% Independent. The VIC average is 68.6% / 21.4% / 10.0%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 935 (range 850 to 1016). VIC median is 1027; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

VIC average for comparison
Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

Primary (75.0%) Secondary (12.5%) Combined (12.5%) Special (0%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300
LGA median 935 VIC median 1027LGA range 850 to 1016

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 8 schools in Central Goldfields, sorted by enrolment:

School Sector Type Suburb Students ICSEA
Maryborough Education Centre Government Combined Maryborough 921 921
Highview College Independent Secondary Maryborough 463 1005
St Augustine's School Catholic Primary Maryborough 266 1016
Carisbrook Primary School Government Primary Carisbrook 228 949
Dunolly Primary School Government Primary Dunolly 88 952
Timor Primary School Government Primary Timor 44 912
Talbot Primary School Government Primary Talbot 37 905
Bealiba Primary School Government Primary Bealiba 2 850

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

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

867
Ranked #79 of 79 VIC LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

897

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

922

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

871

Suburbs in Central Goldfields

Central Goldfields contains 38 suburbs and 7 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
Maryborough 3465 8,160 $876/wk 51
Carisbrook 3464 1,192 $1,205/wk 45
Dunolly 3472 899 $720/wk 58
Talbot 3371 452 $793/wk 59
Daisy Hill 3465 398 $1,169/wk 53
Bealiba 3475 213 $734/wk 61
Bowenvale 3465 209 $1,287/wk 46
Majorca 3465 198 $812/wk 54
Alma 3465 195 $1,125/wk 52
Bet Bet 3472 135 $860/wk 48
Red Lion 3371 111 $1,312/wk 52
Betley 3472 101 $780/wk 52
Flagstaff 3465 97 $974/wk 53
Mount Glasgow 3371 92 $1,199/wk 52
Adelaide Lead 3465 85 $1,125/wk 50
Lillicur 3371 85 $1,125/wk 58
Dunach 3371 83 $791/wk 58
Havelock 3465 83 $966/wk 53
Moliagul 3472 80 $1,024/wk 53
Simson 3465 76 $1,542/wk 57
Wareek 3465 72 $1,041/wk 61
Timor 3465 68 $1,031/wk 55
Amherst 3371 63 $850/wk 57
Bung Bong 3465 63 $979/wk 59
Craigie 3465 62 $1,708/wk 49
Bromley 3472 46 $1,124/wk 59
Moolort 3465 44 $2,250/wk 44
Goldsborough 3472 37 $962/wk 56
Dunluce 3472 36 $1,999/wk 56
Archdale 3475 23 $749/wk 54
Timor West 3465 23 $1,625/wk 39
Cotswold 3465 20 $1,374/wk 59
Mount Hooghly 3472 18 $1,416/wk 48
Mount Cameron 3370 15 $1,125/wk 55
Archdale Junction 3475 12 $3,749/wk 53
Caralulup 3371 3 $2,250/wk 62
Glendonnell 3364
Smokey Town 3364

Postcodes covered

3364, 3370, 3371, 3464, 3465, 3472, 3475

Compare Central Goldfields with neighbouring LGAs

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

LGA Population Median age Median HH income SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Central Goldfields (VIC) 13,549 51.7 $941/wk 867 21.9% 9.1%
Loddon 7,545 52.0 $1,119/wk 926 12.6% 8.1%
Pyrenees 7,530 50.0 $1,137/wk 928 12.3% 9.6%
Mount Alexander 19,837 51.0 $1,277/wk 988 15.3% 12.5%
Hepburn 17,039 51.5 $1,325/wk 984 14.7% 14.0%
South Gippsland 30,660 48.3 $1,316/wk 967 16.0% 11.5%

Services and amenities

Frequently asked questions about Central Goldfields

What is the population of Central Goldfields?

The 2021 Census recorded 13,549 people living in Central Goldfields, across 38 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Central Goldfields?

Central Goldfields contains 38 suburbs. The most populous are Maryborough, Carisbrook, Dunolly, Talbot, Daisy Hill.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Central Goldfields?

Central Goldfields covers 7 postcodes: 3364, 3370, 3371, 3464, 3465, 3472, 3475.

What is the median household income in Central Goldfields?

The population-weighted median household income across Central Goldfields is $941 per week (2021 Census), ranking #79 of 79 VIC LGAs.

How many schools are in Central Goldfields?

Central Goldfields has 8 schools, including 6 government, 1 Catholic, and 1 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Central Goldfields?

Central Goldfields has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 867, 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.