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Barwon Downs

Colac Otway Great Ocean Road & South West
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Barwon Downs, Victoria
ABS Census 2021 Great Ocean Road & South West Regional VIC

About

Barwon Downs (VIC 3243): population 136, median age 48, median household income $1,037/week, SEIFA IRSD decile 7. Victorian suburb guide with housing, jobs and community insights.

Barwon Downs is a small locality in Colac Otway, Victoria (postcode 3243), located in the Great Ocean Road & South West region. At the ABS Census 2021 it had a population of 136 people.

At a glance

Population (2021)
136
Median age
48
Household income
$1,037/wk
Weekly rent
$230
Unemployment
4.2%
SEIFA IRSD decile
7 / 10

Age distribution

0-4
2.2%
5-14
10.3%
15-19
7.4%
25-34
5.1%
35-44
14.7%
45-54
19.1%
55-64
11.8%
65-74
19.9%
75-84
2.9%
85+
4.4%

Housing tenure

Owned
42.4%
Mortgage
35.6%
Rented
5.1%

Key statistics

IndicatorValue
Postcode3243
Population (2021)136
Males73 (53.7%)
Females59 (43.4%)
Median age48 years
Average household size2.1
Median weekly household income$1,037
Median weekly family income$1,291
Median weekly rent$230
Median monthly mortgage$1,083
Labour force71
Unemployment rate4.2%
Participation rate71.7%
Born overseas5.1%
Separate houses66.3%
Worked at home27.4%
SEIFA IRSD decile7 of 10
Bachelor degree or higher50.0%
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander residents0.0%
Residents needing assistance with core activities3.7%
Households with 2+ vehicles67.9%
Distance from Melbourne CBD128.2 km (straight line)

Age profile

Median age: 48 years. Residents under 15: 12.5%. Residents aged 65 and over: 27.2%.

Age groupPeopleShare of population
0-432.2%
5-141410.3%
15-19107.4%
20-2400.0%
25-3475.1%
35-442014.7%
45-542619.1%
55-641611.8%
65-742719.9%
75-8442.9%
85 and over64.4%

Households and families

Household typeCountShare of households
Total households59
Average household size2.1
One person2542.4%
Two persons2644.1%
Three persons610.2%
Four persons610.2%
Five persons00.0%
Six or more persons00.0%
Family typeCountShare of families
Total families35
Couples with children00.0%
Couples without children1954.3%
One-parent families38.6%
Other families00.0%

Marital status

Marital status of residents aged 15 and over in Barwon Downs.

StatusShare of adults
Married (registered marriage)46.5%
Married (de facto)16.8%
Not married36.6%

Housing

DwellingsCountShare of dwellings
Total dwellings89
Occupied5966.3%
Unoccupied2427.0%
Dwelling structureCountShare of dwellings
Separate house5966.3%
Semi-detached or townhouse00.0%
Flat or apartment00.0%
Other dwelling00.0%
TenureCountShare of households
Owned outright2542.4%
Owned with a mortgage2135.6%
Rented35.1%
Other tenure00.0%

Bedrooms per dwelling

BedroomsShare of dwellings
None or one bedroom5.8%
Two bedrooms30.8%
Three bedrooms51.9%
Four or more bedrooms11.5%

Employment

Labour force statusCountShare
Labour force71
Employed73102.8%
Unemployed34.2%
Not in the labour force28
Unemployment rate4.2%
Participation rate71.7%

32.8% of employed residents work part time, fewer than 35 hours per week.

Household income

Household incomes in Barwon Downs are distributed across the following weekly bands.

Weekly household incomeShare of households
Under $65034.0%
$650 to $1,49952.0%
$1,500 to $2,9996.0%
$3,000 or more8.0%

For residents aged 15 and over, personal weekly income is distributed as follows.

Weekly personal incomeShare of residents 15+
Under $50045.1%
$500 to $99921.6%
$1,000 to $1,99926.5%
$2,000 or more6.9%

Travel to work

MethodCountShare of workers
Car driver3953.4%
Car passenger45.5%
Train00.0%
Bus00.0%
Tram00.0%
Bicycle00.0%
Walked only00.0%
Worked at home2027.4%

Religious affiliation

ReligionCountShare of residents
Christianity4936.0%
No religion6749.3%
Islam00.0%
Hinduism00.0%
Buddhism53.7%
Judaism00.0%
Other or not stated1511.0%

Socio-economic profile (SEIFA 2021)

SEIFA deciles run from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (least disadvantaged) nationally.

IndexScoreDecilePercentile
IRSD (disadvantage)1040766
IRSAD (advantage and disadvantage)10097
IER (economic resources)10416
IEO (education and occupation)10348

Where residents were born

95.3% of residents were born in Australia and 4.7% were born overseas. The most common overseas birthplaces in Barwon Downs are listed below.

Country of birthPeopleShare of residents
Japan64.7%

Languages spoken at home

93.1% of residents speak only English at home. The most common other languages in Barwon Downs are listed below. Across all households, 0.0% of residents speak English not well or not at all.

LanguagePeopleShare of residents
Japanese64.6%
German32.3%

Ancestry

Residents of Barwon Downs most commonly report the following ancestries.

AncestryResponsesShare of responses
English6135.5%
Australian4425.6%
Irish2514.5%
Scottish169.3%
German169.3%

Work and industry

The largest employment sectors for Barwon Downs residents are listed below.

Industry of employmentWorkersShare of workers
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing1729.8%
Health Care and Social Assistance915.8%
Manufacturing58.8%
Wholesale Trade58.8%
Retail Trade58.8%
Education and Training47.0%

The most common occupations among Barwon Downs residents are listed below.

OccupationWorkersShare of workers
Managers1926.4%
Professionals1419.4%
Sales Workers1013.9%
Labourers912.5%
Community and Personal Service Workers811.1%
Technicians and Trades Workers68.3%

Education

The most common fields of study among Barwon Downs residents with qualifications are listed below.

Field of studyPeopleShare
Society and Culture1523.8%
Engineering and Related Technologies1219.0%
Education812.7%
Architecture and Building69.5%
Management and Commerce69.5%
Food, Hospitality and Personal Services57.9%

Long-term health conditions

54.7% of residents report no long-term health condition. The most commonly reported conditions in Barwon Downs are listed below.

Health conditionPeopleShare of residents
Arthritis1410.2%
Mental health condition (including depression or anxiety)1410.2%
Asthma118.0%
Lung condition (including COPD or emphysema)53.6%
Diabetes (excluding gestational diabetes)42.9%
Heart disease (including heart attack or angina)42.9%
Cancer (including remission)32.2%
Dementia (including Alzheimer's)32.2%
Stroke00.0%
Kidney disease00.0%

21.7% of residents report one condition, 6.1% report two, and 2.6% report three or more.

Community and care

How residents of Barwon Downs contribute to their community (share of residents aged 15 and over).

Community activityShare
Volunteers for an organisation or group16.9%
Provides unpaid assistance to a person with a disability or health condition11.0%
Provides unpaid child care34.7%
Does 15 or more hours of unpaid domestic work31.4%
Has served or is serving in the Australian Defence Force4.2%

Moving and stability

MobilityShare of residents
Same address 1 year ago97.6%
Moved within Victoria in the last year2.4%
Moved interstate in the last year0.0%
Moved from overseas in the last year0.0%
Same address 5 years ago79.3%
Moved within Victoria in the last 5 years20.7%
Moved interstate in the last 5 years0.0%
Moved from overseas in the last 5 years0.0%

Photo: Barwon Downs, Victoria. Credit: Mattinbgn / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Crime and safety

Barwon Downs recorded fewer than 10 offences in the 12 months to March 2026. Counts at this volume are not shown in detail.

Population too small for a reliable rate.

For context, the Colac Otway local government area recorded 8,804 offences per 100,000 residents in the same period. That figure is the official Crime Statistics Agency rate for the LGA.

Five-year trend

2022
2
2023
6
2024
4
2025
2
2026
7

Recorded offences count crimes reported to Victoria Police in this locality, not crimes committed by or against its residents. Areas with shopping centres, transport hubs, hospitals or entertainment precincts record more offences regardless of how safe they are for people who live there. Counts are revised as investigations progress.

Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria, Data tables - Recorded offences, Year ending March 2026. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Rates per 1,000 residents are calculations by My Victoria AU using ABS Census 2021 population and are not CSA figures. View the source dataset.

Location

<iframe src="https://www.openstreetmap.org/export/embed.html?bbox=143.7806%2C-38.5167%2C143.8046%2C-38.4987&layer=mapnik&marker=-38.507669%2C143.792583" width="100%" height="320" style="border:0;border-radius:12px;max-width:100%;" loading="lazy" title="Map of Barwon Downs, Victoria"></iframe>

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby suburbs

Browse more suburbs in Colac Otway, or explore the wider Great Ocean Road & South West region of Victoria.

Data disclaimer: The statistics on this page are sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Census of Population and Housing 2021 and SEIFA 2021 (ASGS Edition 3), and are used under the ABS CC BY 4.0 licence. This directory is an independent community resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the ABS.

Population 136
Median Age 48
Average Household Size 2.1
Median Weekly Household Income $1037
Median Weekly Rent $230
Median Monthly Mortgage $1083
Unemployment Rate 4.2%
Participation Rate 71.7%
Born Overseas 5.1%
Separate House 66.3%
Worked at Home 27.4%
SEIFA IRSD Decile 7
SEIFA IRSD Percentile 66
SEIFA IRSAD Decile 7
Median Weekly Family Income $1291
Postcode 3243

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Barwon Downs, Victoria 3243, Australia
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