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Suburb profile ·Wellington LGA · VIC ·3857

Cowwarr VIC 3857

Cowwarr is in Wellington LGA, VIC, postcode 3857, with population 389.

The read

Verify-first

The page has enough signal to be useful, but the story is mixed rather than decisive. Use compare mode to pressure-test it against stronger nearby options, then use the calculator if it still makes the shortlist.

What to check

Small local population makes the signal set more fragile.

Median house
No local house series
Median rent
$435/wk
Rent context available
D9 vs AU
Gross yield
Need rent + price
Population
46,551
47K via Wellington LGA · SAL undercount
Schools
1
Matched school context
D1 vs AU
Drive to city
Not in commute dataset
Solar
104
4 added 12mo · 1MW

Price history

No price history available

Price series isn't recorded for this suburb. Census housing data is shown instead.

Median mortgage · mth$1,262
Median rent · wk$215

Rental vacancy rate

Rental vacancy rate · Regional Victoria
1.9%
Tight (landlord) market

Official vacancy is published at the Regional Victoria level, not per suburb. Shaded band marks a balanced market (2.5–3.5%).

Source: Homes Victoria Rental Report (DFFH) · Latest: Sep 2025
Investor profile

Who invests in Cowwarr

Owner-occupied 91%Rented 9%
Investor activityATO
Negatively geared1%
2 of 10 landlords
Avg rental loss$3,588/yr
Landlords (rental income)10
Reported capital gains15
The read

Owner-occupier stronghold

88% of homes here are owner-occupied and 9% rented, with 1% of landlords negatively geared.

Why it fits

88% owner-occupied — owner-occupiers hold longer and absorb rate shocks, supporting price stability.

ABS Census 2021 tenure (G37), ATO postcode rental statistics, and QuickProperty's investor-exposure index. Owner-occupied = owned outright + with a mortgage.

Affordability

28%
median weekly rent as a share of gross household income (the 30% rule)
Manageable

Owners with a mortgage repay a median of $1,262/mo, while renters pay about $1,885/mo — renting runs $623/mo higher on these medians.

Household income · yr
$82K
Median rent · wk
$435
Owner mortgage · mo
$1,262

Household income

$82K household · yr-0.8% vs VIC suburb median
Personal
$36K
Family
$93K
Household
$82K
Household income distribution (ABS Census 2021 · weekly)
Under $300
3
$300-649
6
$650-999
22
$1,000-1,499
19
$1,500-1,999
20
$2,000-2,999
23
$3,000-3,999
5
$4,000+
8

At the median asking rent, about 45% of households here would spend more than 30% of income on rent (rent stress line: $1,450/wk income).

Housing stock and tenure

Tenure (129 households)
Owned outright
55%
Owned with mortgage
33%
Rented
9%
Dwelling structure13.2% of dwellings unoccupied on census night
Separate house
100%
Townhouse / semi
0%
Flat / apartment
0%

Getting to work: 77% drive, 0% public transport, 2% walk or cycle, 12% worked from home (2021 Census, taken during COVID-era work-from-home arrangements).

Schools

Total1
Avg ICSEA917
Students24
Government1
  • Cowwarr Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 917
Crime Year ending Mar 2026
5,777
12,346 per 100k
D9 vs AU

Crime

Rate · per 100k12,346
Total incidents5,777· Year ending Mar 2026
  • Assault62145%
  • Sexual Offences27820%
  • Robbery71%
  • Break And Enter48635%

Building due diligence

Construction requirements can change by location.

The National Construction Code is the baseline. Local hazards and site classifications can change the required structure, materials, fixings, insulation and detailing.

Known here

SUBURB CONTEXT

Bushfire-prone designation

Severe broad-area context

About 100.0% of the suburb is within Victoria's mapped Bushfire Prone Area.

May affect: External construction · Roof and wall systems · Openings, screens and decks

Flood and moisture context

No mapped flood exposure

About 0.0% of the suburb intersects VIC LSIO.

May affect: Floor levels and drainage · Water-resistant assemblies · Material durability

Check the property

ADDRESS + DESIGN

NCC climate zone

Check the property

Confirm the NCC climate zone used for the building design and energy provisions.

May affect: Insulation and glazing · Condensation control · Roof-space ventilation

Wind class and BAL

Site assessment required

A suburb layer cannot determine the site wind classification or Bushfire Attack Level.

May affect: Structure and tie-downs · Cladding and fixings · Openings and bushfire detailing

Corrosion and termite exposure

Check the property

Confirm marine or corrosive exposure and the applicable termite-management requirements.

May affect: Fasteners and connectors · Roofing and coatings · Termite management

This screen identifies investigation triggers, not building quality or property compliance. Confirm the address, design and current jurisdiction rules with the council, building surveyor or certifier, designer and engineer.

NCC 2022 Housing Provisions: how to use · NCC 2022 Volume Two and Housing Provisions

Bushfire-prone area

Designated ~100.0%
~100.0% of the suburb is within Victoria's designated Bushfire Prone Area

Share of the suburb within Victoria's gazetted Bushfire Prone Area (Vicmap, CC BY), point-sampled across the suburb. A Bushfire Prone Area is a planning designation that triggers the building code's bushfire construction provisions — it is not a graduated hazard rating or a property-level Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) assessment. Obtain a BAL assessment (AS 3959) for an individual property.

Flood exposure

No mapped exposure ~0.0%
~0.0% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood-hazard area

Estimated exposure to the official flood-hazard layer (VIC LSIO), point-sampled across the suburb. This shows how much of the suburb sits within mapped flood-planning areas — it is not a property-level flood certificate. Areas without a completed flood study may be unmapped. Check the local council's flood maps for an individual property.

Planning zones

Dominant zone Farming (FZ)
Rural / Green wedge 66% Public / Open space 33% Residential 2%
Residential density: Low

Land-use mix estimated by point-sampling the suburb against Vicmap Planning scheme-zone polygons (CC BY 4.0). This is a suburb-level snapshot of planning zones, not a parcel-level zoning certificate or development advice. Check the relevant planning scheme for an individual property.

Growth outlook · Wellington LGA

Dwellings
+15.9%
23,550 → 27,290
+3,740 dwellings
Population
+12.3%
45,450 → 51,040
Households
+19%
19,130 → 22,760

LGA-level official projection (Victoria in Future 2023, DTP). Indicative of the wider council area, not a suburb-level forecast.

Population outlook

4,869 people · 20224,905 by 2032 (+0.7%)

ABS population projection (2022 base) for the Rosedale SA2 statistical area — the finest official projection grain available; suburb-level projections do not exist.

Full data detail Census · ATO · ABS · state datasets
Cowwarr VIC — Property Data and Demographics

Located in Victoria within the Wellington local government area, Cowwarr is a quiet locality (postcode 3857). The area has roughly 389 residents and an older-leaning population, with a median age of 47. Households earn a median income of $82K per year, with an average household size of 2.7 people. Recent annual estimates show population movement staying broadly stable across the broader catchment, with population growth running at +0.6% year-on-year at the LGA level. VIC employment has moved +0.8% year-on-year in the official ABS Labour Force trend series, which provides the broader jobs backdrop for this suburb. VIC also had 41 Commonwealth-backed major projects under construction, 18 underway, and 24 in planning as at 2025-09-01, which is useful as a broader delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project count. The most common occupations are managers, professionals, technicians & trades. Employment in the area leans toward agriculture and healthcare. The top ancestries reported are English, Australian, Irish.

The current median weekly rent is $435. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $1,262.

Cowwarr is served by 1 school, including 1 primary. The average ICSEA score is 917, which is below the national average of 1,000. Public transport access includes 1 rail station, 1 bus stop. The crime rate in the Wellington LGA is higher than average at 12,346 incidents per 100,000 population.

Looking at the investment signals, Population growth of +0.6% year-on-year points to stable demand fundamentals. Building approvals have changed +0% year-on-year, indicating steady development activity.

Market & money
Investment signalsHeuristics
Pop. Growth+0.6%· Stable
Development+0%· Steady
InvestmentVIC
Mortgage · mth$1,262
Rent · wk(Census)$215
Market rent · wk(Sep 2025)$435
Population growth · Wellington LGAABS ERP
Population (2025)46,551
5-year growth+0.6% CAGR
YoY change+0.6%
20012025
Development · Wellington LGAABS Approvals
Approvals (2026)184
Houses 88%Units 13%
YoY change+0%
Employment · Wellington LGASALM
Unemployment (Dec-25)4.1%
YoY change-0.7pp
Dec-10Dec-25
Property investors · Postcode 3857ATO
Negatively geared1%
2 of filers
Avg rental loss$3,588/yr
Landlords (rental income)10
Reported capital gains15
People & prosperity
DemographicsCensus 21
Population389
Median age47
Household size2.7
HH income · wk$1,571
Personal income · wk$684
Persons / bedroom0.8
SEIFA indexABS
Advantage (IRSAD)6/10
Education (IEO)5/10
Economic (IER)7/10
Disadvantage (IRSD)6/10
Income momentumCensus 16→21
HH income · wk$1,515 → $1,571
Change+3.7%
vs VIC median-19.8 pp
Median rent+7.5%
softeningvs VIC 2016–21
Area & amenity
Local amenitiesOSM
Supermarkets0
Pharmacies0
GP / clinics0
Fuel stations0
Cafes & dining1
TransportGTFS
Rail stations1
Bus stops1
Railway St/Traralgon - Maffra Rd
Hospitals · Wellington LGAAIHW
Public3
Private1
Central Gippsland Health Service [Maffra]public
Central Gippsland Health Service [Sale]public
Yarram & District Health Servicepublic
Heyfield Hospitalprivate
Aged care · Wellington LGAGEN
Facilities10
Residential places482
Wattleglen100 places
Ashleigh House Hostel80 places
Sale Gardens Care Community65 places
Laurina Lodge Hostel51 places
Wilson Lodge50 places
Stretton Park Hostel46 places
+4 more in Wellington LGA
Childcare · Wellington LGAACECQA
Services38
Approved places2,024
Exceeding NQS8
Gumnuts Early Learning Centre162 places
Yarram Early Learning Centre141 places
Little Saints Early Learning Centre - Sale123 places
Journey Early Learning Centre - Sale110 places
Little Saints Early Learning Centre - Maffra104 places
Vision Early Learning - Rosedale100 places
+32 more in Wellington LGA
Shortlist workspace

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Current status
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Sources & freshness
Strong evidence

Cowwarr carries enough direct local evidence for a first-pass decision.

QuickProperty mixes release files, Census baselines, and matched local services on this page. Read the status panel before treating every metric as equally fresh.

PRICE POSTURE
Manual release files still matter here.

DataVic-discovered annual suburb price workbooks parsed into suburb prices. Quarterly VIC resources are discovered and cached, but not yet used as current-price anchors.

RENT POSTURE
Rent is using a state market dataset when available.

Use current rent as a starting signal, not as a fixed underwriting truth.

SERVICE POSTURE
Service coverage is matched locally, not inferred nationally.

Schools, transport, and hospitals are useful as presence signals, but they still have different source cadences.

Data status
Property prices
VIC Property Sales Report · DataVic-discovered annual suburb price workbooks parsed into suburb prices. Quarterly VIC resources are discovered and cached, but not yet used as current-price anchors.
medium stability · mixed acquisition · every update · quarterly
Missing
Market rent
Homes Victoria · Sep 2025 · State market dataset
medium stability · automated · every update · quarterly
Available
Crime
VIC Crime Statistics Agency · Year ending Mar 2026 · Area-level release dataset
Available
Schools
ACARA 2025 · 1 schools matched
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Available
Hospitals
AIHW · No linked local hospital coverage
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Missing
Transport
GTFS feeds · 2 matched stops/stations
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Available
Population growth
ABS ERP · 2025 · Annual estimate series
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Available
Building approvals
ABS Building Approvals · 2026 · Annual release series
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Available means a direct local dataset is linked. Verify means coverage exists but freshness or precision is weaker, such as ABS price fallback, Census rent fallback, or low-confidence hospital matching.

Cowwarr FAQ

Common questions
  1. What LGA is Cowwarr in?

    Cowwarr is in the Wellington Local Government Area, VIC, postcode 3857. Council-level context for Wellington LGA (suburb mix, population, rent, and price coverage) is available on the QuickProperty LGA page.

  2. What is the typical weekly rent in Cowwarr?

    The median weekly rent in Cowwarr is $435/wk, based on the current market rent dataset. The current rent signal is rent context available.

  3. What does the rent signal say about Cowwarr?

    Rent context available: Cowwarr has usable rent context. Use this as a suburb screening signal before comparing candidates or modelling a purchase; the matching rent ranking can provide broader market context.

  4. Is Cowwarr a good investment?

    QuickProperty's investment signals for Cowwarr show: Stable, Steady. These are computed from price, rent, income, and population data — not an opaque score.

  5. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Cowwarr?

    Property prices come from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region. Demographics are from ABS Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA. Crime statistics are from state police agencies. Transport data is sourced from GTFS feeds.

  6. How often is the Cowwarr data updated?

    Property prices update quarterly. RBA macro indicators update with each deploy. Demographics are from Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA 2025.