ElphinstoneVIC · suburb profile
VIC 3448 · Mount Alexander
Daily life in Elphinstone is characterized by a strong sense of community and a rural lifestyle. With 54.2% of residents driving to work, car travel is the primary mode of commuting. A significant portion of the population, 23.9%, works from home, reflecting a flexible work environment. The community feel is enhanced by the high percentage of owner-occupied homes, with 43.7% owned outright and 51.2% owned with a mortgage.
1 school · 2025 figures
Who goes to school in Elphinstone
All schools · Elphinstone has a single school, with 29 students.
Schools here
1
1 primary
Students, all schools
29
2025 · −9.4% since 2015
At primary schoolsStudents at schools whose type is “Primary”. It excludes children in primary years at a Prep-to-12 college — they are counted in the tile beside this one. This number answers “are the primary schools here filling or emptying?”
+52.6%
29 students · five years
Children in primary yearsChildren in Years 1–6 at any school, including Prep-to-12 colleges. This answers “are there still young families here?” — a different question from the tile on the left, which is why the two can move in opposite directions.
Prep and ungraded students are counted separately again; see the chart below.
+64.3%
23 · Years 1–6, anywhere
11 years · two ways to read them
Enrolments, 2015–2025
The same students, counted two ways — by the kind of school they attend, and by the year they are in. They answer different questions and can point in different directions. Both views are in the page; the buttons only change which is visible.
Enrolments in Elphinstone have fallen 9.4% over 10 years.
- Primary schools
Show data table
| Year | Primary schools |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 32 |
| 2016 | 27 |
| 2017 | 18 |
| 2018 | 18 |
| 2019 | 18 |
| 2020 | 19 |
| 2021 | 21 |
| 2022 | 19 |
| 2023 | 23 |
| 2024 | 28 |
| 2025 | 29 |
Which schools in Elphinstone are filling and which are emptying. A school that covers Prep to Year 12 is counted once, in its own line — its primary-age students are not in the primary schools line.
- Years 1–6
- Prep & ungradedTwo groups that sit outside the numbered year levels: Prep — the first year of school, which the national data does not number — and ungraded students at specialist schools, who are not placed in a year level at all.
A suburb with a specialist school will have a large line here.
Show data table
| Year | Years 1–6 | Prep & ungraded | All students |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 29 | 3 | 32 |
| 2016 | 24 | 3 | 27 |
| 2017 | 18 | 0 | 18 |
| 2018 | 17 | 1 | 18 |
| 2019 | 16 | 2 | 18 |
| 2020 | 14 | 5 | 19 |
| 2021 | 18 | 3 | 21 |
| 2022 | 18 | 1 | 19 |
| 2023 | 19 | 4 | 23 |
| 2024 | 27 | 1 | 28 |
| 2025 | 23 | 6 | 29 |
This counts children by the year they are in, not by the kind of school they attend — so a Prep-to-12 college contributes to every line. The three add up to every student in the suburb.
2025 · ACARA
The school in Elphinstone
Ordered by size, not by results — 1 government, 0 Catholic and 0 independent. Schools with more than one campus are counted once.
What these columns mean
- Type
- Prep-to-12 is one school a child can start and finish at without changing schools. Specialist schools also appear as Prep-to-12.
- 5 yr
- Change in enrolments against five years ago, not against last year. Enrolments move slowly, so a single year is mostly noise.
| School | Sector | Type | Students | 5 yr | 10 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elphinstone Primary School | Government | Primary | 29 | +52.6% | −9.4% |
The read
What living here is actually like
Elphinstone is a small rural community with a total population of 633 people. The median age in the suburb is 50, which is notably higher than the Victorian average of 38, indicating a mature population. The gender distribution is fairly balanced, with 48.3% male and 51.7% female residents. Families in Elphinstone are predominantly couples without children, making up 50% of households, while couples with children account for 34%. The suburb has a high percentage of family households at 71.8%.
Buyer fit
Who this suburb suits
One score per buyer type, out of 100, built from the demographic, housing and commute profile. Strongest first.
Buyer-fit score
Elphinstone · 0–100
Show data table
| Buyer type | Score |
|---|---|
| Retirees | 80 |
| Families | 70 |
| Professionals | 65 |
| First home buyers | 55 |
| Investors | 50 |
Why retirees score highest
The signals doing the work
- High median age of 50, indicating a mature community
- Predominantly owner-occupied homes - 94.9%
- Rural setting offers a quieter lifestyle
- High percentage of couples without children - 50%
Against the state
How Elphinstone differs from Victoria
Every bar is this suburb. The vertical tick is the Victorian figure — the gap between them is the story.
Housing & movement
What’s built here, and how people leave in the morning
Dwelling mix
Share of occupied private dwellings
Show data table
| Dwelling type | Share |
|---|---|
| Separate houses | 99.6% |
How people get to work
Method of travel, 2021 Census
Show data table
| Method | Share |
|---|---|
| Worked from home | 23.9% |
| Drove a car | 54.2% |
| Public transport | 2.9% |
| Walked only | 2.6% |
| Car passenger | 3.6% |
Costs 2021 Census
Census figures, collected in 2021. Rents and repayments have moved since — for what property is selling for now, see .
Top occupations
Share of the employed workforce
Key highlights
- High percentage of owner-occupied homes - 94.9% owned (outright or with mortgage)
- Significant work-from-home population - 23.9% work from home
- Predominantly English-speaking - 89.3% speak only English at home
- Low rental market presence - only 4.7% of homes are rented
- Strong community of professionals - 19.6% work in professional occupations
Things to be aware of
- Higher median age may not appeal to younger demographics
- Below average educational attainment - 22% hold a bachelor's degree or higher (vs VIC 29.2%)
- Limited public transport usage - only 2.9% use public transport
- Lower median household income - $1,447 weekly (vs VIC $1,759)
- Higher prevalence of health conditions compared to state average
Coming soon to this page
Where the richer profile lands
Schools & catchments
Zoned primary and secondary, NAPLAN bands, distances.
Transport & access
Stations, tram routes, drive time to the CBD, walkability.
Development activity
Permits approved, projects underway, zoning changes.
Want to dig into one address in Elphinstone?
A suburb page gets you this far. For a specific block you get what homes of that size sell for here, the schools that address is zoned to, any subdivisions proposed within 500 m, plus lot dimensions, easements, planning overlays and true sun aspect — free, no account.
X-Ray an address →Data sources
Demographic figures from the Census of Population and Housing © Australian Bureau of Statistics, used under Creative Commons Attribution.
Cadastral and boundary data contains information © State of Victoria (Vicmap), licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Narrative summaries are AI-generated from the underlying data and may contain errors.
School details, enrolments and senior secondary results from the National Schools Data Collection © Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).
Base map © Mapbox © OpenStreetMap. Improve this map at openstreetmap.org/fixthemap.
Informational only — not financial, legal or planning advice. Verify zoning, overlays and catchments with the relevant council before relying on them. Data vintage: 2021 Census.