NicholsonVIC · suburb profile
VIC 3882 · East Gippsland
Daily life in Nicholson is characterized by a strong sense of community and a slower pace typical of rural areas. The majority of residents, 70.6%, commute by car, reflecting the limited public transport options, which are used by only 0.8% of the population. A notable 11.7% of the workforce works from home, suggesting some flexibility in employment arrangements.
1 school · 2025 figures
Who goes to school in Nicholson
All schools · Nicholson has a single school, with 70 students.
Schools here
1
1 primary
Students, all schools
70
2025 · +62.8% 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?”
+18.6%
70 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.
+32.6%
61 · 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 Nicholson have grown 62.8% over 10 years.
- Primary schools
Show data table
| Year | Primary schools |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 43 |
| 2016 | 49 |
| 2017 | 55 |
| 2018 | 67 |
| 2019 | 63 |
| 2020 | 59 |
| 2021 | 68 |
| 2022 | 75 |
| 2023 | 69 |
| 2024 | 74 |
| 2025 | 70 |
Which schools in Nicholson 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 | 37 | 6 | 43 |
| 2016 | 41 | 8 | 49 |
| 2017 | 46 | 9 | 55 |
| 2018 | 57 | 10 | 67 |
| 2019 | 56 | 7 | 63 |
| 2020 | 46 | 13 | 59 |
| 2021 | 61 | 7 | 68 |
| 2022 | 58 | 17 | 75 |
| 2023 | 60 | 9 | 69 |
| 2024 | 57 | 17 | 74 |
| 2025 | 61 | 9 | 70 |
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 Nicholson
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholson Primary School | Government | Primary | 70 | +18.6% | +62.8% |
The read
What living here is actually like
Nicholson is a small rural community with a population of 1,327 people. The median age is 47, which is higher than the Victorian average of 38, indicating a mature population. The gender distribution is balanced with 50% male and 50% female residents. Families in Nicholson are predominantly couples without children, making up 49.1% of the population, while couples with children account for 38.5%. The suburb has a significant proportion of single-person households at 23.2%.
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
Nicholson · 0–100
Show data table
| Buyer type | Score |
|---|---|
| Retirees | 75 |
| Families | 70 |
| Professionals | 60 |
| First home buyers | 55 |
| Investors | 50 |
Why retirees score highest
The signals doing the work
- High median age of 47 years
- 50.2% of homes owned outright
- Quiet rural setting
- Low unemployment rate at 4.1%
Against the state
How Nicholson 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 | 93.1% |
How people get to work
Method of travel, 2021 Census
Show data table
| Method | Share |
|---|---|
| Worked from home | 11.7% |
| Drove a car | 70.6% |
| Public transport | 0.8% |
| Walked only | 1.8% |
| Car passenger | 4.1% |
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 home ownership - 50.2% own their homes outright
- Low unemployment rate at 4.1%
- Predominantly English-speaking - 92.8% speak only English at home
- Majority of housing are separate houses - 93.1%
- Low rental market presence - only 7.5% of properties are rented
Things to be aware of
- Lower educational attainment with 12.9% holding a bachelor's degree or higher (vs VIC 29.2%)
- Below average household income - median weekly income is $1,390 (vs VIC $1,759)
- Limited public transport usage at 0.8%
- Higher median age at 47 years
- Lower percentage of residents with no health conditions at 55.6% (vs VIC 61.0%)
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 Nicholson?
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.