Buchan, East Gippsland: zoning, flood risk, school zones and what to check before you buy
Valuer-General Victoria doesn't report a median house or unit price for Buchan: too few sales. Median rent: $158 a week (ABS Census 2021, older than the price figures). Postcode 3885.
What stands out: A bushfire overlay covers 100% of the suburb's land (Vicmap Planning).
Page updated
- Zoning: mostly Public Conservation And Resource zone (PCRZ), 70% of the land
- Planning change: a new overlay since 2017, latest in 2020 (details)
- School zones: parts of Buchan are zoned for Buchan Primary School and Orbost Community College (+1 more) (primary); Orbost Community College and Swifts Creek P-12 School (secondary)
- Getting there: nearest train station about 64.7 km from the suburb centre
- Median rent
- $158/wk
- Census 2021 (older)
- Census 2021 median, all rented homes
- Four years older than the price figures; not directly comparable.
- ABS Census 2021
- Planning risk
- Flood 0% Very lowBushfire 100% Very highHeritage 1% Very low
- share of suburb land area
- 1 suburb-specific overlay to check
- Vicmap Planning
- Getting around
- 64.7 km to nearest station
- 3 zoned primary, 2 secondary schools
- PTV timetable data · Victorian Department of Education school zones
Buchan is a small community with a median age of 54, less socio-economically advantaged than most areas on the ABS's SEIFA index. Housing here is overwhelmingly standalone houses. The area is still light on cafés, shops and other everyday amenity. It's not served by train or tram. House sales here are too infrequent for a reliable median — see the unit and land figures below.
Ready to look at a specific property here? See the due diligence hub for what to verify before you sign.
Scope: Victoria, Australia. Suburb data here is Victorian (state valuer, rental, planning and school records); regional Victoria comparison group.
In this profile
- Planning and riskZones, overlays, flood and bushfire, and what is planned nearby, with an address check.
- Prices and rentsMedian prices and rents, how they have moved, and sales volume.
- SchoolsThe government school zones that cover the suburb.
- Living hereTransport, commute times, who lives here and the suburbs nearby.
- Before you buyThe checks every purchase needs, common questions and guides.
Is Buchan in a flood, bushfire or heritage area?
Buchan has relatively light heritage-overlay coverage (about 1%), though it can still apply to individual parcels. A Bushfire Management Overlay affects about 100% of the area.
Suburb-wide shares of the land, not a check of any one address.
Flood-related overlays can add building rules and raise insurance cost.
Share of the suburb. Source: Vicmap Planning · Verify this address
If it applies it adds bushfire construction requirements (a BAL rating) and cost.
Share of the suburb. Source: Vicmap Planning · Verify this address
In a designated bushfire prone area a minimum construction standard applies to new homes, based on the bushfire attack level (BAL). (Department of Transport and Planning (Victoria), verified 22 Oct 2026) So building or rebuilding there means working out the home’s BAL and pricing in what meeting it costs.
Share of the suburb. Source: Designated Bushfire Prone Area (DataVic) · Verify this address
Changes to the outside of a building, and demolition, need council approval. 2 named overlay areas (HO241, HO366) — oldest gazetted 2007.
Share of the suburb. Source: Vicmap Planning · Verify this address
Worth checking in Buchan
Bushfire Management Overlay
A Bushfire Management Overlay affects ~100% of Buchan. If it applies, it drives bushfire construction requirements (BAL rating) and cost.
Zoning mix and building controls
Land use across the suburb (planning zones)
- Zoning
- Public / Parks
- mostly Public Conservation And Resource Zone (PCRZ) · 70% of the suburb
Planning overlays that can affect building, renovating or removing vegetation somewhere in Buchan — confirm whether any apply to the specific address.
- Vegetation Protection Overlay — a permit is needed to remove or lop protected trees
- Environmental Significance Overlay — environmental values that constrain development
Planning changes in Buchan: 1 recorded since 2017
Planning controls on land in Buchan have changed since 2017. Each row below is one gazetted amendment — a batch of parcels changed together in the same notice, not a single lot — the kind of thing that moves land value and that portals don’t show.
Source: Vicmap Planning Scheme History (2017–present); parcel-level zone & overlay changes grouped by suburb, zone transition and gazettal batch. A suburb-level record — confirm the specific parcel. See how Melbourne’s zoning changed over the decade →
- Suburb
Layers on this map, as a table
| Layer | Share of suburb | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Suburb boundary | The whole suburb | ABS SAL 2021 |
Overlay colours reflect how much of the suburb an overlay covers — green under ~8%, amber ~8–20%, red above 20%. Public-acquisition, contamination (EAO) and floodway overlays are listed above under "Worth checking" wherever they apply, because even a small area can include a specific property. Source: Vicmap Planning. What do these terms mean? · How to verify planning controls for an address
What do homes cost in Buchan?
Buchan has too few recorded sales for a reliable median. Typical rent is $158/wk (Census 2021).
Show recorded crime and amenity-density comparisons
Which school zones cover Buchan?
Parts of Buchan fall within 3 primary and 2 secondary government school catchments. 1 school is located within the suburb (1 government).
Government schools have address-based catchment zones; Catholic and independent schools set their own enrolment processes.
| Zone | Covers | Boundary | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary school zones | |||
| Buchan Primary School | 100% | — | |
| Secondary school zones | |||
| Orbost Community College | 88% | — | |
| Swifts Creek P-12 School (Tambo Campus) | 12% | — | |
How well connected is Buchan?
0 train, 0 tram and 1 bus stop points sit inside the suburb (PTV timetable data).
- Getting around
- 0 train · 0 tram · 1 bus
- nearest train station ~64.7 km · counts are stop points, not stations (a station is often several)
- Train frequency
- every 120 min
- at the nearest station, weekday AM peak
- Tram frequency
- every 12 min
- at the nearest stop, weekday AM peak
- Schools
- 1
- primary & secondary
- Nearest Centrelink
- ~60 km
- outside the suburb
Everyday amenity (OpenStreetMap)
- Cafés & amenity density
- 3 cafés
- Low café & amenity density — likely more car-dependent
- Restaurants
- 0
- places to eat nearby
- Supermarkets
- 0
- grocery stores nearby
- Pharmacies
- 0
- chemists nearby
- Parks
- 0
- green space nearby
- Childcare
- 1
- centres nearby
- GP & medical centres
- 0
- nearby
Who lives in Buchan?
— 201 residents · median age 54 · 77% own their home · SEIFA 2/10
- Population
- 201
- usual residents (Census 2021)
- Owner-occupied
- 77%
- 77% own, private rental not reliably reported for areas this small, 0% social, 23% other or not stated
- Median age
- 54 yrs
- of residents
- Personal income
- $581/wk
- median, per week
- Household income
- $1,083/wk
- median, per week
- Avg household size
- 2.1 people
- people per home
- Monthly mortgage
- $1,000/mo
- median repayment
- Taxpayer income
- $44,837/yr
- median taxable income, per year (ATO)
- Population growth
- no data
- Recorded crime
- 138 per 1,000 residents
- a year, across all of East Gippsland council, not just Buchan · higher than most VIC councils
In Buchan itself: 20 recorded offences in the year to 2026 (Crime Statistics Agency, matched by suburb name and postcode — a closer figure than the council-wide band above, though still a count, not a rate per resident).
Offence category mix (East Gippsland council's mix, latest year):
- Property and deception offences34%
- Justice procedures offences29%
- Crimes against the person22%
- Public order and security offences8%
- Drug offences7%
- Other offences1%
Recorded offences by year, Buchan (up 54% since 2019):
| Year | Offences |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 13 |
| 2020 | 10 |
| 2021 | 21 |
| 2022 | 10 |
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 8 |
| 2025 | 4 |
| 2026 | 20 |
- Median household incomeup 48%
- Median personal incomeup 31%
- Median weekly rentup 244%
- Median ageolder by 4 years
How advantaged the area is
Deciles 1–10 vs all Victorian areas — 10 = most advantaged — from the ABS SEIFA index. A demographic measure, not a house-price one. These three don’t always move together — a suburb with lots of renters or students, for example, can score high on education but lower on income and housing costs.
- Overall advantage
- 2/10
- Less advantaged than most
- Economic resources
- 2/10
- income, housing costs & wealth
- Education & occupation
- 5/10
- qualifications & skilled jobs
The homes here
Mix of dwelling types across the suburb (Census 2021)
Who owns and rents here (Census 2021)
Not sure whether a house, townhouse or apartment suits you? Decide what to buy →
Recorded crime is a council-wide rate — every offence police logged over the latest year (theft, property damage, drug and traffic offences and the like, not only violent crime) divided by the council’s residents. A broad area signal, not a figure for this exact street.
All figures are suburb-level indicators, not property-specific — always confirm the exact address on the Section 32. Sources: ABS Census 2021, Valuer-General Victoria, DFFH Rental Report, Crime Statistics Agency Victoria, Vicmap Planning, Victorian Government UDP, Victorian Department of Education (schools & zones, via data.vic, CC BY 4.0), OpenStreetMap.
Suburbs near Buchan
The 6 closest suburbs with a Delora page, by distance between suburb centres.
What should I check before buying in Buchan?
Overlay and pipeline checks specific to Buchan are in the Planning and risk tab. Two checks apply to every purchase.
Easements & covenants
Check Section 3 for easements (e.g. drainage/sewer along a boundary — you usually can’t build over them) and restrictive covenants (single-dwelling, materials, height) that limit your plans.
Owners corporation (if applicable)
Apartments and many townhouses in Buchan are in an owners corporation. If so, the statement must include its certificate — review annual fees, any special levies, the maintenance fund and insurance.
Already under contract in Buchan?
Questions about Buchan
What postcode is Buchan?
Buchan is in postcode 3885, in the East Gippsland council area, Victoria.
What is the population of Buchan?
Buchan had 201 usual residents at the 2021 Census (ABS), with a median age of 54.
Is Buchan in a flood zone?
Less than 1% of Buchan's land is under a flood-related planning overlay (LSIO, SBO or floodway), and about 100% is under the Bushfire Management Overlay (Vicmap Planning). These are suburb-wide shares: whether an overlay applies to one property depends on the address, so check it on VicPlan and in the Section 32.
Show all 4 more questions
What should I check in a Section 32 for Buchan?
For Buchan, pay particular attention to heritage overlays (about 1% of the suburb is affected), any flood-related overlay (less than 1% of the land), easements and restrictive covenants on the title, and — for apartments — the owners-corporation certificate with its fees and any special levies.
Does Buchan have heritage overlays?
Heritage overlays cover a small share of Buchan (about 1%) — not common, but still worth a quick check: confirm in the Section 32's planning section whether a Heritage Overlay applies to this specific parcel, since it restricts demolition and external changes.
How is Buchan zoned?
Most of Buchan (70% of the land) is in the PCRZ (PCRZ), then FZ1 (29%) (Vicmap Planning). The zone and its schedule set what can be built; check the exact zone for an address on VicPlan.
Which school zones cover Buchan?
Parts of Buchan are in the government school zones for primary: Buchan Primary School, Orbost Community College, Swifts Creek P-12 School; secondary: Orbost Community College, Swifts Creek P-12 School (Victorian Department of Education school zones). A suburb can span several zones: the exact address decides which applies, so confirm it at findmyschool.vic.gov.au.
Guides for buying in Buchan
The heritage, flood and bushfire figures in Planning and risk are suburb-wide — they tell you how common an overlay is here, not whether it applies to one specific address. Confirm via VicPlan and an in-person inspection before you rely on them.
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