Town by town snapshot – Elmore

Elmore is approximately 135.3 square kilometres in size and has four parks covering nearly 0.1 per cent of total area.

The population 2011 was 669 people and by the 2016 Census had risen to 774, showing growth of 15.7 per cent in the area during that time.

Elmore is a rural township steeped in history and character, located on the western side of the Campaspe River, 45 kilometres north-east of Bendigo.

It is at the intersection of the Northern and Midland highways and was at the junction of the railway lines to Echuca and Cohuna until the latter was closed in stages during the 1980s and 1990s.

Elmore is situated in part of the original Burnewang pastoral run (1841) of which a section was sold in about 1857 and named Elmore Estate, the name was most likely inspired by Elmore, Gloucestershire, England.

The town was close to the route travelled by gold diggers from Bendigo to the Ovens/North East goldfields, and a village was formed about five kilometres southwards at Runnymede.

The Elmore district was surveyed in 1857 and the railway line opened between Bendigo and Echuca, via Elmore in 1864, town lots were sold soon afterwards.

An immediate effect was a decline in Runnymede on the other side of the Campaspe River, and the bridging of the river in 1870 hastened the process.

A private school was opened in Elmore in 1865 and replaced by a government school in 1875.

An athenaeum was opened in 1885 and it, along with the railway station and water tower (1871) are registered historic buildings.

Elmore had a diverse farming base, including vineyards (until affected by Phylloxera in the 1920s), dairying, poultry, sheep grazing and cereals.

Milk was supplied to the Rochester dairy factory, and Rochester drew ahead of Elmore as irrigation from the Waranga Reservoir western channel was extended to and west of Rochester.

The flour mill which opened in 1873 operated continuously until shortly before 1960.

Elmore’s hospital opened in 1924, became a bush nursing centre in 1939, and survived a threat of closure in the early 1990s before being amalgamated to form the Rochester and District Health Service in 1993.

CoreLogic data indicates that the predominant age group in Elmore is 60-69 years with households being primarily childless couples and are likely to be repaying $1000 – $1399 per month on mortgages. In general, people in Elmore work in a managerial occupation.

In 2011, 78.8 per cent of the homes in Elmore were owner-occupied compared with 76.7 per cent in 2016.

TITBIT:

A private school was opened in Elmore in 1865 and replaced by a government school in 1875.

Population: 774

Male: 50.1%

Female: 49.9%

Median age: 53

5-year population change: 15.7%

House median value: $336,000

Change in Median Price: (5yrs) is 70.1%

Median asking rent per week: $215

Average length of ownership: 9 years

Owner occupiers: 82%

Renters: 18%

House median sale price:

February 2022: $370,000

February 2021: $235,000

February 2020: $235,000

February 2019: $236,000

February 2018: $159,500

House sales per annum:

Period ending February 2022: 24

Period ending February 2021: 11

Land median sale price:

February 2022: $226,000

February 2021: $190,000

Land sales per annum:

Period ending February 2022: 2

Period ending February 2021: 0