Balnarring
At a median house price of $1,235,000 and with 50% of residents owning their homes outright, Balnarring on the Mornington Peninsula sits comfortably above the average Australian suburb in wealth. The community is notably older, with a median age of 46, which is 6 years above the national figure, and household income places at the 71.8th percentile nationally. Only 9.4% of dwellings are rented, one of the lowest renter shares you will find in regional Victoria, while 95.6% of homes are separate houses. The vacancy rate of 11.4% is well above typical suburban norms, reflecting the presence of holiday homes and seasonal residents in this coastal area.
Population
2,371
Median Age
46.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,918/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
9
Median House
$1.2M
Apr-Jun 2024
The median house price of $1,235,000 in Apr-Jun 2024 represents a 15% pull-back from the peak of $1,452,500 reached in Jul-Sep 2023, giving buyers who missed the top some relief. Over 14 years, prices have grown from $525,000, a compound annual growth rate of 6.3%. The stock is overwhelmingly detached houses at 95.6%, with 44.2% of dwellings having 4 or more bedrooms and another 46.2% with 3 bedrooms, suited to families or lifestyle buyers wanting space. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,167, and the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 26.1%, below the 30% stress threshold, which means buyers at median price are not stretching dangerously. Outright owners at 50% outnumber mortgage holders at 40.6%, a distribution more typical of wealthy, long-established coastal communities than growth corridors.
For Buyers
The median house price of $1,235,000 in Apr-Jun 2024 represents a 15% pull-back from the peak of $1,452,500 reached in Jul-Sep 2023, giving buyers who missed the top some relief. Over 14 years, prices have grown from $525,000, a compound annual growth rate of 6.3%. The stock is overwhelmingly detached houses at 95.6%, with 44.2% of dwellings having 4 or more bedrooms and another 46.2% with 3 bedrooms, suited to families or lifestyle buyers wanting space. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,167, and the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 26.1%, below the 30% stress threshold, which means buyers at median price are not stretching dangerously. Outright owners at 50% outnumber mortgage holders at 40.6%, a distribution more typical of wealthy, long-established coastal communities than growth corridors.
For Investors
Balnarring presents a cautious investment picture. The renter share of 9.4% is low compared to the state average, and weekly rent of $480 against a $1,235,000 median implies a gross yield of about 2%, well below the national average for residential property. The vacancy rate of 11.4% is a significant flag, more than double what most residential markets consider healthy, and likely driven by holiday home concentration rather than tenant demand. Only 7 development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, indicating limited new supply but also limited developer confidence. The 6.3% compound annual price growth over 14 years is supportive of long-term capital gain, but the low yield and high vacancy mean income returns will be thin unless the property is managed as short-term accommodation.
Development Activity
Total DAs
12
Last 12 Months
9
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+350.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Balnarring iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Balnarring Primary School
Prep-6 · 312 students
Demographics
Balnarring's median age of 46 sits 6 years above the national median, driven by an aging resident base that has largely paid off mortgages and settled. University qualifications reach 38.6% of residents, which is 8.5 percentage points above the national figure. The overseas-born share is 14.5%, which is 7.1 points below the national average, consistent with the Anglo-leaning ancestry profile: English (1,110), Irish (352) and Scottish (342) are the three largest ancestry groups. Average household size of 2.6 is slightly above national, and 32.1% of families are couples without children, typical of a community where children have grown and left. Volunteering at 23.6% is high, suggesting a civically engaged permanent population beneath the holiday home layer.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
95.6%
Houses
3.9%
Townhouse
0.5%
Apartment
Tenure
The ownership profile in Balnarring is unusually skewed toward outright ownership: 50% own their home free of debt compared to around 31% nationally, while only 9.4% rent, far below the state average. This concentration of debt-free owners reflects both the older median age and the high income decile of long-established residents. Separate houses account for 95.6% of dwellings, with apartments at just 0.5%, giving the suburb one of the most detached-house-dominant stocks in the region. Bedroom distribution tilts large: 44.2% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms and 46.2% have 3, meaning small-dwelling supply is limited. Prices peaked at $1,452,500 in mid-2023 and have corrected 15% to $1,235,000 by mid-2024, recovering from a low of $525,000 in 2013 that represents a 135.2% gain over the full period.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,167
Rent / wk
$480
HH Size
2.6
Personal Income / wk
$862
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
11.4%
Unoccupied
108
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.0%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.1%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
32.1%
Couples, no children
1,915
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce is spread across Education (15.7%), Construction (15.3%) and Healthcare (14.9%) as the three largest industries, with Professional/Tech at 8.9% and Manufacturing at 8.4%. By occupation, Professionals (283) and Managers (215) dominate, consistent with the above-national university attainment rate of 38.6%. The unemployment rate is very low at 1.8%, compared to the national average of around 4%, though the participation rate of 55% reflects the older demographic with 649 residents not in the labour force. Full-time employment runs at 57% among those working. Household income sits at the 71.8th percentile nationally, meaning most families here earn more than nearly three-quarters of Australian households, though the workforce is partly part-time or semi-retired.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
57.0%
Part-time
41.2%
Participation
55.0%
Employed
1,027
Occupations
Top Industries
University
38.6%
Postgraduate
7.2%
Born Overseas
14.5%
Dwellings
838
Transport to Work
Car dependency is the defining transport characteristic: 91.7% of residents drive to work, well above the national average, and there is no recorded public transport use in the data. This is expected for a rural-fringe suburb with limited train access on the Mornington Peninsula. Crime sits at 41.3 incidents per 1,000 residents, with property and deception offences accounting for 77 of 98 total incidents, a pattern common in coastal holiday areas with seasonal activity. Only 12 crimes against the person were recorded, suggesting a low rate of violent crime. Housing stress is absent: rent-to-income is 25% and mortgage-to-income is 26.1%, both below stress thresholds. No schools are recorded inside the Balnarring boundary in this dataset, so families likely rely on schools in nearby Somerville or Tyabb. The need-for-assistance rate is 4.2%, in line with the national average.
Drive
91.7%
Public Transport
N/A
Walk / Cycle
3.7%
Work from Home
N/A
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
98
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
41.3
Offence Categories
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Balnarring compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Balnarring a good suburb to live in?
Balnarring offers a quiet coastal lifestyle with household incomes at the 71.8th percentile nationally and a mortgage-to-income ratio of 26.1%, below the 30% stress threshold. Car dependency is high at 91.7%, and no schools are recorded inside the boundary, so families need to travel. The low crime against persons count of 12 incidents in the data period points to a safe environment.
What is the median house price in Balnarring?
The median house price is $1,235,000, recorded in Apr-Jun 2024. This is down 15% from the peak of $1,452,500 in Jul-Sep 2023. Over 14 years, prices have grown 135.2% from $525,000, a compound annual rate of 6.3%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,167.
What schools are in Balnarring?
No schools are recorded inside the Balnarring suburb boundary in this dataset. With a population of 2,371 and a median age of 46, the suburb skews toward older residents. Families typically access schools in neighbouring Mornington Peninsula towns such as Somerville or Tyabb.
Is Balnarring safe?
The crime rate is 41.3 incidents per 1,000 residents based on 98 total offences. The largest category is property and deception offences at 77 incidents, common in coastal areas with holiday properties. Crimes against the person totalled only 12, indicating a low rate of violent crime relative to the suburb's 2,371 residents.
Is Balnarring good for property investment?
The long-run capital growth case is supported by a 6.3% compound annual rate over 14 years. However, the 11.4% vacancy rate is well above the 3% considered healthy, and the gross rental yield is approximately 2% against a $1,235,000 median and $480 weekly rent. Investor returns depend heavily on capital growth rather than income yield.
How is Balnarring's population changing?
Balnarring has a small permanent population of 2,371, with a median age of 46 that is 6 years above the national figure. The aging-resident profile and 84.3% residential stability rate suggest slow natural growth. The high vacancy rate of 11.4% indicates a significant proportion of dwellings are holiday or investment properties rather than primary residences.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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