Bellerive
A median house price of $1,185,175 sits oddly against a household income that lands in just the 44.8th percentile nationally, and the gap is the defining tension here. Prices jumped from $857,500 in 2025 to $1,185,175 in YTD 2026, a sharp move in a market that has compounded at 7.9% a year over three decades. The population of 4,945 skews older, with a median age of 44 that runs 4.0 years above national, and the stock is overwhelmingly detached at 81.0% of dwellings. University qualifications reach 45.9%, which is 15.8 points above the national figure, pointing to a professional resident base concentrated in healthcare and public-sector work rather than high household earnings.
Population
4,945
Median Age
44.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,461/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$1.2M
YTD 2026
Buyers face a $1,185,175 median that climbed from $857,500 a year earlier, a steep rise against household income in only the 44.8th percentile. The stock favours families: 81.0% are separate houses and three-bedroom dwellings lead at 39.3%, with four-plus bedrooms at 21.6% and apartments a thin 7.2%. Despite the headline price, monthly mortgage repayments average $1,600, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 25.3%, below the 30% stress threshold and lower than many mainland capitals. That gap exists because outright owners make up 43.6% of households and carry no debt, while only 26.5% hold a mortgage, so the affordability strain falls hardest on new entrants competing for the detached three-bedroom homes that dominate supply.
For Buyers
Buyers face a $1,185,175 median that climbed from $857,500 a year earlier, a steep rise against household income in only the 44.8th percentile. The stock favours families: 81.0% are separate houses and three-bedroom dwellings lead at 39.3%, with four-plus bedrooms at 21.6% and apartments a thin 7.2%. Despite the headline price, monthly mortgage repayments average $1,600, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 25.3%, below the 30% stress threshold and lower than many mainland capitals. That gap exists because outright owners make up 43.6% of households and carry no debt, while only 26.5% hold a mortgage, so the affordability strain falls hardest on new entrants competing for the detached three-bedroom homes that dominate supply.
For Investors
Renters make up 29.9% of households and weekly rent sits at $360, giving landlords a moderate tenant pool in a market that is 81.0% detached houses. Against the $1,185,175 median, that rent implies a gross yield near 1.6%, low and weaker than smaller mainland markets, so the case rests on capital growth rather than cash flow. The 6.3% vacancy rate is higher than a tight rental market would show, and development is effectively absent with 0 applications lodged in 12 months, which constrains new supply but also signals limited investor appetite. Demand support is thin: overseas migration adds 51 residents a year while net internal migration removes 62, and rent has grown 50.0% over the period, so escalating rents do more for the investment case than yield or volume.
Schools in Bellerive iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
The Cottage School
Prep-6 · 77 students
Corpus Christi Catholic School
Prep-6 · 413 students
Bellerive Primary School
K-6 · 458 students
Clarence High School
7-12 · 626 students
Demographics
The median age of 44 runs 4.0 years above national, and the trajectory is aging, with the senior share up 2.0 points and the working-age share down 0.7 points over the decade. Overseas-born residents sit at 21.6%, level with the national figure rather than above it. University qualifications reach 45.9%, which is 15.8 points above national, a strong professional skew. Ancestry leans Anglo, led by English (2,181), Irish (569) and Scottish (550), and the most common non-English languages are Nepali (65 speakers), Mandarin (62) and Punjabi (21). Average household size is 2.2, which is 0.3 below national, consistent with the older profile where couples without children make up 36.1% of families, slightly ahead of couples with children at a comparable share.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
81.0%
Houses
11.3%
Townhouse
7.2%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts toward established owners: 43.6% own outright, 26.5% carry a mortgage and 29.9% rent. Outright owners outnumbering mortgage holders points to long-held, debt-free wealth rather than a churn of recent buyers, which helps explain how a $1,185,175 median coexists with income in the 44.8th percentile. The stock is 81.0% separate houses, with semi-detached at 11.3% and apartments only 7.2%, so detached supply dominates and three-bedroom homes lead at 39.3%. The median rose from $857,500 in 2025 to $1,185,175 in 2026, and over 30 years prices compounded at 7.9% a year. Mortgage-to-income at 25.3% and rent-to-income at 24.6% both stay below the 30% stress line, a comfort that reflects how much of the housing is owned outright rather than financed.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,600
Rent / wk
$360
HH Size
2.2
Personal Income / wk
$817
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
6.3%
Unoccupied
143
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.3%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
36.1%
Couples, no children
3,578
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce concentrates in public-facing sectors: Healthcare leads at 21.1% (367 workers), Education follows at 14.8% (258) and Public Administration at 13.0% (226), with Professional/Tech at 8.6% and Construction at 6.8%. By occupation, Professionals (693) and Managers (334) form the largest groups, consistent with the decile 7 IEO score for education and occupation, the suburb's strongest SEIFA reading. Unemployment is 6.0% and the full-time employment rate is 58.9%, while participation reads 56.0%, held down by 1,579 residents not in the labour force given the older profile. One anomaly stands out: the IER index of economic resources sits at decile 4, well below the decile 6 IRSAD and IRSD scores, because high outright ownership masks the modest 44.8th-percentile household incomes that the resource measure captures.
Unemployment
2.3%
Labour Force
3,427
Unemployed
80
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
58.9%
Part-time
35.1%
Participation
56.0%
Employed
2,235
Occupations
Top Industries
University
45.9%
Postgraduate
14.1%
Born Overseas
21.6%
Dwellings
2,131
Transport to Work
Transport leans on cars, with 78.1% driving, 10.1% taking public transport and 4.8% walking or cycling, a higher car share than denser inner-city areas. The suburb scores decile 6 on both IRSAD and IRSD, the middle-upper tier nationally, meaning relatively few residents face deprivation, and volunteering runs at 22.5%. Only 6.4% of residents, about 303 people, need daily assistance despite the older median age of 44. Rent-to-income at 24.6% keeps tenants below the stress line. No schools are recorded inside the 2.71 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring suburbs, a practical trade-off in a low-density setting of about 1,825 residents per km2 where most households own a car.
Drive
78.1%
Public Transport
10.1%
Walk / Cycle
4.8%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.64%/yr
(+42 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is slow and steady: annual population growth registers 0.64%, about 42 people a year, and the 10-year change is 11.9%, classifying Bellerive as an established suburb. Medium forecasts lift the population from 6,658 in 2026 to 6,870 by 2031, a gentle climb rather than a surge. Overseas migration of 51 a year is the primary driver, offset by net internal outflow of 62, so natural and overseas gains carry the trend. The gentrification reading is mixed: real incomes grew 14.6% and rents rose 50.0% over the period while affordability worsened from 40.4% in 2011 to 43.0% in 2021, signals of upward pressure even as the headline gentrification stage reads not gentrifying against its longer baseline.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+51
Net Internal / yr
-62
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Population +10% since 2011
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Bellerive compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bellerive a good suburb to live in?
Bellerive scores decile 6 on the IRSAD and IRSD indexes and decile 7 on education and occupation, the middle-upper tier nationally. University qualifications reach 45.9%, which is 15.8 points above national, and volunteering runs at 22.5%. The main trade-off is a $1,185,175 median house price against household income in the 44.8th percentile.
What is the median house price in Bellerive?
The median house price is $1,185,175 in YTD 2026, up sharply from $857,500 in 2025. Over 30 years prices have compounded at 7.9% a year. Weekly rent averages $360 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,600, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 25.3%, below the stress threshold.
What schools are in Bellerive?
No schools are recorded inside the 2.71 km2 Bellerive boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The resident base is well educated, with university qualifications at 45.9%, which is 15.8 points above the national figure.
Is Bellerive safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Bellerive in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 6 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, the middle-upper tier, and only 6.4% of its residents, about 303 people, need daily assistance, both consistent with a moderate-advantage area.
Is Bellerive good for property investment?
Rent of $360 a week against a $1,185,175 median gives a gross yield near 1.6%, low for the price point, and the 6.3% vacancy rate is softer than a tight market. Overseas migration of 51 a year supports demand, but with 0.64% population growth, returns lean on capital growth rather than yield.
How is Bellerive's population changing?
Population growth is 0.64% annually, about 42 people a year, with an 11.9% rise over 10 years. Medium forecasts lift the count from 6,658 in 2026 to 6,870 by 2031. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 2.0 points and the working-age share down 0.7 points over the decade.
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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