Bundoora
Bundoora is the structural inverse of Clayton, despite both being Melbourne university suburbs. La Trobe University and RMIT's Bundoora campus drive the demographic profile (43.8% university-educated, 13.7pp above national; 39.5% born overseas), but the housing fabric refuses to densify: 76.1% separate houses against Clayton's 35.5%, with only 9.1% apartments. The result is a hybrid: student-belt demographics layered onto a detached suburban grid spanning the Banyule/Whittlesea/Darebin tri-LGA seam. Median house price sits at $897,500 (Apr-Jun 2024), the all-time peak in 14 quarters of data, with 3.8% CAGR since 2013 ($530k baseline, +69.3% lift). Population reaches 28,068 across 17.23 sqkm at 1,629/km². The 23.4% turnover rate and 9.7% vacancy point to student rental churn, but only 14 DAs lodged in 12 months versus Clayton's 62 confirms the suburb is absorbing its university load through existing detached stock, not infill towers.
Population
28,068
Median Age
38.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,668/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
15
Median House
$898K
Apr-Jun 2024
The buyer math here is unusual: a university suburb with detached-house dominance creates a dual market. 76.1% separate houses and 36.9% with 4+ bedrooms position Bundoora as a family-buyer alternative to Mill Park ($777,500) but well below Doncaster East ($1.67M), with the $897,500 median sitting roughly 15% above Mill Park's level. Mortgage-to-income runs 27.7%, comfortably below the 30% stress line and tighter than Doncaster East's 30.9%, with monthly repayments around $2,000 against a household income of $1,668/wk (58th percentile nationally). The trade-off is exit liquidity: the 9.7% vacancy rate signals a market thick with student rentals, and only 14 DAs in 12 months means thin new supply to anchor comparable sales. CAGR of 3.8% over 14 years lags Mill Park's 4.7%, suggesting price growth here has been steadier but slower than corridor suburbs further north.
For Buyers
The buyer math here is unusual: a university suburb with detached-house dominance creates a dual market. 76.1% separate houses and 36.9% with 4+ bedrooms position Bundoora as a family-buyer alternative to Mill Park ($777,500) but well below Doncaster East ($1.67M), with the $897,500 median sitting roughly 15% above Mill Park's level. Mortgage-to-income runs 27.7%, comfortably below the 30% stress line and tighter than Doncaster East's 30.9%, with monthly repayments around $2,000 against a household income of $1,668/wk (58th percentile nationally). The trade-off is exit liquidity: the 9.7% vacancy rate signals a market thick with student rentals, and only 14 DAs in 12 months means thin new supply to anchor comparable sales. CAGR of 3.8% over 14 years lags Mill Park's 4.7%, suggesting price growth here has been steadier but slower than corridor suburbs further north.
For Investors
Investor logic favours Bundoora for tenant-pool depth but penalises it on yield. The 28.6% rental share is higher than Mill Park's 23.3% but well below Clayton's 63%, reflecting how detached-house geometry caps multi-tenant density per parcel. La Trobe's ~38,000 students plus RMIT Bundoora drive structural rental demand, with median weekly rent at $381 against a $897,500 house implying gross yield near 2.2%, marginally below Mill Park's 2.4% and Clayton's parity. Vacancy at 9.7% is materially above Mill Park's 4.0% and well above metro norms, signalling oversupply relative to short-term student demand cycles. Only 14 DAs lodged in 12 months versus Clayton's 62 means infill is not soaking up the demand, leaving older detached stock as the rental product. Recent samples include a 10-lot subdivision and a two-dwelling GRZ1 build, hinting at gradual densification of larger blocks.
Development Activity
Total DAs
29
Last 12 Months
15
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+87.5%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Bundoora iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Northside Christian College
Prep-12 · 643 students
St Damian's School
Prep-6 · 378 students
Parade College
7-12 · 1968 students
Bundoora Primary School
Prep-6 · 306 students
Bundoora Secondary College
7-12 · 540 students
Demographics
The composition tells a layered migration story. English ancestry leads at 5,312 residents but the next four cohorts (Other 4,268, Chinese 3,864, Italian 3,491, Irish 1,845) reveal three overlapping waves: post-war Italian, a long Greek/Macedonian secondary wave (Greek 516 and Macedonian 446 still spoken), and a recent Chinese cohort tied to La Trobe enrolment (Mandarin leads non-English at 1,406 speakers, 2.7x Greek). Born-overseas share of 39.5% sits 17.9pp above national, similar to Reservoir's 37.6% but with a younger skew. University attainment at 43.8% lands 13.7pp above national, well below Clayton's 59.6% but well above Mill Park's 36.8%, the dual-campus footprint pulling the educated young-adult cohort. Median age 38 sits 2 years below national (40), modest given the student presence, suggesting families and retirees outnumber students in residence terms even as the campus dominates the daytime population.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
76.1%
Houses
14.8%
Townhouse
9.1%
Apartment
Tenure
The price arc is the most boring in Melbourne's middle ring, and that is the point. From $530,000 in 2013 to $897,500 in Apr-Jun 2024, prices lifted 69.3% over 14 years (3.8% CAGR), softer than Mill Park's 4.7% and Reservoir's mid-4s, with the latest quarter sitting at the all-time peak (zero pullback off peak). Tenure is balanced rather than skewed: 37.9% own outright, 33.5% mortgaged, 28.6% rent, contrasting Clayton's 63% rental tilt and Mill Park's 76.7% owner-occupier load. Bedroom mix tilts large: 44.7% three-bed and 36.9% four-plus, with only 18.4% in the 2-bed-or-smaller category. Against a household income of $1,668/wk (~$87k/yr), the price-to-income multiple lands near 10.3x, above Mill Park's 8.6x but well below Clayton's 14.9x, leaving the market manageable for dual-income families but tight for student-share rentals.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General (Apr-Jun 2024)
Mortgage / mo
$2,000
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (year ending Sep 2025), Homes Victoria bond data (year-ending median). Census 2021 median: $381.
$560
Bond data year ending Sep 2025 · houses $570 · units $490
HH Size
2.6
Personal Income / wk
$690
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
9.7%
Unoccupied
1,074
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.8%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
27.7%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
24.9%
Couples, no children
21,326
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare leads at 19.4% of workers (1,786 people), anchored by the Austin/Northern hospital corridor and aged-care facilities adjacent to Plenty Road, with Education at 12.0% (1,101) reflecting La Trobe and RMIT employment within the suburb. Professional/Tech adds 9.5% and Construction 9.4%, a mix more service-sector and university-anchored than Mill Park's labour-export profile. Occupations skew clerical-services: Professionals 3,224, Clerical/Admin 1,895, Managers 1,644, Community/Personal 1,578, Sales 1,351. Unemployment sits at 7.1%, above Mill Park's 6.3% and well above Clayton's 3.1%, with full-time rate at 60.0% and participation 56.9%, both depressed by the resident student cohort outside the labour force. SEIFA scores are missing in the data, but the household income placing in the 58th percentile nationally signals middle-class median rather than disadvantage, while the 7.2% need-assistance share matches state norms.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
60.0%
Part-time
32.9%
Participation
56.9%
Employed
12,713
Occupations
Top Industries
University
43.8%
Postgraduate
13.4%
Born Overseas
39.5%
Dwellings
10,014
Transport to Work
The school cluster is mid-to-upper tier with university-suburb breadth. Northside Christian College (Independent, ICSEA 1102, 643 enrolled) leads, followed by St Damian's (Catholic primary, 1080, 378), Parade College (Catholic secondary, 1077, 1,968 the largest), Bundoora Primary (Government, 1063, 306), Bundoora Secondary (Government, 1030, 540) and Norris Bank Primary (Government, 992, 110). All but Norris Bank score above the national 1000 ICSEA benchmark, a stronger spread than Mill Park's six-school cluster (1008-1073) but well below Doncaster East's 1133-1153 top tier. Transport runs car-heavy: 87.5% drive to work, just 3.6% take public transport and 2.4% walk/cycle, well below Clayton's 13.2% PT share, reflecting the absence of heavy rail (the South Morang line stops short) and reliance on the 86 tram terminus. Crime sits at 85.1 per 1,000 residents (2,388 incidents), above Mill Park's 63.4 but below Reservoir's 93, with property/deception at 1,558 (65% of total), the typical pattern for university-rental hybrid suburbs.
Drive
87.5%
Public Transport
3.6%
Walk / Cycle
2.4%
Work from Home
N/A
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
2,388
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
85.1
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 Bundoora compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bundoora a good suburb to live in?
Bundoora suits dual-income families and university staff wanting detached housing within a student-belt suburb. 76.1% separate houses, median house $897,500, and mortgage-to-income at 27.7% (below the 30% stress line) are the draws. Trade-offs: 87.5% car dependence, no heavy rail, 9.7% rental vacancy, and crime at 85.1 per 1,000 (above Mill Park's 63.4).
What is the median house price in Bundoora?
The median house price is $897,500 (Apr-Jun 2024), the all-time peak across 14 quarters of data. Over 14 years prices have lifted 69.3% from $530,000 in 2013, a 3.8% compound annual growth rate. That is below Mill Park's 4.7% CAGR and well below Clayton's $1.16M median, with rent at $381/week implying a gross yield near 2.2%.
What schools are in Bundoora?
Six schools spanning all three sectors. Northside Christian College (Independent, ICSEA 1102, 643 students) leads, with Parade College (Catholic, 1077, 1,968 the largest enrolment), St Damian's (Catholic, 1080, 378), Bundoora Primary (Government, 1063, 306), Bundoora Secondary (1030, 540) and Norris Bank Primary (992, 110). Five of six sit above the national 1000 benchmark.
Is Bundoora safe?
Bundoora recorded 2,388 offences over 12 months, a rate of 85.1 per 1,000 residents. That sits above Mill Park's 63.4 but below Reservoir's 93. Property and deception offences dominate at 1,558 incidents (65% of total), with crimes against the person at 310 and justice procedure offences at 269, a pattern typical of university-rental hybrid suburbs.
Is Bundoora good for property investment?
Mixed. Renter share is 28.6%, above Mill Park's 23.3% but well below Clayton's 63%, with La Trobe's ~38,000 students driving structural demand. Yield runs near 2.2% on $381/week against $897,500. Vacancy at 9.7% is high versus Mill Park's 4.0%, and only 14 DAs lodged in 12 months versus Clayton's 62 means thin infill supply, capping value-add.
How is Bundoora's population changing?
Population sits at 28,068, larger than Clayton's 18,988. Turnover runs 23.4% (76.6% stayed), consistent with student churn rather than gentrification. Multi-generational ancestry (Italian 3,491 alongside Chinese 3,864) signals aging-in-place owners coexisting with rotating renters. Only 14 DAs in 12 months versus Clayton's 62 confirms low densification pressure.
What languages are spoken in Bundoora?
39.5% of residents were born overseas, 17.9 points above the national average. Mandarin leads non-English at 1,406 speakers, reflecting La Trobe's Chinese student cohort and recent settlement. Greek (516), Italian (446) and Macedonian (446) follow, the legacy of the 1970s-80s migration wave that built much of the housing stock. Arabic adds 381 speakers.
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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