Darley
The standout feature of Darley is its detached, family-sized housing profile: 93.2% of dwellings are separate houses and 49.8% have 4 or more bedrooms. The suburb has 9,190 residents across 26.95 sq km, with a median age of 37, which is 3.0 years below the national figure. Household size is 2.8 people, 0.3 above the national average, while household income sits at the 73.2 percentile. Compared with the broader Bacchus Marsh setting, Darley reads as the quieter, house-led side of the area because larger homes and mortgage-backed ownership shape daily life more than apartment living. That profile suits families and long-term owner-occupiers, although car dependence is pronounced at 72.1% driving to work.
Population
9,190
Median Age
37.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,951/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
2
Median House
$682K
October to December 2025
The suburb is strongly house-led, with 93.2% separate houses, 49.8% of homes having 4 or more bedrooms and 44.4% having 3 bedrooms. A typical mortgage repayment is $1,733 per month, equal to 20.5% of household income, so the borrowing load is not flagged as stressed. This matters because the mortgage share is 53.4%, compared with 28.5% owned outright and 17.1% rented. Buyers seeking space near Bacchus Marsh may find Darley more suitable than apartment-oriented markets, but should allow for car-based commuting.
For Buyers
The suburb is strongly house-led, with 93.2% separate houses, 49.8% of homes having 4 or more bedrooms and 44.4% having 3 bedrooms. A typical mortgage repayment is $1,733 per month, equal to 20.5% of household income, so the borrowing load is not flagged as stressed. This matters because the mortgage share is 53.4%, compared with 28.5% owned outright and 17.1% rented. Buyers seeking space near Bacchus Marsh may find Darley more suitable than apartment-oriented markets, but should allow for car-based commuting.
For Investors
Darley presents a predominantly owner-occupier market, with only 17.1% of households renting, weekly rent of $320 and a 4.1% vacancy rate. Rent absorbs 16.4% of household income, below the 20.5% mortgage-to-income measure, which supports a relatively manageable affordability picture but does not remove tenant-demand risk. The 93.2% separate-house share creates a clear family rental product, while the 49.8% 4-plus-bedroom share is higher than the 44.4% three-bedroom share. Only 2 subdivision applications were recorded in the 12-month development count, so near-term new supply appears limited.
Development Activity
Total DAs
9
Last 12 Months
2
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-60.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Darley
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Darley Primary School
Demographics
Darley's demographic profile leans younger and less university-qualified than the national pattern: the median age is 37, or 3.0 years below national, and 23.4% hold a university qualification, 6.7 percentage points below national. Overseas-born residents account for 14.4%, 7.2 points below national, while average household size is 2.8, 0.3 above national. English ancestry is most common at 3,693 people, followed by Irish at 1,042 and Scottish at 1,023. No religion counts 4,362 residents versus 3,977 identifying with Christianity. Darley contrasts with nearby Bacchus Marsh's broader township setting through its larger-household profile, because 48.8% of families are couples with children and 33.9% are couples without children.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
93.2%
Houses
6.8%
Townhouse
0.0%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure is mortgage-heavy, with 53.4% paying a mortgage, 28.5% owning outright and 17.1% renting. Stock is overwhelmingly detached, with 93.2% separate houses, including 49.8% 4-plus-bedroom and 44.4% 3-bedroom homes. Mortgage costs equal 20.5% of household income, higher than the 16.4% rent-to-income measure, because larger homes and owner-occupier tenure shape the market more than compact rental stock. That gives Darley a more house-led profile than nearby Bacchus Marsh town-centre pockets.
Mortgage / mo
$1,733
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$320
Census 2021
HH Size
2.8
Personal Income / wk
$821
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.1%
Unoccupied
134
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
16.4%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.5%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
48.8%
Couples with children
33.9%
Couples, no children
16.2%
Single parent
2,578
Total families
Economy & Employment
Darley's employment base is led by construction at 16.4% of industry employment, followed by healthcare at 14.7%, education at 14.6%, public administration at 9.6% and manufacturing at 6.3%. These sectors connect the suburb to building, care, teaching and government work, while the occupation mix is headed by trades with 827 people, professionals with 737 and clerical/admin with 676. The labour force totals 4,894, participation is 67.6%, unemployment is 3.9% and full-time work is 60.8%. Household income sits at the 73.2 percentile, above the midpoint, because a strong trades and professional base supports earnings alongside family employment. Trades outnumber managers, who total 515, while community and personal workers add 583.
Unemployment
3.9%
Labour Force
4,894
Unemployed
192
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
60.8%
Part-time
32.2%
Participation
67.6%
Employed
4,702
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
23.4%
Postgraduate
4.7%
Born Overseas
14.4%
Dwellings
3,139
Transport to Work
Darley is highly car dependent: 72.1% travelled to work as a car driver, compared with 1.5% using public transport and 0.9% walking or cycling. A further 20.3% worked from home, which can reduce daily commuting for some households. The suburb includes 1 government primary school, Darley Primary School; families should check enrolment zones against the exact address because school boundaries can cross suburb lines. Safety needs a practical reading: 558 offences were recorded, equal to 60.7 per 1,000 residents, with property and deception offences at 232, justice procedures at 134, crimes against the person at 125 and drug offences at 43. Car use is higher than every other commute mode, so access to services and work is likely to depend on driving.
Drive
72.1%
Public Transport
1.5%
Walk / Cycle
0.9%
Work from Home
20.3%
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
558
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
60.7
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 Darley compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Darley a good suburb to live in?
Darley can suit households wanting detached space and a family setting. Separate houses account for 93.2% of dwellings, 49.8% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms, and the median age is 37. The trade-off is transport: 72.1% drive to work, compared with 1.5% using public transport.
What schools are in Darley?
Darley includes 1 government primary school, Darley Primary School. Families should confirm the enrolment zone for the exact address and ask the school about current places, because suburb boundaries and school zones do not always match.
Is Darley safe?
Darley recorded 558 total offences, or 60.7 offences per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences were the largest category at 232, followed by justice procedures at 134 and crimes against the person at 125. Check current local incident information before deciding.
How is Darley's population changing?
Darley currently has 9,190 residents. Its mobility pattern points to a stable base, with 84.3% staying at the same address and 15.7% moving. Housing prices rose 106.5% from 2013 to Oct-Dec 2025, but the latest median is 8.9% below the 2023 peak, suggesting change has been gradual rather than uninterrupted.
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), Valuer-General Victoria (house prices), state education open registers (school locations), 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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