Diggers Rest
Few Melbourne fringe suburbs have grown as fast as Diggers Rest, where the population jumped 182.6% over the decade and is forecast to keep climbing 4.67% a year. The median house price reached $670,000 in mid-2024, up from $280,000 in 2013, a 139.3% rise that works out to 6.4% compound annual growth across 14 years. This is a young, family-driven market: the median age of 33 sits 7 years below the national figure, 92.5% of dwellings are separate houses, and 58.2% of households carry a mortgage. SEIFA scores land mid-table, with IEO at decile 5 and IER at decile 8, reflecting solid economic resources rather than top-tier advantage.
Population
5,669
Median Age
33.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,991/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
15
Median House
$670K
Apr-Jun 2024
At a $670,000 median house price, Diggers Rest stays well below inner Melbourne while delivering land and space that buyers there cannot get. The stock is overwhelmingly detached, with 92.5% separate houses and just 7.3% semi-detached, and it skews large: 47.9% of homes have four or more bedrooms and 47.6% have three, so the typical purchase is a family house rather than a unit. Affordability holds up because the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 20.9%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold, helped by household incomes in the 74.6th percentile nationally. Prices rose steadily from $652,500 in late 2023 to $670,000 by mid-2024, and the entry point has more than doubled since the $280,000 median of 2013, rewarding owners who bought early.
For Buyers
At a $670,000 median house price, Diggers Rest stays well below inner Melbourne while delivering land and space that buyers there cannot get. The stock is overwhelmingly detached, with 92.5% separate houses and just 7.3% semi-detached, and it skews large: 47.9% of homes have four or more bedrooms and 47.6% have three, so the typical purchase is a family house rather than a unit. Affordability holds up because the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 20.9%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold, helped by household incomes in the 74.6th percentile nationally. Prices rose steadily from $652,500 in late 2023 to $670,000 by mid-2024, and the entry point has more than doubled since the $280,000 median of 2013, rewarding owners who bought early.
For Investors
Diggers Rest leans toward owner-occupiers, with only 21.1% of residents renting against 58.2% holding a mortgage, so the tenant pool is thinner than in established rental suburbs. Weekly rent of $397 against the $670,000 median implies a gross yield near 3.1%, and the vacancy rate of 6.2% is on the higher side, signalling that supply is keeping pace with tenant demand. The real investment case is growth rather than yield: internal migration adds about 380 residents a year, far outpacing the 27 from overseas, and annual population growth runs at 4.67%. Rent climbed 73.7% over the measured period, the steepest signal of tightening demand. With 15 development applications in the past 12 months, including subdivisions creating 31 and 40 new lots, supply is expanding alongside the population.
Development Activity
Total DAs
32
Last 12 Months
15
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
0.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Diggers Rest iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Diggers Rest Primary School
Prep-6 · 560 students
Demographics
The median age of 33 is 7 years below the national figure, marking this as a young suburb built around families. Average household size is 2.6, just 0.1 above national, and couples with children make up the largest family type at 2,234 households against 1,207 couples without children. Overseas-born residents account for 25.0%, which is 3.4 points above the national level, and university qualifications at 30.5% sit 0.4 points above national, close to the typical Australian rate. Ancestry is Anglo-leaning, led by English (1,508), followed by Italian (504), Irish (481) and Indian (441). Punjabi is the most common non-English language at 143 speakers, ahead of Italian (52) and Hindi (44), reflecting a growing South Asian presence alongside the established European base.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
92.5%
Houses
7.3%
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts heavily toward mortgaged owners: 58.2% hold a mortgage, 20.7% own outright and 21.1% rent, a profile typical of a fast-growing outer suburb where recent buyers dominate. The stock is 92.5% separate houses and only 7.3% semi-detached, and it is large by bedroom count, with 47.9% of homes offering four or more bedrooms and 47.6% three. The median house price rose from $280,000 in 2013 to $670,000 by mid-2024, a 139.3% gain at 6.4% compound annual growth. Despite that climb, the mortgage-to-income ratio of 20.9% stays below the 30% stress mark, and rent-to-income at 19.9% is also comfortable, both supported by household incomes in the 74.6th percentile nationally. Neither stress flag is triggered.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,800
Rent / wk
$397
HH Size
2.6
Personal Income / wk
$970
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
6.2%
Unoccupied
135
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.9%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.9%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
25.6%
Couples, no children
4,724
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce concentrates in essential and trade sectors rather than high-finance roles. Healthcare leads at 14.6% (303 workers), followed by Construction at 12.2% (254), Education at 10.8% (224), Public Administration at 8.9% (185) and Transport at 8.8% (183). By occupation, Professionals are most common at 578, then Clerical and Administrative workers at 483 and Community and Personal Service workers at 355. Unemployment is low at 4.5% with a participation rate of 66.3% and a full-time employment rate of 69.9%. SEIFA tells a mixed story: the IER score of decile 8 shows strong economic resources from high mortgage-paying incomes, while the IEO score of decile 5 reflects more moderate education and occupation levels, an anomaly explained by the trade and service job mix rather than disadvantage.
Unemployment
2.9%
Labour Force
4,405
Unemployed
127
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
69.9%
Part-time
25.6%
Participation
66.3%
Employed
2,840
Occupations
Top Industries
University
30.5%
Postgraduate
7.0%
Born Overseas
25.0%
Dwellings
2,058
Transport to Work
Diggers Rest is firmly car-dependent: 89.5% of residents drive to work while only 5.3% use public transport and 0.3% walk or cycle, well below what denser inner suburbs report, a function of the spread-out 67.75 km2 footprint at just 83.7 residents per km2. The crime rate of 76.0 per 1,000 residents reflects 431 recorded offences, of which 230 are property and deception offences, the dominant category. SEIFA places relative disadvantage at decile 7 on IRSD, above the midpoint, meaning fewer residents face deprivation than the national average. No schools are recorded inside the suburb boundary in this dataset, so families rely on facilities in neighbouring areas, a common trade-off for a still-developing growth corridor.
Drive
89.5%
Public Transport
5.3%
Walk / Cycle
0.3%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+4.67%/yr
(+347 people/yr)
High GrowthDiggers Rest is one of Melbourne's fastest-expanding fringe suburbs, with population up 182.6% over the decade and annual growth running at 4.67%, or about 347 new residents a year. The forecast continuation lifts the population from 7,089 in 2026 to 8,825 by 2031 under the medium scenario, a steady upward path. Internal migration is the engine, adding a net 380 residents a year against just 27 from overseas, as buyers priced out of inner suburbs move to newer estates. Despite the surge, the gentrification stage reads as new development rather than gentrifying, with a score of 0, because growth comes from greenfield supply rather than displacement. Affordability stayed flat, moving only from 39.7% in 2011 to 39.8% in 2021.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Internal Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+27
Net Internal / yr
+380
Gentrification Signal
New development
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
431
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
76.0
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 Diggers Rest compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Diggers Rest a good suburb to live in?
Diggers Rest suits young families, with a median age of 33, 7 years below national, and 92.5% detached houses. SEIFA places it at decile 7 on IRSD for relative disadvantage, above the midpoint. The median house price of $670,000 stays affordable at a 20.9% mortgage-to-income ratio, though the suburb is heavily car-dependent.
What is the median house price in Diggers Rest?
The median house price is $670,000 as of the Apr-Jun 2024 quarter, up from $280,000 in 2013, a 139.3% rise at 6.4% compound annual growth over 14 years. Weekly rent averages $397, and the mortgage-to-income ratio of 20.9% stays below the 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in Diggers Rest?
No schools are recorded inside the Diggers Rest boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The suburb is young and family-oriented, with a median age of 33 and 2,234 couple-with-children households, so school demand is met largely outside the immediate area.
Is Diggers Rest safe?
Diggers Rest recorded 431 offences for a crime rate of 76.0 per 1,000 residents, with 230 of those being property and deception offences, the largest category. On SEIFA it scores decile 7 on IRSD for relative disadvantage, above the midpoint, indicating fewer residents face deprivation than the national average.
Is Diggers Rest good for property investment?
Rent of $397 a week against a $670,000 median gives a gross yield near 3.1%, with a 6.2% vacancy rate. The stronger case is growth: internal migration adds about 380 residents a year and annual population growth runs at 4.67%, while rent rose 73.7% over the measured period.
How is Diggers Rest's population changing?
The population grew 182.6% over the decade and is forecast to expand 4.67% a year, adding about 347 residents annually. The medium scenario lifts it from 7,089 in 2026 to 8,825 by 2031, driven mostly by internal migration of 380 residents a year against just 27 from overseas.
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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