Gembrook
At 12.6 residents per square kilometre across 202 square kilometres, Gembrook is one of the most sparsely settled suburbs in the Yarra Ranges fringe, yet household income sits at the 75th percentile nationally. Ownership rates are unusually high: 33.6% own outright and 54.1% hold a mortgage, leaving only 12.4% renting, well below the national renter share.
Local council: Cardinia
Population
2,559
Median Age
41.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,002/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$876K
October to December 2025
Only a handful of houses sold here in this period, so this median can jump sharply from one quarter to the next for reasons that have nothing to do with the market. Treat it as a rough guide, not a settled price.
Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,907, and at a mortgage-to-income ratio of 22%, Gembrook stays below the 30% stress threshold, making it more manageable than many metropolitan suburbs on similar incomes. The stock is almost entirely separate houses at 98.1%, with 45.6% of dwellings having four or more bedrooms and a further 42% with three, so buyer choice runs toward larger family homes on rural blocks rather than compact product. Outright owners at 33.6% indicate many long-term holders who bought well before the 2020-2024 price surge.
For Buyers
Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,907, and at a mortgage-to-income ratio of 22%, Gembrook stays below the 30% stress threshold, making it more manageable than many metropolitan suburbs on similar incomes. The stock is almost entirely separate houses at 98.1%, with 45.6% of dwellings having four or more bedrooms and a further 42% with three, so buyer choice runs toward larger family homes on rural blocks rather than compact product. Outright owners at 33.6% indicate many long-term holders who bought well before the 2020-2024 price surge.
For Investors
Gembrook's investment case is thinner than its capital-growth record suggests. The vacancy rate of 7.1% is elevated relative to metro benchmarks and reflects the limited tenant pool in a rural suburb of 2,559 people. Only 12.4% of residents rent, compared to the national average of around 30%, so rental demand is structurally thin. Development activity is minimal at 2 planning applications in 12 months, and the identity signals show a mortgage-belt, owner-occupier community, not a rental catchment.
Development Activity
Total DAs
5
Last 12 Months
0
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-100.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Gembrook
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Gembrook Primary School
Demographics
Gembrook's median age of 41 is one year above the national median, consistent with a lifestyle-driven, family-stage community rather than a young renter market. Overseas-born residents make up 12.6% of the population, which is 9 percentage points below the national average, reflecting the Anglo-Celtic character confirmed by ancestry data: English (1,059 residents), Scottish (273), Irish (257) and Italian (142) are the top groups. University qualifications reach 24.7%, sitting 5.4 points below the national rate, a gap that aligns with the construction and trades concentration in the local workforce. The average household size of 2.8 is 0.3 above national, consistent with the dominance of couple-with-children families (898 families) and larger four-bedroom homes. Volunteering reaches 19%, indicating a high degree of community participation relative to population size.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
98.1%
Houses
0.0%
Townhouse
1.9%
Apartment
Tenure
Gembrook's housing stock is one of the most uniform in Victoria: 98.1% separate houses with just 1.9% apartments and negligible semi-detached product. Bedroom mix skews large, with 45.6% of homes having four or more bedrooms and 42% having three, reflecting the lifestyle-property character of the suburb. Tenure is dominated by owners: 33.6% own outright and 54.1% carry a mortgage, leaving renters at just 12.4%, well below national norms. Mortgage stress is low at 22% of income, and rent stress is equally contained at 18% of income, both comfortably below stress thresholds. The 133% appreciation over 14 years compares favourably to many outer Melbourne corridors.
Mortgage / mo
$1,907
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$360
Census 2021
HH Size
2.8
Personal Income / wk
$815
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
7.1%
Unoccupied
62
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.0%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.0%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
51.1%
Couples with children
37.0%
Couples, no children
11.1%
Single parent
675
Total families
Economy & Employment
Construction leads local employment at 15.8% (130 workers), narrowly ahead of Healthcare at 15.7% (129 workers) and Education at 13.1% (108 workers). This three-sector cluster of trades, care and teaching is typical of a semi-rural suburb where residents service both the local community and nearby towns. Professional and Technical services account for 6.4% (53 workers), a lower share than metropolitan Melbourne, consistent with the 5.4 percentage-point gap in university attainment below the national rate. Full-time employment runs at 64% of the workforce, and the unemployment rate is 3.2%, below the national average. Participation rate at 57.8% is moderate, partly because 533 residents are not in the labour force, likely reflecting the older household profile. Personal weekly income averages $815, placing household income at the 75th percentile nationally.
Unemployment
2.9%
Labour Force
1,290
Unemployed
38
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
58.3%
Part-time
32.8%
Participation
63.3%
Employed
1,252
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
24.7%
Postgraduate
4.9%
Born Overseas
12.6%
Dwellings
807
Transport to Work
Car dependency in Gembrook is near-total: 93.8% of residents commute by private vehicle, compared to the national average, and only 0.4% use public transport, reflecting the rural geography and limited service frequency on this Yarra Ranges fringe. Walking and cycling account for 2.5% of commutes, consistent with the low-density layout. Crime stands at 89 recorded offences, giving a rate of 34.8 per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences account for 54 of those 89 cases (48 incidents), the dominant category. No schools are recorded in the suburb dataset, so families likely rely on schools in neighbouring Cardinia Shire towns. The need-for-assistance rate of 4.9% (111 residents) is modest, and housing stress is low: both mortgage and rent-to-income ratios sit below 30%, making Gembrook financially comfortable for most residents by those measures.
Drive
70.6%
Public Transport
0.3%
Walk / Cycle
1.9%
Work from Home
24.7%
Growth Outlook
The population of 2,559 is spread across 202 square kilometres, so density remains at just 12.6 people per square kilometre, far below suburban norms. Residential turnover is low: 86.8% of residents stayed in the same dwelling in the year before the Census, against a national turnover rate, indicating a stable and committed owner base. Planning activity is minimal with only 2 applications in the past 12 months, suggesting the suburb is not in an active development phase.
Population trend: Cardinia council area
Gembrook sits in the Cardinia council area. These are the council area's residents, not Gembrook's.
Residents 2025
133,472
Growth, 5 yr average
+2.8%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+2.6%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
89
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
34.8
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 Gembrook compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gembrook a good suburb to live in?
Gembrook suits families and lifestyle buyers who prioritise space and a rural setting over urban amenity. Household income sits at the 75th percentile nationally, housing stress is low with mortgage-to-income at 22% and rent-to-income at 18%, and 98.1% of dwellings are separate houses. The trade-off is near-total car dependency, with 93.8% of residents commuting by vehicle and public transport used by only 0.4%.
What schools are in Gembrook?
No schools are recorded within the Gembrook suburb boundary in this dataset. Families in the area typically access schools in neighbouring Cardinia Shire towns. Local university attainment is 24.7%, which is 5.4 percentage points below the national average, though construction and healthcare industries dominate local employment.
Is Gembrook safe?
Gembrook recorded 89 offences in the most recent period, giving a crime rate of 34.8 per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences accounted for 48 of those cases, the largest category. With only 2,559 residents spread across 202 square kilometres, the area has a very low population density of 12.6 per square kilometre, which limits exposure to urban crime patterns.
Is Gembrook good for property investment?
The 7.1% vacancy rate is elevated and only 12.4% of residents rent, so the investment case rests on long-hold capital growth rather than rental income.
How is Gembrook's population changing?
Gembrook has a population of 2,559 across 202 square kilometres, giving a density of just 12.6 residents per square kilometre. Residential stability is high: 86.8% of residents stayed in the same dwelling in the year before the Census. The median age of 41 is one year above the national median, indicating a mature, settled community rather than a rapidly expanding younger demographic.
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).
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