Kangaroo Ground
With a median age of 44 and household income at the 96.8th percentile nationally, Kangaroo Ground is a small, high-income rural residential pocket of just 1,208 people spread across 31.42 square kilometres northeast of Melbourne. What stands out most is the ownership profile: 46.3% of dwellings are owned outright and 100% are separate houses, signalling a settled, long-holding community with very little apartment or medium-density stock. University qualifications reach 47.6%, which is 17.5 percentage points above the national average, and only 3.6% of residents use public transport, reflecting a lifestyle built around private car access and low-density rural living.
Population
1,208
Median Age
44.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,909/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
2
Median house price data is not available for Kangaroo Ground due to the small transaction volume typical of a suburb with only 1,208 residents. What the data does show is that monthly mortgage repayments average $3,337, and the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 26.5%, below the 30% stress threshold despite family weekly income of $3,036. Every dwelling here is a separate house, with 68.3% having four or more bedrooms, far higher than the national average, making it a market for buyers seeking large family homes on rural blocks. Outright ownership at 46.3% is high, indicating many owners acquired property long before current pricing levels. The renter share is just 7.0%, compared to the national average of around 30%, so buyers face a thin resale pool but also a very stable, low-turnover neighbourhood.
For Buyers
Median house price data is not available for Kangaroo Ground due to the small transaction volume typical of a suburb with only 1,208 residents. What the data does show is that monthly mortgage repayments average $3,337, and the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 26.5%, below the 30% stress threshold despite family weekly income of $3,036. Every dwelling here is a separate house, with 68.3% having four or more bedrooms, far higher than the national average, making it a market for buyers seeking large family homes on rural blocks. Outright ownership at 46.3% is high, indicating many owners acquired property long before current pricing levels. The renter share is just 7.0%, compared to the national average of around 30%, so buyers face a thin resale pool but also a very stable, low-turnover neighbourhood.
For Investors
Kangaroo Ground presents a narrow investor profile. Weekly rent averages $383, and the vacancy rate of 7.7% is elevated, suggesting demand for rentals is limited in this rural setting. With only 7.0% of dwellings rented, the tenant pool is very small compared to the national average of around 30%. Development activity is minimal, with just 2 planning permit applications in the past 12 months, both amendments to existing approvals rather than new supply. The combination of low renter demand, a 7.7% vacancy rate, and a small population of 1,208 means this market suits owner-occupier buyers more than investors seeking rental yield. Capital growth potential exists given the high-income base and tight supply, but income returns will remain modest.
Development Activity
Total DAs
3
Last 12 Months
2
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
—
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Kangaroo Ground iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Kangaroo Ground Primary School
Prep-6 · 203 students
Demographics
The median age of 44 is 4.0 years above the national figure, and the community leans toward established families, with 37.9% of all families being couples with children and 27.7% couples without children. Average household size is 3.1, which is 0.6 above the national average, consistent with the high prevalence of large, four-plus bedroom homes. Overseas-born residents account for 14.1% of the population, which is 7.5 percentage points below the national figure, and ancestry is predominantly Anglo-Celtic: English (478 residents), Scottish (165) and Irish (126) are the top three groups. University qualifications at 47.6% run 17.5 percentage points above national, reflecting the professional and managerial occupational base. Volunteering reaches 27.0% of residents, well above typical suburban rates.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
100.0%
Houses
N/A
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
Every single dwelling in Kangaroo Ground is a separate house, a 100% detached rate that stands in stark contrast to most Melbourne suburbs. The size skew is pronounced: 68.3% of homes have four or more bedrooms, and 22.8% have three bedrooms. Tenure is unusually stable: 46.3% of homes are owned outright and 46.6% are mortgaged, leaving renters at just 7.0%. Mortgage repayments average $3,337 per month, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 26.5%, which sits below the 30% stress level and reflects the high household income base at the 96.8th income percentile nationally. Price data is not published due to thin transaction volumes in this small suburb, but the financial profile of residents indicates strong holding capacity rather than distressed selling.
Mortgage / mo
$3,337
Rent / wk
$383
HH Size
3.1
Personal Income / wk
$887
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
7.7%
Unoccupied
28
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
13.2%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.5%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
27.7%
Couples, no children
958
Total families
Economy & Employment
Construction leads local employment at 16.0% (70 workers), followed closely by Professional and Technical services at 15.8% (69 workers), with Education at 13.2% (58) and Healthcare at 12.6% (55). By occupation, Professionals (156) and Managers (152) are the two largest groups, which aligns with personal weekly income of $887, above the national median. The full-time employment rate is 56.3% and unemployment sits at 3.0%, lower than the national average. Participation rate of 59.8% is moderate, partly because 289 residents are not in the labour force, consistent with a slightly older population with a median age of 44. Housing stress is absent: rent-to-income is 13.2% and mortgage-to-income is 26.5%, both comfortably below stress thresholds. The high Construction share likely reflects the rural residential context where self-managed building and trades work are common.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
56.3%
Part-time
40.7%
Participation
59.8%
Employed
584
Occupations
Top Industries
University
47.6%
Postgraduate
14.1%
Born Overseas
14.1%
Dwellings
341
Transport to Work
Kangaroo Ground records just 22 crimes in the reporting period, giving a crime rate of 18.2 per 1,000 residents, low by Melbourne metropolitan standards. Property and deception offences account for 12 of those 22 incidents. No schools are recorded within the suburb boundary, so families rely on neighbouring areas for primary and secondary education. Public transport use stands at just 3.6%, one of the lowest rates across Melbourne's outer areas, with 83.1% of residents commuting by car. Walking and cycling account for 7.8%, notably high for a rural setting. With household income at the 96.8th percentile nationally, need-for-assistance at just 4.0% of residents, and mortgage stress below the 30% threshold, the overall picture is a financially comfortable, low-crime rural community that trades urban amenity for space and privacy.
Drive
83.1%
Public Transport
3.6%
Walk / Cycle
7.8%
Work from Home
N/A
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
22
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
18.2
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 Kangaroo Ground compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kangaroo Ground a good suburb to live in?
Kangaroo Ground suits buyers who want low-density rural living near Melbourne. Household income sits at the 96.8th percentile nationally, the crime rate is 18.2 per 1,000 residents (low by Melbourne standards), and mortgage stress is absent at 26.5% of income. The trade-off is minimal public transport at 3.6% usage and no recorded schools within the suburb boundary.
What is the median house price in Kangaroo Ground?
A suburb-specific median house price is not published for Kangaroo Ground due to low transaction volumes in this small community of 1,208 residents. Monthly mortgage repayments average $3,337, and the mortgage-to-income ratio is 26.5%, below the 30% stress threshold, indicating strong buyer capacity relative to a high local income base.
What schools are in Kangaroo Ground?
No schools are recorded within the Kangaroo Ground suburb boundary in this dataset. Families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. Despite this, the local population is highly educated, with 47.6% holding university qualifications, which is 17.5 percentage points above the national average.
Is Kangaroo Ground safe?
Kangaroo Ground recorded 22 total crimes in the reporting period, a rate of 18.2 per 1,000 residents, which is low compared to most Melbourne metropolitan suburbs. Property and deception offences made up 12 of those 22 incidents. Crimes against the person totalled just 2 incidents across the period.
Is Kangaroo Ground good for property investment?
The investor case is limited. Only 7.0% of dwellings are rented, far below the national average, and weekly rent averages $383. The vacancy rate of 7.7% is elevated, and development is minimal with just 2 planning permit applications in 12 months. The market strongly favours owner-occupiers. Capital growth potential exists due to constrained rural zoning and a high-income resident base at the 96.8th income percentile nationally.
How is Kangaroo Ground's population changing?
Kangaroo Ground has a population of 1,208 spread over 31.42 square kilometres, giving a density of 38.4 residents per square kilometre. The suburb is very stable, with 87.2% of residents staying in the same dwelling and a turnover rate of just 12.8%. Rural zoning and large lot sizes constrain new housing supply, making significant population growth unlikely in the near term.
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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