VIC 3551 Census 2021 + Live DA Data

Maiden Gully

Few Bendigo-fringe suburbs are as uniformly detached as Maiden Gully, where 98.8% of dwellings are separate houses and only 0.2% are apartments. That single fact shapes everything else: 65.4% of homes carry 4 or more bedrooms, average household size reaches 3.1 people (0.6 above the national figure), and the population has grown 27.6% over the past decade. Household income sits in the 84th percentile nationally while the median house price is $830,000, far below capital-city levels, which keeps mortgage repayments to just 17.7% of income. The area scores decile 10 on the IER economic-resources index, its strongest SEIFA reading, and the median age of 37 runs 3.0 years below national.

Maiden Gully urban fabric map

Population

5,407

Median Age

37.0

Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)

$2,209/wk

DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year

23

Median House

$830K

Apr-Jun 2024

40.09 km²· 134.9 people/km²· Family income $2,360/wk

Maiden Gully suits families buying detached homes rather than first-home buyers chasing entry stock. The $830,000 median sits well below capital-city prices, yet it has climbed from $440,000 in 2013, an 88.6% rise that works out to a 4.6% compound annual growth rate over 14 years. Stock is heavily skewed to larger homes: 65.4% have 4 or more bedrooms and 31.3% have three, while two-bedroom or smaller dwellings make up under 4% combined. Because 98.8% of homes are separate houses, buyers face almost no apartment or townhouse alternative. Affordability is the standout draw. Monthly repayments average $1,690, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 17.7%, far below the 30% stress threshold, which is why 55.9% of households comfortably carry a mortgage and another 36.7% own outright.

For Buyers

Maiden Gully suits families buying detached homes rather than first-home buyers chasing entry stock. The $830,000 median sits well below capital-city prices, yet it has climbed from $440,000 in 2013, an 88.6% rise that works out to a 4.6% compound annual growth rate over 14 years. Stock is heavily skewed to larger homes: 65.4% have 4 or more bedrooms and 31.3% have three, while two-bedroom or smaller dwellings make up under 4% combined. Because 98.8% of homes are separate houses, buyers face almost no apartment or townhouse alternative. Affordability is the standout draw. Monthly repayments average $1,690, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 17.7%, far below the 30% stress threshold, which is why 55.9% of households comfortably carry a mortgage and another 36.7% own outright.

For Investors

The investment case here rests on owner-occupier demand rather than rental yield. Only 7.4% of dwellings are rented, a thin tenant pool compared with the national renter share, and weekly rent of $380 against the $830,000 median implies a gross yield near 2.4%, modest. The vacancy rate of 4.5% sits slightly above a balanced market, so re-letting is not guaranteed. What supports values is growth: the population is forecast to rise about 1.98% a year, roughly 116 extra residents annually, lifting numbers from 5,869 in 2025 toward 6,669 by 2031. Rent has grown 46.2% over the measured period, the fastest-moving housing metric in the brief. With balanced migration adding 49 internal and 10 overseas residents a year, the play is capital growth and tenant scarcity rather than high yield.

Development Activity

Total DAs

39

Last 12 Months

23

YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements

+283.3%

Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year

N/A

Monthly DA Lodgements

DA Categories

Other
10
Subdivision
6
Garage / Carport / Shed
3
Tree Removal
3
Renovation / Extension
2
New Dwelling
2
Signage / Advertising
1
Hospitality / Food Premises
1

Schools in Maiden Gully iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged

Marist College Bendigo

ICSEA 1040 Combined Catholic

Prep-12 · 1203 students

Maiden Gully Primary School

ICSEA 1009 Primary Government

Prep-6 · 551 students

Demographics

Maiden Gully reads as a young family suburb. The median age of 37 is 3.0 years below the national figure, and average household size of 3.1 runs 0.6 above national, consistent with the 2,562 couple-with-children families that dominate the area. The population is overwhelmingly Australian-born: just 6.0% were born overseas, 15.6 points below the national rate, and ancestry is heavily Anglo, led by English (2,522), Scottish (692) and Irish (667). University qualifications reach 27.7%, which is 2.4 points below national, fitting a trade and services workforce rather than a professional-heavy one. Despite the young median age, the trajectory is aging: the senior share rose 6.4 points and the working-age share fell 3.7 points over the decade, an early sign the family wave is maturing in place rather than turning over.

Age Distribution

0-14
24.7%
15-24
11.9%
25-44
24.4%
45-64
25.7%
65+
13.2%

Bedrooms

Studio/1br
1.5%
2 bed
1.7%
3 bed
31.3%
4+ bed
65.4%

Dwelling Structure

98.8%

Houses

N/A

Townhouse

0.2%

Apartment

Tenure

Own 36.7% Mortgage 55.9% Rent 7.4%

Tenure is the clearest signal of a settled mortgage belt: 55.9% of households carry a mortgage, 36.7% own outright and only 7.4% rent. Mortgage holders outnumbering outright owners points to a population still paying down recent purchases rather than long-held wealth. The stock is almost entirely detached at 98.8%, with apartments at a token 0.2%, and skews large, 65.4% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms against 31.3% with three. The median house price climbed from $440,000 in 2013 to $830,000 by mid-2024, an 88.6% gain at a 4.6% compound annual rate, and currently sits at its peak with a 0.0% peak-to-latest gap. Affordability stays comfortable: mortgage-to-income is 17.7% and rent-to-income 17.2%, both well below the 30% stress line, helped by household income in the 84th percentile.

Median House Price Trend

Source: State Valuer-General

Mortgage / mo

$1,690

Rent / wk

$380

HH Size

3.1

Personal Income / wk

$897

Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)

4.5%

Unoccupied

81

Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress

17.2%

Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress

17.7%

Community Profile

Languages Spoken at Home

Malayalam
13

Ancestry

English
2,522
Scottish
692
Irish
667
German
256
Other
213
Italian
178

Household Composition

20.7%

Couples, no children

4,852

Total families

Economy & Employment

The workforce leans toward services and trades rather than corporate sectors. Healthcare is the largest employer at 21.5% (408 workers), followed by Education at 12.6% and Construction at 11.9%, with Public Admin at 9.7% and Manufacturing at 7.3%. By occupation, Professionals (594) lead, but Clerical/Admin (412), Managers (379) and Community/Personal workers (318) fill out a broad middle, consistent with the IEO education-and-occupation index reading decile 5, only mid-range. Unemployment is low at 3.4% and participation is healthy at 68.5%. The standout is the IER economic-resources score at decile 10, the top tier nationally, which reflects high home ownership and low housing stress rather than high incomes, since household income sits in the 84th percentile and real incomes grew 13.8% over the decade.

Unemployment

1.0%

Labour Force

3,262

Unemployed

33

Quarterly Trend

Mar-24 Dec-25

Source: SALM Dec-25

Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)

Overall advantage
7
Disadvantage
9
Economic resources
10
Education & occupation
5

Full-time

60.0%

Part-time

36.6%

Participation

68.5%

Employed

2,689

Occupations

Professionals 594
Clerical/Admin 412
Managers 379
Community/Personal 318
Sales 299
Labourers 225
Machinery/Drivers 153

Top Industries

Healthcare 21.5%
Education 12.6%
Construction 11.9%
Public Admin 9.7%
Manufacturing 7.3%

University

27.7%

Postgraduate

5.2%

Born Overseas

6.0%

Dwellings

1,713

Transport to Work

Daily life here is car-dependent: 91.0% of commuters drive, while only 0.5% use public transport and 1.6% walk or cycle, far below city averages, a function of the 40.09 km2 semi-rural footprint at just 134.9 residents per km2. The trade-off is space and safety. The crime rate of 29.6 per 1,000 is low, with 160 total offences led by property and deception crimes (91) and a smaller count of crimes against the person (33). The area scores decile 9 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, near the top tier, meaning few residents face deprivation, and only 4.7% need daily assistance. No schools are recorded inside the suburb boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring Bendigo, the main practical compromise of the low-density setting.

Drive

91.0%

Public Transport

0.5%

Walk / Cycle

1.6%

Work from Home

N/A

Population Forecast

+1.98%/yr

(+116 people/yr)

Established

Maiden Gully is a genuine growth suburb, not a flat established one. Population rose 27.6% over the past decade and is forecast to keep climbing about 1.98% a year, roughly 116 residents annually, taking the count from 5,869 in 2025 to a projected 6,669 by 2031 under the medium scenario. Migration is balanced rather than driven by one source, adding about 49 net internal and 10 net overseas residents a year. The gentrification reading is mixed: the headline score of 12 classifies it as not gentrifying, yet the longer shift score of 43 flags early signs, and rent growth of 46.2% supports the latter. The trajectory is aging, with the senior share up 6.4 points and the working-age share down 3.7 points, so growth is coming from new dwellings more than a younger intake.

Historical + Forecast

Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025

Age Cohort Forecast

Primary Driver

Balanced

Net Overseas / yr

+10

Net Internal / yr

+49

12

Gentrification Signal

Not gentrifying

Population +35% since 2011

Safety & Crime

Total Offences

160

Year ending June 2024

Rate per 1,000 People

29.6

Offence Categories

Property and deception offences
91
Crimes against the person
33
Justice procedures offences
26
Drug offences
10

Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police

National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs

How Maiden Gully compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

Population
Top 10%
Household Income
Top 16%
Rent Level
Top 21%
Apartments
Bottom 1%
Renters
Bottom 8%
Uni Educated
Top 40%
Public Transport
Bottom 4%
Born Overseas
Bottom 10%
Density
Top 25%

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Maiden Gully a good suburb to live in?

Maiden Gully scores decile 10 on the IER economic-resources index and decile 9 on IRSD for relative disadvantage, both near the top tier. Household income sits in the 84th percentile nationally, the crime rate is low at 29.6 per 1,000, and the median age of 37 is 3.0 years below national, fitting its young-family profile.

What is the median house price in Maiden Gully?

The median house price is $830,000 as of mid-2024, up 88.6% from $440,000 in 2013, a 4.6% compound annual growth rate over 14 years. Weekly rent averages $380 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,690, giving a comfortable mortgage-to-income ratio of 17.7%.

What schools are in Maiden Gully?

No schools are recorded inside the Maiden Gully boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring Bendigo. The suburb has a young profile, with a median age of 37, which is 3.0 years below national, and an average household size of 3.1 people.

Is Maiden Gully safe?

Maiden Gully records a low crime rate of 29.6 per 1,000 residents, with 160 total offences in the period. Most are property and deception offences (91), while crimes against the person are fewer at 33. The suburb also scores decile 9 on the IRSD disadvantage index, near the top tier.

Is Maiden Gully good for property investment?

Rent of $380 a week against the $830,000 median gives a gross yield near 2.4%, modest, and only 7.4% of dwellings are rented. The case rests on growth: population is forecast to rise about 1.98% a year toward 6,669 by 2031, and rent has grown 46.2% over the measured period.

How is Maiden Gully's population changing?

The population grew 27.6% over the past decade and is forecast to keep rising about 1.98% a year, roughly 116 residents annually, from 5,869 in 2025 to a projected 6,669 by 2031. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 6.4 points and the working-age share down 3.7 points.

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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