Mount Clear
At 3,671 residents, Mount Clear combines a detached-house base with a median age of 37, which is 3 years below the national figure. The 34.0% university-educated share is 3.9 percentage points above the national level, although household income sits at the 44.9th percentile. For buyers comparing Mount Clear with nearby Canadian or Mount Helen, the defining choice is a low-rise housing mix, with only 11.2% apartments. The suburb is ageing, yet its population change across the wider area reached 17.4% over 10 years, supported by a 21.4% work-from-home share and a 7.7% vacancy rate.
Population
3,671
Median Age
37.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,462/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
7
Median House
$591K
October to December 2025
Mount Clear suits buyers seeking a predominantly detached setting, with 75.2% separate houses compared with 11.2% apartments and 13.6% semi-detached dwellings. Typical stock is practical rather than highly specialised: 51.5% of homes have 3 bedrooms and 34.6% have 4 or more. A $1,498 monthly mortgage represents 23.7% of household income, while rent takes 21.2%, both below common stress thresholds. Compared with apartment-led housing markets, Mount Clear gives families more access to conventional lots, but the sharp quarterly price increase means buyers should budget for competition.
For Buyers
Mount Clear suits buyers seeking a predominantly detached setting, with 75.2% separate houses compared with 11.2% apartments and 13.6% semi-detached dwellings. Typical stock is practical rather than highly specialised: 51.5% of homes have 3 bedrooms and 34.6% have 4 or more. A $1,498 monthly mortgage represents 23.7% of household income, while rent takes 21.2%, both below common stress thresholds. Compared with apartment-led housing markets, Mount Clear gives families more access to conventional lots, but the sharp quarterly price increase means buyers should budget for competition.
For Investors
Mount Clear has a meaningful rental base, with 31.5% of residences rented and weekly rent at $310. That rental share is below the 36.1% mortgage-tenure share, indicating a mixed market rather than a suburb dominated by investors. The 7.7% vacancy rate is relatively high for a landlord, so pricing and presentation may matter more than simply relying on scarcity. Seven development applications were recorded over 12 months, suggesting limited but ongoing property activity rather than a major supply wave. The wider-area growth trend is 1.15% annually and is driven primarily by overseas migration, while rents have grown 34.1% across the shift period. Compared with a lower-vacancy investment market, Mount Clear requires conservative yield and leasing assumptions.
Development Activity
Total DAs
11
Last 12 Months
7
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+250.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Mount Clear
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Emmaus Catholic Primary School
Mount Clear Primary School
Damascus College
Mount Clear College
Demographics
Mount Clear has a median age of 37, 3 years below the national figure, while its average household size of 2.5 is equal to the national comparison. University attainment is relatively strong at 34.0%, sitting 3.9 percentage points above the national rate, but the overseas-born share is 13.2%, or 8.4 points below national. English ancestry is the largest reported group at 1,454 people, followed by Irish at 538 and Scottish at 487. No religion is recorded for 1,746 people, compared with 1,500 identifying with Christianity. For households comparing Mount Clear with Canadian or Mount Helen, this points to an established, Anglo-leaning population with moderate educational attainment and a gradual ageing trajectory. The 72.3% resident-stability rate helps support continuity, while 27.7% turnover still brings regular renewal.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
75.2%
Houses
13.6%
Townhouse
11.2%
Apartment
Tenure
The latest figure is also the peak, so there is no recorded gap between peak and current price. Tenure is divided between 31.8% owned outright, 36.1% with a mortgage and 31.5% rented, creating a more balanced structure than a heavily investor-owned suburb. Housing is led by 3-bedroom homes at 51.5%, a share higher than the 34.6% of 4-bedroom-plus homes. Compared with nearby low-rise Ballarat locations, Mount Clear's 75.2% separate-house share reinforces its family and owner-occupier orientation.
Mortgage / mo
$1,498
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (year ending Sep 2025), Homes Victoria bond data (year-ending median). Census 2021 median: $310.
$420
Bond data year ending Sep 2025 · houses $430 · units $360
HH Size
2.5
Personal Income / wk
$728
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
7.7%
Unoccupied
113
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.2%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.7%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
42.4%
Couples with children
39.1%
Couples, no children
17.4%
Single parent
919
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare and education are Mount Clear's leading employment industries, accounting for 24.4% and 18.3% of jobs, with 285 and 213 workers respectively. Professional and technical services contribute 7.6%, construction 7.2% and public administration 7.0%. The main occupations are professionals at 419 people, community and personal service workers at 245, clerical and administrative workers at 224, trades at 194 and managers at 184. The labour force contains 1,790 people, with participation at 61.1%, unemployment at 6.0% and a full-time rate of 54.3%. Socioeconomic measures are uneven: IEO sits at decile 5, while IER is decile 3 and both IRSD and IRSAD are decile 4. That pattern places education near the midpoint but economic resources below the national midpoint, which helps explain the suburb's moderate household-income percentile of 44.9.
Unemployment
6.0%
Labour Force
1,790
Unemployed
108
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
54.3%
Part-time
38.5%
Participation
61.1%
Employed
1,682
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
34.0%
Postgraduate
9.4%
Born Overseas
13.2%
Dwellings
1,351
Transport to Work
Mount Clear is strongly car-oriented: 71.5% of residents travel as car drivers, compared with 1.3% using public transport and 1.9% walking or cycling, while 21.4% work from home. Families have access to 4 nearby schools, split between 2 primary and 2 secondary campuses, with 2 Catholic and 2 government options. Recorded crime totals 236 incidents, or 64.3 offences per 1,000 people. Property and deception offences account for 108 incidents, higher than crimes against the person at 64, followed by 39 justice-procedure and 17 drug offences. The IRSAD score is 963 at decile 4, below the national midpoint, so household resources are more mixed than the suburb's established streetscape may suggest. Compared with a transit-oriented location, daily life here is more dependent on private vehicles and local services.
Drive
71.5%
Public Transport
1.3%
Walk / Cycle
1.9%
Work from Home
21.4%
Population Forecast
+1.15%/yr
(+144 people/yr)
EstablishedMount Clear's wider-area growth trend is 1.15% a year and the primary migration driver is overseas migration. Population change across the wider area reached 17.4% over 10 years, but the demographic trajectory is labelled Aging, with the senior share up 6.0 percentage points and the young share down 1.4 points. This suggests demand can continue while the mix of households changes, particularly as established owners remain in place. The dedicated gentrification measure has a score of 6 and a Not gentrifying stage, while another shift indicator records a score of 36 and Early signs. That contrast points to selective renewal rather than broad transformation. Rent growth of 34.1% supports investor interest, although the 7.7% vacancy rate remains higher than a tightly supplied rental market.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+113
Net Internal / yr
-66
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Population +18% since 2011
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
236
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
64.3
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 Mount Clear compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mount Clear a good suburb to live in?
Mount Clear suits households wanting detached housing, local schools and a quieter established setting. About 75.2% of dwellings are separate houses, the median age is 37 and 21.4% of residents work from home, although 71.5% drive to work.
What schools are in Mount Clear?
Mount Clear has 4 nearby schools covering primary and secondary education. The mix includes 2 government schools and 2 Catholic schools, giving families 2 sector choices. Enrolment zones should be checked against the exact address because boundaries can differ.
Is Mount Clear safe?
There were 236 recorded offences, equal to a crime rate of 64.3 per 1,000 people. Property and deception offences totalled 108, higher than crimes against the person at 64. These figures are a guide only, so street-level conditions and the exact address still matter.
Is Mount Clear good for property investment?
Mount Clear has 31.5% rental tenure, weekly rent of $310 and a 7.7% vacancy rate. Seven development applications were recorded over 12 months, while the wider-area growth trend is 1.15% annually. Investors should allow for leasing competition and avoid assuming automatic capital growth.
How is Mount Clear's population changing?
Population change across the wider area was 17.4% over 10 years, with annual growth forecast at 1.15% and overseas migration the primary driver. Mount Clear is also on an aging trajectory, with the senior share up 6.0 percentage points and the young share down 1.4 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), 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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