Nar Nar Goon
A population of just 1,023 across 52 square kilometres produces a density of 19.7 people per km2, placing Nar Nar Goon firmly in the outer rural fringe of Melbourne's south-east. What stands out most is the ownership profile: 36.9% of households own outright and 40.2% carry a mortgage, meaning fewer than 23% rent, well below state and national averages. The area has an identity anchored in land, with 97.5% of dwellings being separate houses and 45.1% having four or more bedrooms, larger than the typical suburban profile. Household weekly income of $1,664 sits at the 57.6th percentile nationally, modestly above the midpoint.
Local council: Cardinia
Population
1,023
Median Age
41.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,664/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
7
Median house price data is not available for Nar Nar Goon, but monthly mortgage repayments of $1,997 and a mortgage-to-income ratio of 27.7% indicate buying remains below the 30% stress threshold. The market is almost entirely detached houses at 97.5%, with only 0.8% apartments. Family-scale properties dominate: 45.1% have four or more bedrooms and 41.0% have three, larger than most outer-fringe suburbs. Outright owners (36.9%) and mortgaged households (40.2%) together exceed 77%, well above the renter share of 22.8%, compared to higher renter concentrations in suburban Melbourne.
For Buyers
Median house price data is not available for Nar Nar Goon, but monthly mortgage repayments of $1,997 and a mortgage-to-income ratio of 27.7% indicate buying remains below the 30% stress threshold. The market is almost entirely detached houses at 97.5%, with only 0.8% apartments. Family-scale properties dominate: 45.1% have four or more bedrooms and 41.0% have three, larger than most outer-fringe suburbs. Outright owners (36.9%) and mortgaged households (40.2%) together exceed 77%, well above the renter share of 22.8%, compared to higher renter concentrations in suburban Melbourne.
For Investors
The rental market is thin: only 22.8% of households rent, lower than state and national averages, and weekly rent of $305 reflects a rural-fringe price point. Vacancy at 4.9% is slightly elevated, adding downward pressure on rents. Demand signals are more positive: 7 development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, including two subdivision permits covering 57 and 75 new lots. That incoming lot supply, against a current population of just 1,023, points to future tenant growth. Unemployment of 4.5% and a participation rate of 64.2% indicate a stable employed base to support demand.
Development Activity
Total DAs
20
Last 12 Months
7
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-36.4%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Nar Nar Goon
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Nar Nar Goon Primary School
St James School
Demographics
The median age is 41, just 1 year above the national figure. Overseas-born residents at 13.2% are 8.4 percentage points below the national average, consistent with an Anglo-leaning profile: English (396), Scottish (97) and Irish (93) are the top ancestries. University qualifications at 15.3% sit 14.8 points below national, indicating a workforce oriented toward trades rather than graduate professions. Average household size of 2.7 is 0.2 above national, and couples with children account for 37.6% of families versus 23.8% couples without, pointing to a family-formation cohort as the dominant household type.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
97.5%
Houses
0.8%
Townhouse
0.8%
Apartment
Tenure
Detached houses make up 97.5% of dwellings, with apartments and semi-detached at just 0.8% each, a stock profile more house-dominant than most suburbs statewide. Large homes prevail: 45.1% have four or more bedrooms and 41.0% have three, leaving little undersized stock. Tenure splits between outright owners (36.9%), mortgaged households (40.2%) and renters (22.8%). Monthly mortgage repayments of $1,997 yield a mortgage-to-income ratio of 27.7%, below the 30% stress threshold. Rent-to-income at 18.3% is also comfortable. Median house price is not available in this dataset.
Mortgage / mo
$1,997
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$305
Census 2021
HH Size
2.7
Personal Income / wk
$776
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.9%
Unoccupied
18
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.3%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
27.7%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
46.8%
Couples with children
35.6%
Couples, no children
16.2%
Single parent
278
Total families
Economy & Employment
Construction leads employment at 19.7% (59 workers), reflecting both active subdivision activity and local trade demand. Agriculture follows at 11.0% (33 workers), fitting a suburb covering 52 square kilometres of rural land. Manufacturing and Healthcare each account for 10.7% (32 workers). By occupation, Managers top the list at 106 workers, followed by Labourers (67) and Machinery/Drivers (58), an industry mix more trade-heavy than the state average. Unemployment sits at 4.5% and the full-time rate is 60.6%. SEIFA scores are unavailable, so decile-based advantage rankings cannot be compared for this suburb.
Unemployment
4.2%
Labour Force
568
Unemployed
24
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
56.4%
Part-time
36.8%
Participation
68.7%
Employed
544
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
15.3%
Postgraduate
1.2%
Born Overseas
13.2%
Dwellings
355
Transport to Work
Car dependence is near total at 90.3% driving to work, higher than metropolitan Melbourne norms, because the suburb spans 52 square kilometres at just 19.7 people per km2. Public transport usage is only 0.9%. Crime totals 56 offences at a rate of 54.7 per 1,000 residents, with property and deception (19 incidents) and justice procedures (18) as the top categories. No schools are recorded within this suburb. The volunteering rate of 12.6% and rent-to-income of 18.3% indicate a stable community, and only 4.2% of residents need daily assistance.
Drive
67.0%
Public Transport
0.7%
Walk / Cycle
2.3%
Work from Home
25.7%
Growth Outlook
Active subdivision activity points to a suburb in early-stage densification. Two planning permits lodged in April-May 2026 alone cover 132 new lots, which is substantial for a settlement of only 1,023 people currently. Mobility is low: 87.6% of residents stayed in the same address over the census period, with a turnover rate of just 12.4%, suggesting that those who choose to live here stay. Population growth forecasts and migration data are not available in this brief. The construction industry's 19.7% employment share, above what a stable suburb would generate, suggests that the suburb is building toward a larger future resident base rather than sitting at equilibrium.
Population trend: Cardinia council area
Nar Nar Goon sits in the Cardinia council area. These are the council area's residents, not Nar Nar Goon'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
56
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
54.7
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 Nar Nar Goon compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nar Nar Goon a good suburb to live in?
Nar Nar Goon suits households prioritising space and an owner-occupier lifestyle. Some 97.5% of dwellings are separate houses, 45.1% have four or more bedrooms, and mortgage-to-income sits at a comfortable 27.7%. The main trade-off is near-total car dependence, with only 0.9% of residents using public transport.
What is the median house price in Nar Nar Goon?
Median house price data is not currently available in this dataset for Nar Nar Goon. As a reference point, monthly mortgage repayments average $1,997 and the mortgage-to-income ratio is 27.7%, below the 30% stress threshold. Weekly rent averages $305.
What schools are in Nar Nar Goon?
No schools are recorded within the Nar Nar Goon suburb boundary in this dataset. Families in this area of 1,023 residents typically travel to nearby townships for schooling. University qualifications at 15.3% of the workforce run 14.8 percentage points below the national average.
Is Nar Nar Goon safe?
Nar Nar Goon recorded 56 offences in the latest period, giving a crime rate of 54.7 per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences were the largest category at 19 incidents, followed by justice procedures (18) and crimes against the person (13). The population of 1,023 means individual incidents can move the rate noticeably.
Is Nar Nar Goon good for property investment?
The investment case is mixed. Weekly rent of $305 is modest and the rental pool is small at 22.8% of households, lower than state averages. A 4.9% vacancy rate adds risk. On the positive side, two subdivision permits covering 132 lots were lodged in early 2026, signalling new supply demand. Future rental yield growth will depend on how that subdivision population materialises.
How is Nar Nar Goon's population changing?
Specific population growth rate data is not available in this brief, but two subdivision planning permits covering a total of 132 new lots were lodged between April and May 2026, substantial for a suburb with a current population of only 1,023. The low turnover rate of 12.4% shows that existing residents stay, providing a stable base for future growth.
What industries employ people in Nar Nar Goon?
Construction is the largest employer at 19.7% of workers (59 people), followed by Agriculture at 11.0% (33 workers) and Manufacturing and Healthcare each at 10.7% (32 workers). This practical, trade-and-land mix is consistent with a rural-fringe suburb spanning 52 square kilometres, and contrasts with the professional-services concentration typical of metropolitan suburbs.
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 education open registers (school locations), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications).
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