Newborough
Across all four SEIFA indexes Newborough sits in decile 1, the most disadvantaged tier nationally, yet 87.4% of its dwellings are detached houses and only 26.3% of residents rent. The two facts connect: a $440,000 median house price keeps ownership within reach for a community whose household income lands in just the 22.6th percentile. University qualifications reach 13.8%, which is 16.3 points below the national figure, and the population of 6,886 skews older at a median age of 43, three years above national. Healthcare dominates local work at 21.1%, and the crime rate of 94.5 per 1,000 runs well above what most affordable detached suburbs record.
Population
6,886
Median Age
43.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,165/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
13
Median House
$440K
Apr-Jun 2024
At $440,000 the median house price is a fraction of metropolitan Melbourne, and the affordability shows in the loan math: monthly mortgage repayments average $1,118, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 22.2%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold even for incomes in the 22.6th percentile. The stock suits families buying a house rather than an apartment, since 87.4% of dwellings are separate houses and apartments are almost absent at 0.3%. Three-bedroom homes make up 56.2% of stock and four-plus-bedroom homes 23.7%, so larger floor plans are the norm. Prices have eased slightly, with the median down 2.2% from the $450,000 peak in late 2023, giving buyers more room to negotiate than during the run-up.
For Buyers
At $440,000 the median house price is a fraction of metropolitan Melbourne, and the affordability shows in the loan math: monthly mortgage repayments average $1,118, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 22.2%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold even for incomes in the 22.6th percentile. The stock suits families buying a house rather than an apartment, since 87.4% of dwellings are separate houses and apartments are almost absent at 0.3%. Three-bedroom homes make up 56.2% of stock and four-plus-bedroom homes 23.7%, so larger floor plans are the norm. Prices have eased slightly, with the median down 2.2% from the $450,000 peak in late 2023, giving buyers more room to negotiate than during the run-up.
For Investors
Weekly rent of $230 against the $440,000 median implies a gross yield near 2.7%, higher than premium metro markets though modest in absolute dollars. The renter pool is shallow at 26.3% of households, well below the renter shares of inner-city suburbs, because owner-occupiers dominate with 38.5% owning outright and 35.1% on a mortgage. A 9.2% vacancy rate points to softer tenant demand than tight metro markets, so re-letting can take time. Demand drivers are balanced rather than strong: net internal migration adds about 103 residents a year and overseas migration 54, while development is thin at 13 applications over 12 months. Rent grew 44.8% across the decade, so the case rests more on cashflow yield and rent escalation than on rapid capital growth.
Development Activity
Total DAs
31
Last 12 Months
13
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+62.5%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Newborough iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Immaculate Heart of Mary School
Prep-6 · 266 students
Newborough East Primary School
Prep-6 · 299 students
Lowanna College
7-12 · 1073 students
Newborough Primary School
Prep-6 · 94 students
Demographics
The median age of 43 is 3.0 years above the national figure, and the trajectory is aging: the senior share rose 5.7 points while the young share fell 2.2 points over the decade. Only 13.2% of residents were born overseas, which is 8.4 points below national, making this a notably Anglo-leaning community led by English (2,751), Scottish (736) and Irish (644) ancestry. University qualifications at 13.8% sit 16.3 points under national, consistent with a workforce weighted toward trades and personal services. Average household size is 2.2, which is 0.3 below national, reflecting that couples without children (29.9%, or 1,494 families) nearly match couples with children (1,714). Christianity is by far the dominant religion at 2,839 residents, with Buddhism a distant second at 30.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
87.4%
Houses
12.3%
Townhouse
0.3%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts firmly toward ownership: 38.5% own outright and 35.1% carry a mortgage, leaving only 26.3% renting, a much lower renter share than metropolitan averages. The stock is overwhelmingly detached at 87.4% separate houses, with apartments at just 0.3% and semi-detached at 12.3%, so buyers compete almost entirely for standalone homes. Three-bedroom dwellings dominate at 56.2% and four-plus-bedroom homes add 23.7%, while two-bedroom stock is only 14.0%. The median house price reached $440,000 in mid-2024, down 2.2% from the $450,000 peak but up 106.6% from $213,000 in 2013, a 5.3% compound annual rate over 14 years. With mortgage-to-income at 22.2% and rent-to-income at 19.7%, both well under the 30% stress line, housing costs stay manageable relative to local incomes.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,118
Rent / wk
$230
HH Size
2.2
Personal Income / wk
$626
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
9.2%
Unoccupied
281
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.7%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.2%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
29.9%
Couples, no children
4,991
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce concentrates in essential services rather than knowledge sectors: Healthcare leads at 21.1% (370 workers), Construction follows at 12.9% (226) and Education at 11.0% (193), with Utilities at 7.9% and Public Admin at 7.7%. By occupation, Community and Personal Service workers (429) and Clerical and Admin staff (386) outnumber Professionals (350), which aligns with the decile 1 IEO score for education and occupation. Unemployment runs high at 7.6% and participation is low at 49.1%, partly because 2,407 residents are not in the labour force given the older age profile. All four SEIFA indexes register decile 1, the most disadvantaged tier nationally, including IER at decile 1 despite the high outright-ownership rate, because low household incomes in the 22.6th percentile depress the broader resource measure. Real incomes still grew 17.6% over the decade.
Unemployment
7.2%
Labour Force
7,946
Unemployed
574
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
61.4%
Part-time
31.0%
Participation
49.1%
Employed
2,606
Occupations
Top Industries
University
13.8%
Postgraduate
2.0%
Born Overseas
13.2%
Dwellings
2,768
Transport to Work
Newborough is heavily car-dependent: 91.3% of commuters drive, while public transport carries only 0.7% and just 1.5% walk or cycle, a far stronger car reliance than the national average. The suburb scores decile 1 on IRSAD, the most disadvantaged tier nationally, and the crime rate of 94.5 per 1,000 is high, driven by 296 property and deception offences out of 651 total incidents. Volunteering runs at 13.4% and 11.8% of residents (765 people) need daily assistance, above what younger suburbs report and consistent with the median age of 43. No schools are recorded inside the 19.5 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring Moe and the wider Latrobe Valley, a practical trade-off for a low-density area at 353 residents per km2.
Drive
91.3%
Public Transport
0.7%
Walk / Cycle
1.5%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.23%/yr
(+41 people/yr)
EstablishedNewborough is an established, slow-growth suburb: the forecast annual population growth is 0.23%, or about 41 residents a year, and the 10-year change was just 3.7%. Migration is balanced rather than booming, with net internal migration adding 103 residents annually and overseas migration 54, so the area neither empties nor surges. The gentrification stage reads not gentrifying, scoring 13, even though rent climbed 44.8% over the decade, because incomes and the decile 1 SEIFA profile have not lifted in step. Affordability held stable at 36.0% in both 2011 and 2021, a sign that price gains tracked rather than outpaced local capacity. The aging trajectory, with the senior share up 5.7 points, means natural growth is limited and future demand leans on incoming migration more than births.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Balanced
Net Overseas / yr
+54
Net Internal / yr
+103
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal migration +103/yr
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
651
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
94.5
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 Newborough compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Newborough a good suburb to live in?
Newborough scores decile 1 on all four SEIFA indexes, the most disadvantaged tier nationally, but housing is affordable with a $440,000 median house price and a low 22.2% mortgage-to-income ratio. The main trade-offs are a high crime rate of 94.5 per 1,000 and limited public transport at 0.7% of commuters.
What is the median house price in Newborough?
The median house price is $440,000 as of mid-2024, down 2.2% from the $450,000 peak in late 2023 but up 106.6% from $213,000 in 2013. Weekly rent averages $230 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,118, keeping the mortgage-to-income ratio at 22.2%, below the 30% stress line.
What schools are in Newborough?
No schools are recorded inside the 19.5 km2 Newborough boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring Moe and the wider Latrobe Valley. Education employs 11.0% of the local workforce, or 193 workers, the third largest industry after healthcare and construction.
Is Newborough safe?
Newborough records a crime rate of 94.5 per 1,000 residents, with 651 total offences, higher than most affordable detached suburbs. Property and deception offences lead at 296 incidents, followed by 164 justice procedure offences and 152 crimes against the person, so property crime is the dominant concern.
Is Newborough good for property investment?
Rent of $230 a week against a $440,000 median gives a gross yield near 2.7%, higher than premium metro markets. However the 9.2% vacancy rate signals softer tenant demand, and the renter pool is shallow at 26.3% of households, so returns depend on cashflow and the 44.8% decade rent growth rather than rapid capital gains.
How is Newborough's population changing?
Population growth is slow at 0.23% annually, about 41 residents a year, with a 3.7% rise over 10 years. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 5.7 points and the young share down 2.2 points over the decade. Net internal migration of 103 a year is the main growth driver, ahead of 54 from overseas.
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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