Puckapunyal
Australia's largest inland military base shapes every dimension of Puckapunyal. With a median age of just 24, some 16 years below the national figure, and 97.9% of residents renting government housing, this is one of the most demographically distinctive locations in Victoria. The population of 1,108 sits across 412 square kilometres at a density of 2.7 per km2, yet household income sits at the 92.5th percentile nationally, driven by defence salaries rather than private-sector employment. A vacancy rate of 16.3% reflects the high turnover inherent to military postings, not market weakness. The suburb operates on a fundamentally different logic than civilian communities.
Population
1,108
Median Age
24.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,510/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Puckapunyal has no recorded median house price because there is effectively no private residential market here. Only 2.1% of households carry a mortgage, compared to typical outer-regional rates above 30%, because the vast majority of housing is defence-owned and allocated to serving members. The 97.9% renter rate is the defining tenure characteristic. Weekly rent averages $265, which is very low relative to household incomes at the 92.5th percentile nationally, reflecting subsidised defence housing rather than market pricing. The stock is 97.5% separate houses, with 3-bedroom dwellings at 58.8% and 4-plus bedroom homes at 39.9%, consistent with a family-oriented military community. Private buyers have no meaningful pathway into this suburb.
For Buyers
Puckapunyal has no recorded median house price because there is effectively no private residential market here. Only 2.1% of households carry a mortgage, compared to typical outer-regional rates above 30%, because the vast majority of housing is defence-owned and allocated to serving members. The 97.9% renter rate is the defining tenure characteristic. Weekly rent averages $265, which is very low relative to household incomes at the 92.5th percentile nationally, reflecting subsidised defence housing rather than market pricing. The stock is 97.5% separate houses, with 3-bedroom dwellings at 58.8% and 4-plus bedroom homes at 39.9%, consistent with a family-oriented military community. Private buyers have no meaningful pathway into this suburb.
For Investors
Private investment in Puckapunyal is not feasible in the conventional sense. The 97.9% renter rate reflects occupancy of government-allocated housing, not a tenanted private rental market. Weekly rent of $265 is set by defence housing policy rather than market forces, and the 16.3% vacancy rate tracks postings cycles rather than supply-demand balance. No development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, confirming that private construction is absent. The 54% annual turnover rate, compared to typical suburban rates around 20-30%, reflects mandatory posting rotations rather than lifestyle-driven moves. For the rare freehold property that does appear outside the base boundaries, values should be assessed against Seymour (the nearest commercial centre) rather than any internal Puckapunyal benchmark.
Schools in Puckapunyal iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Puckapunyal Primary School
Prep-6 · 189 students
Demographics
The median age of 24 sits 16 years below the national average, the direct result of a young serving-member population. Males make up 62.5% of residents, well above the national 49%, and 78% of families are couples with children (546 of 700 families), with zero single-parent families recorded. Average household size is 3.2, which is 0.7 above the national figure. Overseas-born residents account for 12.2%, which is 9.4 percentage points below the national rate, reflecting the relatively contained diversity of the Australian Defence Force. English, Irish and Scottish ancestries dominate, with 414, 130 and 114 residents respectively. The year-12 completion rate is recorded at 0.0% because many residents completed schooling before their defence enlistment, not because education is low.
Age Distribution
Dwelling Structure
97.5%
Houses
2.5%
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
Housing here is 97.5% separate houses, with virtually no apartments and only 2.5% semi-detached dwellings. Bedroom distribution skews large: 58.8% are 3-bedroom dwellings and 39.9% have 4 or more bedrooms, supporting the family-dominant household profile. Rent sits at $265 per week, producing a rent-to-income ratio of 10.6%, well below the 30% stress threshold, because rents are subsidised relative to the 92.5th-percentile household incomes. The monthly mortgage figure of $1,714 relates to the very small share (2.1%) who do hold a mortgage, not the broader population. Mortgage-to-income at 15.8% is low, also reflecting subsidised arrangements rather than market conditions. The 97.9% renter rate is the highest of any comparable community in the dataset.
Mortgage / mo
$1,714
Rent / wk
$265
HH Size
3.2
Personal Income / wk
$1,300
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
16.3%
Unoccupied
45
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
10.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
15.8%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
17.7%
Couples, no children
700
Total families
Economy & Employment
Public administration accounts for 74.0% of all employment (259 workers), an extraordinary concentration that reflects the base's single-employer status. Healthcare follows at 8.3% (29 workers) and Education at 6.0% (21 workers), both serving the base community. By occupation, Community and Personal Services leads with 282 workers, followed by Managers (131) and Professionals (88), consistent with a military command structure. The unemployment rate is 1.9%, well below the national average of around 4%, and the participation rate reaches 80.0% with a full-time employment rate of 87.1%. These figures reflect a workforce that is essentially fully employed by the Australian Army. Weekly personal income of $1,300 and family income of $2,602 place household earnings at the 92.5th percentile nationally despite the regional location.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
87.1%
Part-time
11.0%
Participation
80.0%
Employed
657
Occupations
Top Industries
University
22.3%
Postgraduate
4.5%
Born Overseas
12.2%
Dwellings
236
Transport to Work
A remarkable 33.4% of residents walk or cycle to work, far above typical Australian suburban rates below 5%, because the base is a contained campus where most destinations are within walking distance. Car use at 63.7% is lower than the national average, reinforcing this self-contained character. No schools are recorded within the Puckapunyal boundary in this dataset, though on-base educational facilities exist as part of the defence community infrastructure. The recorded crime rate is 37.9 incidents per 1,000 residents (42 total offences), with crimes against the person (15) and property offences (11) as the main categories. The volunteering rate is 13.5% and only 3.4% of residents (35 people) need daily assistance, consistent with a young, physically active community. The need-for-assistance rate is low compared to the national average of around 5%.
Drive
63.7%
Public Transport
N/A
Walk / Cycle
33.4%
Work from Home
N/A
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
42
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
37.9
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 Puckapunyal compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Puckapunyal a good suburb to live in?
Puckapunyal is an Australian Army base community, not a general residential suburb. For defence members posted here, household incomes sit at the 92.5th percentile nationally, rents are subsidised at $265 per week, and the unemployment rate is just 1.9%. Civilian access to housing and services is not available in the standard sense.
What is the median house price in Puckapunyal?
There is no recorded median house price because 97.9% of residents are in defence-allocated housing with no private sales market. The monthly mortgage figure of $1,714 relates to just 2.1% of households. Weekly rent averages $265, reflecting subsidised defence housing rates rather than market pricing.
What schools are in Puckapunyal?
No schools are formally recorded within the Puckapunyal suburb boundary in this dataset. The base supports on-site educational facilities for defence families, but these are managed separately from the state school system. The nearest town with full state-school provision is Seymour, approximately 20 kilometres away.
Is Puckapunyal safe?
The recorded crime rate is 37.9 incidents per 1,000 residents, based on 42 total offences, with crimes against the person (15) and property offences (11) the main categories. As a gated military base, the security environment differs significantly from open residential suburbs, and the rate reflects mostly on-base incidents rather than public crime.
Is Puckapunyal good for property investment?
Puckapunyal is not viable for private property investment. The 97.9% renter rate reflects government-allocated housing, not a private rental market. There are no recorded sales transactions, zero development applications in the past 12 months, and housing is controlled by Defence Housing Australia rather than private ownership.
How is Puckapunyal's population changing?
Population levels are determined by Army force structure and posting cycles rather than demographic trends. The current population is 1,108, with a 54% annual turnover rate as residents rotate on 2-3 year postings. The vacancy rate of 16.3% reflects bed spaces between posting cycles, not market-driven population decline.
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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