Sandhurst
Behind a gated golf-course address in Melbourne's southeast, 91.0% of Sandhurst dwellings are separate houses and 70.5% carry four or more bedrooms, an unusually large-format stock. Household income sits in the 94.8th percentile nationally at $2,714 a week, yet the suburb scores only decile 7 on IRSAD and decile 6 on IEO, a gap explained by an income-rich, qualification-moderate workforce. The median house price is $997,000, down 9.4% from a $1,100,100 peak, and the crime rate of 27.6 per 1,000 residents is low. The population skews older, with a median age of 41, one year above the national figure, on an aging trajectory.
Population
5,211
Median Age
41.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,714/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$997K
Apr-Jun 2024
At a $997,000 median, Sandhurst buyers are paying a premium for scale rather than position, because 70.5% of homes have four or more bedrooms and only 1.9% have two. The market has cooled, with the median down 9.4% from its $1,100,100 peak in mid-2023, though it still sits 82.9% above the 2013 level of $545,000, a 4.4% compound annual rise over 14 years. Detached houses make up 91.0% of stock, so there is little entry-level product. Buyers carry meaningful debt: 58.0% of households hold a mortgage against just 28.5% owned outright, yet average monthly repayments of $2,383 leave a mortgage-to-income ratio of only 20.3%, well below the 30% stress threshold, because incomes here rank in the 94.8th percentile nationally.
For Buyers
At a $997,000 median, Sandhurst buyers are paying a premium for scale rather than position, because 70.5% of homes have four or more bedrooms and only 1.9% have two. The market has cooled, with the median down 9.4% from its $1,100,100 peak in mid-2023, though it still sits 82.9% above the 2013 level of $545,000, a 4.4% compound annual rise over 14 years. Detached houses make up 91.0% of stock, so there is little entry-level product. Buyers carry meaningful debt: 58.0% of households hold a mortgage against just 28.5% owned outright, yet average monthly repayments of $2,383 leave a mortgage-to-income ratio of only 20.3%, well below the 30% stress threshold, because incomes here rank in the 94.8th percentile nationally.
For Investors
Sandhurst rewards owner-occupiers more than landlords. Only 13.5% of households rent, a thin tenant pool compared with the national average, and weekly rent of $530 against a $997,000 median implies a gross yield near 2.8%, modest for the price point. The 4.0% vacancy rate is balanced rather than tight, and zero development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, so no new supply is competing for tenants. Demand drivers are mixed: net overseas migration adds about 114 residents a year while internal migration removes 182, leaving overseas arrivals as the primary growth source. Rent has climbed 28.6% over the decade, faster than incomes grew, which supports the case for holding on rent escalation more than yield, given the low 13.5% rental base.
Development Activity
Total DAs
1
Last 12 Months
0
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
—
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
Demographics
The median age of 41 runs 1.0 year above national, and the profile is aging: the senior share rose 5.8 points over the decade while the working-age and youth shares fell 2.4 and 3.1 points. Average household size is 3.0, which is 0.5 above national and consistent with the family-heavy four-bedroom stock, with 2,313 of 4,792 families being couples with children. Overseas-born residents reach 31.7%, which is 10.1 points above national, and university qualifications at 37.7% sit 7.6 points higher. Ancestry leans Anglo-Celtic, led by English (1,877), Scottish (479) and Irish (471), with Indian (219) the largest non-European group, while the top languages other than English are Afrikaans (42), Greek (41) and Mandarin (39).
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
91.0%
Houses
9.0%
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts heavily toward mortgaged owners: 58.0% of households carry a home loan, more than double the 28.5% who own outright, while renters make up only 13.5%, a sign of a young-family ownership market rather than established debt-free wealth. The stock is dominated by detached houses at 91.0%, with semi-detached at 9.0% and effectively no apartments, and four-plus-bedroom homes account for 70.5% against just 27.6% with three bedrooms. The median house price is $997,000, down 9.4% from its $1,100,100 peak, but up 82.9% on 2013, a 4.4% compound annual rise. Despite the price, mortgage-to-income at 20.3% and rent-to-income at 19.5% both stay below the 30% stress line, reflecting incomes in the 94.8th percentile nationally.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,383
Rent / wk
$530
HH Size
3.0
Personal Income / wk
$1,093
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.0%
Unoccupied
71
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.5%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.3%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
24.6%
Couples, no children
4,792
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce concentrates in services rather than a single sector: Healthcare leads at 15.4% (294 workers), followed by Construction at 10.9%, Professional/Tech at 10.4%, Manufacturing at 10.1% and Education at 10.0%. By occupation, Professionals (626) and Managers (587) together form the largest blocks, which aligns with a 37.7% university rate, 7.6 points above national. Unemployment is low at 3.4% with a 68.2% full-time rate and 67.3% participation. The SEIFA pattern is telling: IER (economic resources) reaches decile 9 on the strength of high incomes, but IEO (education and occupation) sits at only decile 6, because the manager-and-trades mix earns well without the postgraduate concentration of inner-city suburbs, leaving IRSAD at decile 7 overall.
Unemployment
2.5%
Labour Force
8,137
Unemployed
203
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
68.2%
Part-time
28.4%
Participation
67.3%
Employed
2,663
Occupations
Top Industries
University
37.7%
Postgraduate
9.5%
Born Overseas
31.7%
Dwellings
1,722
Transport to Work
Sandhurst is car-dependent: 91.2% of residents drive to work while only 1.0% use public transport and 1.7% walk or cycle, far below the national reliance on active and public transport, a function of the low-density, golf-estate layout at 1,641.9 residents per km2. The crime rate of 27.6 per 1,000 is low, with property and deception offences (80 of 144 incidents) the dominant category and crimes against the person second at 50. The suburb scores decile 8 on IRSD for relative disadvantage, meaning very few residents face deprivation, and only 3.2% (163 people) need daily assistance. No schools are recorded inside the 3.17 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring suburbs, a practical trade-off for the gated, low-density setting.
Drive
91.2%
Public Transport
1.0%
Walk / Cycle
1.7%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+1.93%/yr
(+262 people/yr)
EstablishedForecasts point to steady expansion of about 1.93% a year, roughly 262 additional residents annually, classifying the area as an established suburb still growing rather than a slow-growth pocket. The medium projection lifts the broader population from around 13,601 toward 16,036 by 2031. Overseas migration of 114 a year is the primary driver, offsetting a net internal outflow of 182. The gentrification stage reads not gentrifying, scoring just 9, because the internal outflow and family-replacement pattern hold the demographic profile stable. The trajectory is aging, with the senior share up 5.8 points and the working-age share down 2.4 points over the decade, while affordability stayed broadly stable, moving from 47.9% to 48.9%.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+114
Net Internal / yr
-182
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Population +27% since 2011, Net internal outflow -182/yr
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
144
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
27.6
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 Sandhurst compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sandhurst a good suburb to live in?
Sandhurst scores decile 8 on IRSD and decile 7 on IRSAD, above-average advantage tiers, with household income in the 94.8th percentile nationally. The crime rate of 27.6 per 1,000 is low and 91.0% of homes are separate houses. The main trade-offs are heavy car dependence at 91.2% and a $997,000 median house price.
What is the median house price in Sandhurst?
The median house price is $997,000 as of mid-2024, down 9.4% from a $1,100,100 peak but up 82.9% on the 2013 level of $545,000, a 4.4% annual rise. Weekly rent averages $530 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $2,383, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 20.3%.
What schools are in Sandhurst?
No schools are recorded inside the 3.17 km2 Sandhurst boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The local population is well educated, with university qualifications at 37.7%, which is 7.6 points above the national figure, and an average household size of 3.0.
Is Sandhurst safe?
Sandhurst records a low crime rate of 27.6 per 1,000 residents, with 144 total offences. Property and deception offences lead at 80 incidents, followed by 50 crimes against the person. The suburb also scores decile 8 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, the upper tier, consistent with a low-disadvantage area.
Is Sandhurst good for property investment?
Rent of $530 a week against a $997,000 median gives a gross yield near 2.8%, modest for the price. Only 13.5% of households rent, a thin tenant pool, and the vacancy rate is 4.0%. Rent grew 28.6% over the decade and overseas migration adds 114 residents a year, so returns lean on capital and rent growth rather than yield.
How is Sandhurst's population changing?
The broader area is forecast to grow about 1.93% a year, roughly 262 residents, toward 16,036 by 2031. Growth is driven by overseas migration of 114 a year, offsetting a net internal outflow of 182. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 5.8 points and the working-age share down 2.4 points over the decade.
What languages are spoken in Sandhurst?
About 31.7% of residents were born overseas, 10.1 points above the national figure. English is dominant, with Afrikaans (42 speakers), Greek (41) and Mandarin (39) the most common languages other than English, reflecting a modest but international resident mix alongside an English-led ancestry of 1,877.
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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