Strathfieldsaye
With 6,850 residents, Strathfieldsaye combines a 99.8% separate-house share with 65.9% of dwellings containing four or more bedrooms, a more pronounced family format than the national profile. Household income sits at the 84.6th percentile, while the median age of 36 is 4 years below the national figure. Compared with nearby Junortoun as an alternative search area, its defining signal is an established mortgage-belt community, with 51.6% of occupied dwellings under mortgage. The wider area records a 2.79% annual growth trend and 52.5% population change over 10 years, even as the forecast trajectory is Aging. This points to continued family housing demand alongside a gradually older resident base.
Population
6,850
Median Age
36.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,237/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
74
Median House
$772K
October to December 2025
Strathfieldsaye suits buyers prioritising land and family space over apartment access. Because 99.8% of dwellings are separate houses and 65.9% have four or more bedrooms, stock is concentrated in larger homes rather than compact formats. Mortgage costs are listed at $1,733 monthly and equal 17.9% of household income, with mortgage stress not flagged. Compared with nearby Junortoun, buyers should compare lot size, commute and school-zone trade-offs rather than assume identical value.
For Buyers
Strathfieldsaye suits buyers prioritising land and family space over apartment access. Because 99.8% of dwellings are separate houses and 65.9% have four or more bedrooms, stock is concentrated in larger homes rather than compact formats. Mortgage costs are listed at $1,733 monthly and equal 17.9% of household income, with mortgage stress not flagged. Compared with nearby Junortoun, buyers should compare lot size, commute and school-zone trade-offs rather than assume identical value.
For Investors
Investor conditions are shaped by owner-occupier demand rather than a large rental pool. Only 13.1% of occupied dwellings are rented, far lower than the 51.6% mortgage share, while weekly rent is $400 and vacancy is 4.5%. That mix can support family-oriented leasing, but investors should test tenant depth street by street. Development activity is notable, with 73 applications in the latest 12 months, which may increase competition between newer homes and established stock. Rent growth is 33.3%, and Internal migration is the primary forecast driver, so demand is supported by incoming households. Compared with a high-rental suburb, yields and vacancy deserve closer checking because owner occupation is dominant.
Development Activity
Total DAs
86
Last 12 Months
74
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+1380.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Strathfieldsaye
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
St Francis of the Fields School
Strathfieldsaye Primary School
Demographics
Strathfieldsaye has a median age of 36, which is 4 years below the national figure, but its forecast trajectory is Aging: the senior share has risen 8.0 percentage points while the young share has fallen 2.9 points. Household size averages 3.0 people, 0.5 above the national comparison, and couples with children account for 52.6% of families. The ancestry profile is strongly English (3,051), Irish (1,035) and Scottish (891), while Christianity (3,319) and no religion (3,089) are the largest recorded affiliations. University participation is 35.9%, 5.8 percentage points above national, but overseas-born residents are 8.5%, 13.1 points below national. Compared with nearby Kennington as an inner-Bendigo alternative, this profile is more centred on family households and Anglo-Celtic ancestry. A 23.6% turnover rate and 76.4% staying rate reinforce residential continuity.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
99.8%
Houses
0.2%
Townhouse
0.0%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure is mortgage-led: 51.6% of dwellings are mortgaged, 34.8% owned outright and 13.1% rented. Because 99.8% of stock is separate housing and 65.9% has four or more bedrooms, the suburb is better suited to conventional family houses than compact apartment living. Compared with nearby Junortoun, buyers should compare house size, land and price rather than rely on suburb medians alone.
Mortgage / mo
$1,733
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$400
Census 2021
HH Size
3.0
Personal Income / wk
$924
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.5%
Unoccupied
105
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
17.9%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
17.9%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
52.6%
Couples with children
35.3%
Couples, no children
11.4%
Single parent
1,960
Total families
Economy & Employment
Household income sits at the 84.6th percentile, with weekly personal, family and household figures of $924, $2,378 and $2,237. Labour-force participation is 70.5% and unemployment is 3.5% across 3,627 people. Healthcare leads industry employment at 22.1% (545), ahead of Education at 14.5% (359), Construction at 10.4% (256), Public Administration at 9.3% (229) and Professional/Technical at 6.8% (169). Occupations are led by Professionals (941), Clerical/Admin (470), Managers (466), Community/Personal (433) and Trades (419), creating a mix of service and skilled work. SEIFA deciles are 7 for education and occupation, 10 for economic resources, 9 for disadvantage and 8 for advantage, all above the national midpoint because income and participation are relatively strong.
Unemployment
3.5%
Labour Force
3,627
Unemployed
126
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
56.6%
Part-time
37.5%
Participation
70.5%
Employed
3,501
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
35.9%
Postgraduate
6.6%
Born Overseas
8.5%
Dwellings
2,233
Transport to Work
Livability is strongest for households comfortable with driving. The car-driver share is 71.8%, much higher than public transport use at 0.8% and walking or cycling at 1.3%, while 20.7% work from home. That pattern matters because daily access is organised around private vehicles rather than frequent transit. Families have 2 local primary schools, one Government and one Catholic, so address-level enrolment zones should be checked before buying or renting. Safety records show 220 offences, or 32.1 per 1,000 residents, led by property and deception offences (83) and crimes against the person (69), with drug offences at 5. SEIFA places the suburb in decile 8 for advantage and decile 9 for disadvantage, above the middle of the national scale. Compared with a transit-oriented inner Bendigo suburb, transport convenience is more car-dependent, while the 30.08 square kilometre area and 227.7 density support a spacious detached-home pattern.
Drive
71.8%
Public Transport
0.8%
Walk / Cycle
1.3%
Work from Home
20.7%
Population Forecast
+2.79%/yr
(+327 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is strong but its composition is changing. The forecast annual trend is 2.79%, with Internal migration named as the primary driver, while population change across the wider area is 52.5% over 10 years. The shift trajectory is Aging: the senior share is up 8.0 percentage points, higher than the 2.9-point decline in young share and the 5.5-point decline in working share. This suggests demand can keep expanding because households are arriving, while services and housing will need to accommodate older residents. Gentrification signals are mixed: the current score is 34 and classed as Early signs, whereas the shift indicator is 12 and classed as Not gentrifying. Rent growth of 33.3% and 73 development applications add pressure to monitor affordability and supply.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Internal Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+20
Net Internal / yr
+151
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Net internal migration +151/yr, Accelerating: 24% → 33%
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
220
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
32.1
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 Strathfieldsaye compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Strathfieldsaye a good suburb to live in?
It suits households wanting family-sized detached housing, relatively high incomes and a car-oriented setting. Strathfieldsaye has 6,850 residents, a median age of 36, which is 4 years below the national comparison, and 99.8% separate houses. Compared with a transit-focused suburb, residents should plan more carefully around driving because public transport use is only 0.8%.
What schools are in Strathfieldsaye?
Strathfieldsaye has 2 local primary schools: Strathfieldsaye Primary School in the Government sector and St Francis of the Fields School in the Catholic sector. Compared with a single-sector school mix, the local options span 2 published sectors, although both are primary settings. Confirm the exact enrolment zone, available places and secondary options for each address.
Is Strathfieldsaye safe?
Safety should be judged at street and time level, but the recorded total is 220 offences, equal to 32.1 per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences account for 83, compared with 5 drug offences; crimes against the person total 69 and justice procedures 61. These figures provide context rather than a guarantee for any individual property.
How is Strathfieldsaye's population changing?
Population change across the wider area is forecast at 52.5% over 10 years, with an annual growth trend of 2.79% driven primarily by Internal migration. The shift trajectory is Aging: the senior-share change of 8.0 percentage points is higher than the young-share decline of 2.9 points. This points to continued expansion alongside a gradually older age structure.
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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