Sydenham
A 44.3% overseas-born share, 22.7 percentage points above the national figure, is one of Sydenham's clearest defining features. The suburb has 10,578 residents, a median age of 37 that is 3 years below the national comparison, and average households of 2.8 people, or 0.3 above the national level. Its 3.56 sq km footprint and density of 2,971.7 people per sq km create a compact setting. Compared with the broader suburban forms around nearby Hillside and Taylors Lakes, buyers should pay close attention to street layout, housing type and school zones.
Population
10,578
Median Age
37.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,813/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
7
Median House
$752K
October to December 2025
Housing is weighted toward practical family formats: 56.5% of homes have 3 bedrooms, 32.0% have 4 or more, 64.7% are separate houses and 33.4% are semi-detached. Compared with an apartment-led market, Sydenham gives buyers more choice in house and townhouse-style stock, although only 1.9% of dwellings are apartments. The 21.4% repayment share provides a useful affordability reference, but buyers should still test rates, deposit size and maintenance costs.
For Buyers
Housing is weighted toward practical family formats: 56.5% of homes have 3 bedrooms, 32.0% have 4 or more, 64.7% are separate houses and 33.4% are semi-detached. Compared with an apartment-led market, Sydenham gives buyers more choice in house and townhouse-style stock, although only 1.9% of dwellings are apartments. The 21.4% repayment share provides a useful affordability reference, but buyers should still test rates, deposit size and maintenance costs.
For Investors
The rental profile combines a 31.7% renting share with weekly rent of $369 and a vacancy rate of 4.8%. Compared with the 67.4% of households that either own outright or hold a mortgage, renting is a smaller but substantial part of the market, supporting a broad tenant pool. Rent growth of 40.0% across the longer shift measure is a positive demand signal, while overseas migration is identified as the primary growth driver and 44.3% of residents were born overseas. Seven development applications were recorded over 12 months, including several subdivision examples, which may gradually add infill supply.
Development Activity
Total DAs
13
Last 12 Months
7
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+133.3%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Sydenham
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Emmaus Catholic Primary School
Sydenham - Hillside Primary School
Catholic Regional College Institute of Training
Demographics
Sydenham is younger and more internationally connected than the national comparison: its median age is 37, or 3 years below national, while 36.8% of residents have university qualifications, 6.7 percentage points above national. The overseas-born share is 44.3%, or 22.7 points above national. Leading ancestry responses include Other at 2,361 people, English at 1,630, Italian at 970, Indian at 868 and Maltese at 645. Punjabi is the most common listed language at 322 people, followed by Macedon at 158 and Arabic at 133. Families remain important because 49.6% of couples have children and average household size is 2.8, which is 0.3 above national. Compared with nearby Hillside and Taylors Lakes, purchasers should assess household composition and cultural services at the street level rather than assume the wider region is uniform.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
64.7%
Houses
33.4%
Townhouse
1.9%
Apartment
Tenure
Sydenham's housing cycle shows substantial long-term growth but limited movement below its recent peak. That represents a 76.9% rise from the earliest recorded price and a 3.0% compound annual growth rate over 19 years. Tenure is split between 28.8% owned outright, 38.6% with a mortgage and 31.7% rented. Compared with a detached-house-dominated suburb, Sydenham has a meaningful semi-detached component: 64.7% of dwellings are separate houses, 33.4% are semi-detached and only 1.9% are apartments. Three-bedroom homes account for 56.5%, supporting family demand while keeping the market broader than a large-home-only segment.
Mortgage / mo
$1,680
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (year ending Sep 2025), Homes Victoria bond data (year-ending median). Census 2021 median: $369.
$500
Bond data year ending Sep 2025 · houses $480 · units $450
HH Size
2.8
Personal Income / wk
$724
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.8%
Unoccupied
173
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.4%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.4%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
49.6%
Couples with children
28.8%
Couples, no children
20.0%
Single parent
2,799
Total families
Economy & Employment
Resident employment is anchored by healthcare, which represents 16.3% of workers, or 546 people, higher than construction at 10.7% and 358 people. Education and transport each account for 9.5%, with 318 and 317 workers respectively, followed by retail at 8.3% and 278 people. Occupations are spread across professionals at 884, clerical and administrative workers at 771, trades at 712, community and personal services at 613, and labourers at 565. The labour force totals 5,506 people, with a participation rate of 62.4%, full-time rate of 61.0% and unemployment rate of 6.8%. Weekly household income is $1,813, placing Sydenham at the 65.5th percentile, above the national midpoint. Compared with a professional-only employment base, this mix is broader because healthcare, trades, transport and service roles all have material weight.
Unemployment
6.8%
Labour Force
5,506
Unemployed
373
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
61.0%
Part-time
32.1%
Participation
62.4%
Employed
5,133
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
36.8%
Postgraduate
9.0%
Born Overseas
44.3%
Dwellings
3,468
Transport to Work
Daily travel is strongly car-oriented: 64.3% of residents drive to work compared with 5.5% using public transport and 1.2% walking or cycling. A further 24.2% work from home, which may reduce commuting frequency but does not remove the value of reliable local connections. Three local schools provide a mix of 2 primary and 1 secondary option across 1 government and 2 Catholic providers. Check enrolment zones against the exact address because school boundaries can cut across suburb boundaries. Recorded crime totals 512 offences, or 48.4 per 1,000 residents, led by property and deception offences at 254, justice procedures at 116 and crimes against the person at 104. Compared with the decile 5 IEO and IER results, Sydenham's IRSD and IRSAD scores sit at decile 4, indicating a mixed socioeconomic profile rather than a uniform one. That combination makes transport access, household budget and exact street location important livability checks.
Drive
64.3%
Public Transport
5.5%
Walk / Cycle
1.2%
Work from Home
24.2%
Population Forecast
+1.0%/yr
(+90 people/yr)
EstablishedSydenham's forecast trend is 1.0% annual growth, above zero, with overseas migration named as the primary driver. Population change across the wider area is 15.1% over 10 years, while the shift profile records rent growth of 40.0% and real income growth of 32.5%. The signals are mixed rather than one-directional: the shift model gives gentrification a score of 45 and labels the stage Active, while the dedicated gentrification measure gives a score of 6 and labels Sydenham Not gentrifying. Compared with a rapidly transforming inner-city market, that combination points to established growth supported by migration and housing demand rather than a clear prestige-market transition. Affordability moved from 59.4 in 2011 to 51.1 in 2021, although the affordability trend is labelled Improving, so buyers should treat price growth and household purchasing power as separate factors.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+170
Net Internal / yr
-78
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Population +17% since 2011
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
512
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
48.4
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 Sydenham compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sydenham a good suburb to live in?
Sydenham can suit households seeking family-oriented housing, cultural variety and a compact western-suburban setting. The median age is 37, average household size is 2.8 and 56.5% of homes have 3 bedrooms. Car dependence is high at 64.3%, so transport needs should be checked.
What schools are in Sydenham?
Sydenham has 3 named schools: Sydenham-Hillside Primary School, Emmaus Catholic Primary School and Catholic Regional College Institute of Training. The mix includes 2 primary and 1 secondary school, with 1 government and 2 Catholic providers. Confirm the exact enrolment zone before buying.
Is Sydenham safe?
Sydenham recorded 512 offences at a rate of 48.4 per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences accounted for 254 incidents, followed by justice procedures at 116 and crimes against the person at 104. Safety can vary by street, so review current local data and visit the area at different times.
How is Sydenham's population changing?
The wider area's population change is 15.1% over 10 years, with a forecast annual trend of 1.0%. Overseas migration is the primary driver, consistent with Sydenham's 44.3% overseas-born share. The trajectory is Mixed, while the gentrification measures differ, with scores of 45 and 6.
What languages are spoken in Sydenham?
Punjabi is the largest listed language at 322 people, followed by Macedon at 158, Arabic at 133, Italian at 115 and Greek at 106. The 44.3% overseas-born share is 22.7 percentage points above national, supporting demand for services that reflect varied cultural backgrounds.
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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