Tootgarook
A 52% vacancy rate is the most striking number in Tootgarook, and it explains a lot about the suburb. Located on the Mornington Peninsula, this is primarily a holiday and weekender destination where most dwellings sit empty on any given census night. The resident population of 3,178 has a median age of 46, which is 6 years above the national figure, and 97% of dwellings are separate houses, higher than most comparable coastal suburbs in Victoria.
Population
3,178
Median Age
46.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,294/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
3
Median House
$882K
October to December 2025
Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,788, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 31.9%, above the 30% stress threshold. The stock is almost entirely separate houses at 97%, with semi-detached properties making up the remaining 3%. Three-bedroom homes dominate at 56.6%, while four-plus bedroom properties account for 29.3%, meaning buyers generally find larger family-sized homes rather than compact stock.
For Buyers
Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,788, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 31.9%, above the 30% stress threshold. The stock is almost entirely separate houses at 97%, with semi-detached properties making up the remaining 3%. Three-bedroom homes dominate at 56.6%, while four-plus bedroom properties account for 29.3%, meaning buyers generally find larger family-sized homes rather than compact stock.
For Investors
The 52% vacancy rate is not a sign of distress but rather structural holiday-home demand, meaning rental income is seasonal and inconsistent for most properties. The renter share stands at 29.3% of occupied dwellings. Development activity is modest at 5 applications in the past 12 months, compared to higher-turnover suburbs.
Development Activity
Total DAs
3
Last 12 Months
3
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
—
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Tootgarook
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Tootgarook Primary School
Demographics
The median age of 46 sits 6.0 years above the national average, reflecting a community of established residents and semi-retirees rather than young families. Overseas-born residents make up 15.2%, which is 6.4 percentage points below the national figure, consistent with the predominantly Anglo-Celtic ancestry profile: English (1,247 residents), Irish (399) and Scottish (364) are the top three ancestries. University qualifications reach 20.6%, which is 9.5 percentage points below the national rate, reflecting a trade and service-sector workforce rather than a knowledge-economy concentration. Average household size is 2.3, marginally below national, and 31.7% of families are couples without children, a share aligned with the older age profile.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
97.0%
Houses
3.0%
Townhouse
0.0%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure is spread across outright owners (37.9%), mortgage holders (32.8%) and renters (29.3%). The 52% vacancy rate means most dwellings are unoccupied holiday homes, kept as assets rather than rented out. Mortgage stress is flagged at 31.9% of income, above the 30% threshold, while rent-to-income sits at a more comfortable 27.8%.
Mortgage / mo
$1,788
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$360
Census 2021
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$656
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
52.0%
Unoccupied
1,357
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
27.8%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
31.9% stressed
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
34.6%
Couples with children
44.3%
Couples, no children
20.4%
Single parent
864
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce of around 1,213 employed residents leans toward service industries. Healthcare leads at 18.6% (162 workers), followed closely by Construction at 18.0% (156), then Education at 12.5% (109), Retail at 7.4% (64) and Hospitality at 6.9% (60). By occupation, Professionals (208) and Community and Personal Service workers (204) share the top positions, with Managers (167) and Labourers (158) also significant. The unemployment rate is 4.5% and the full-time employment rate is 53.8%. The participation rate of 48.7% is low compared to national norms, largely because the older median age of 46 leaves 1,031 residents not in the labour force. Household income sits at the 30.7th percentile nationally, below average.
Unemployment
4.1%
Labour Force
1,407
Unemployed
57
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
48.3%
Part-time
41.6%
Participation
53.9%
Employed
1,350
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
20.6%
Postgraduate
3.3%
Born Overseas
15.2%
Dwellings
1,253
Transport to Work
Car dependence is extreme: 91.4% of residents drive to work, versus the national average, while just 0.7% use public transport, reflecting the limited rail and bus access typical of the Mornington Peninsula. Walking and cycling account for 2.0% of commutes. Crime data shows 264 recorded offences in the reference period, a rate of 83.1 per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences (129) are the largest category, consistent with a high-vacancy suburb where unoccupied holiday homes attract opportunistic theft. The volunteering rate of 11.7% and a need-assistance rate of 6.2% (186 residents) are both modest, in line with the semi-retired, stable community.
Drive
71.5%
Public Transport
0.6%
Walk / Cycle
1.6%
Work from Home
21.8%
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
264
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
83.1
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 Tootgarook compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tootgarook a good suburb to live in?
Tootgarook suits semi-retirees and holiday-home buyers more than young families. The median age is 46, which is 6 years above the national figure, and 79.6% of residents have stayed at the same address for over 5 years.
What schools are in Tootgarook?
Families typically access schools in nearby Rosebud, Rye or other Mornington Peninsula towns. The suburb has a university qualification rate of 20.6%, which is 9.5 percentage points below the national average.
Is Tootgarook safe?
Tootgarook recorded 264 offences in the reference period, a rate of 83.1 per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences account for 129 of these, likely linked to the 52% vacancy rate where unoccupied holiday homes can attract opportunistic crime. Crimes against the person totalled 44.
Is Tootgarook good for property investment?
The 52% vacancy rate means most stock is held as holiday homes rather than rented full-time, limiting rental income.
How is Tootgarook's population changing?
The suburb has 3,178 usual residents with a median age of 46, which is 6 years above the national average. Resident stability is high: 79.6% stayed at the same address for 5 or more years and the turnover rate is only 20.4%. The aging profile and high holiday-home vacancy suggest slow natural population growth going forward.
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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