Wahgunyah
With a median age of 49, Wahgunyah's population is 9 years older than the national figure, which is the most distinctive demographic signal in this small Murray River town of 1,061 residents. Household income sits in the 29.3rd percentile nationally, below average for Victoria, yet house prices reached $519,500 as of April to June 2024 after growing 173.4% since 2013. That growth rate at a relatively low income level means residents commit a higher proportion of earnings to housing than the headline numbers suggest. The suburb spans 36.56 square kilometres at a density of just 29 people per square kilometre, firmly rural in character.
Population
1,061
Median Age
49.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,280/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
1
Median House
$520K
Apr-Jun 2024
The median house price of $519,500 in April to June 2024 sits below most regional Victorian markets and reflects a long run of growth: prices were $190,000 in 2013, a 173.4% gain over 14 years at a compound annual rate of 7.4%. The price peaked at $520,000 in January to March 2024 and has held steady since, just 0.1% below peak. Separate houses account for 90.1% of dwellings, giving buyers strong detached-home options, while semi-detached homes fill the remaining 9.9%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,473, and the mortgage-to-income ratio is 26.6%, below the 30% stress threshold. Three-bedroom homes make up 45.6% of stock, with 34.8% having four or more bedrooms, making Wahgunyah skew toward family-sized dwellings compared with the state average.
For Buyers
The median house price of $519,500 in April to June 2024 sits below most regional Victorian markets and reflects a long run of growth: prices were $190,000 in 2013, a 173.4% gain over 14 years at a compound annual rate of 7.4%. The price peaked at $520,000 in January to March 2024 and has held steady since, just 0.1% below peak. Separate houses account for 90.1% of dwellings, giving buyers strong detached-home options, while semi-detached homes fill the remaining 9.9%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,473, and the mortgage-to-income ratio is 26.6%, below the 30% stress threshold. Three-bedroom homes make up 45.6% of stock, with 34.8% having four or more bedrooms, making Wahgunyah skew toward family-sized dwellings compared with the state average.
For Investors
The rental market in Wahgunyah is small but notable for its vacancy rate of 9.5%, which is elevated compared with typical regional Victoria levels, signalling lower rental demand relative to available stock. Weekly rent is $230, low relative to the $519,500 median house price, implying a gross yield around 2.3%, modest but comparable with similarly sized rural towns. Only 16.3% of households rent, well below the national share, because 45.9% own outright and 37.8% carry a mortgage, indicating an owner-occupier dominated market. Development activity is minimal at 1 application in the past 12 months, and the population of 1,061 is small, so investment rationale rests on the 7.4% historical compound annual growth in prices rather than rental income.
Development Activity
Total DAs
2
Last 12 Months
1
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 Wahgunyah iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Wahgunyah Primary School
Prep-6 · 92 students
Demographics
The median age of 49 is 9 years above the national median, the most significant demographic divergence in this suburb. Residents born overseas account for just 7.3%, which is 14.3 percentage points below the national figure, reflecting a predominantly locally born population. Ancestry is strongly Anglo-Celtic: English (466), Irish (135), Scottish (87) and German (65) lead the counts. University qualifications reach only 15.3%, which is 14.8 percentage points below national, a gap that aligns with the manufacturing and labourer-heavy occupational profile. Average household size of 2.3 is slightly below the national figure, and 36.7% of families are couples with no children, consistent with the older resident profile. Volunteering is active at 18.2% of residents, above the typical rural benchmark.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
90.1%
Houses
9.9%
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
Wahgunyah is decisively an owner-occupier suburb: 45.9% own outright and 37.8% hold a mortgage, with only 16.3% renting, well below the national average. The stock is 90.1% separate houses, far higher than state averages, and there are no apartments recorded. Three-bedroom homes dominate at 45.6%, with four-plus bedroom homes at 34.8%, giving the suburb a family-sized tenure profile. Prices grew from $190,000 in 2013 to $519,500 in April to June 2024, a 173.4% increase over 14 years. Monthly repayments of $1,473 produce a mortgage-to-income ratio of 26.6%, below the stress threshold of 30%, and rent-to-income sits at 18.0%, both manageable relative to local incomes at the 29.3rd household income percentile nationally.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,473
Rent / wk
$230
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$696
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
9.5%
Unoccupied
45
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.0%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.6%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
36.7%
Couples, no children
828
Total families
Economy & Employment
Manufacturing is the dominant industry at 21.7% of local workers (61 people), followed by Healthcare at 18.5% (52 workers), Construction at 10.7% (30 workers), Retail at 8.9% (25 workers) and Education at 7.8% (22 workers). The wine-growing context of the Rutherglen wine region explains the manufacturing concentration, which is above typical rural suburb levels. By occupation, Labourers lead at 78 workers, followed by Managers (62), Professionals (60), Community and Personal Service (43) and Sales (43). The unemployment rate is low at 3.0%, and full-time employment among those working reaches 64.5%. Participation rate is 49.3%, lower than the national average, partly because 354 residents are not in the labour force, which aligns with the older median age of 49. Weekly personal income averages $696, below state and national benchmarks.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
64.5%
Part-time
32.5%
Participation
49.3%
Employed
425
Occupations
Top Industries
University
15.3%
Postgraduate
1.0%
Born Overseas
7.3%
Dwellings
426
Transport to Work
Car dependency is high at 92.6% of workers driving, reflecting the rural character and limited public transport options, compared with metropolitan areas where car use commonly falls below 70%. Walking or cycling accounts for 2.5% of commutes. Safety data shows 45 recorded offences in the most recent period, giving a crime rate of 42.4 per 1,000 residents. The top categories are justice procedures offences (18 incidents), property and deception offences (17) and crimes against the person (8). No schools are recorded within the Wahgunyah suburb boundary in this dataset, so families draw on facilities in neighbouring Corowa or Rutherglen. Rent-to-income is 18.0%, below the stress threshold, keeping housing costs manageable for the 16.3% of residents who rent. The 9.5% vacancy rate is an outlier for the rental segment.
Drive
92.6%
Public Transport
N/A
Walk / Cycle
2.5%
Work from Home
N/A
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
45
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
42.4
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 Wahgunyah compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Wahgunyah a good suburb to live in?
Wahgunyah suits owner-occupiers seeking affordable rural living, with 45.9% of residents owning outright and mortgage-to-income at 26.6%, below the 30% stress threshold. The median age of 49 and 87.8% resident retention rate reflect a settled, long-term community. Car dependency is high at 92.6% and university qualifications are 14.8 points below national average.
What is the median house price in Wahgunyah?
The median house price was $519,500 in April to June 2024. Prices grew 173.4% from $190,000 in 2013 at a compound annual rate of 7.4% over 14 years. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,473, and weekly rent is $230.
What schools are in Wahgunyah?
No schools are recorded within the Wahgunyah suburb boundary in this dataset. Families typically access schools in nearby Corowa or Rutherglen, both within short driving distance. About 15.3% of Wahgunyah residents hold university qualifications, which is 14.8 percentage points below the national figure.
Is Wahgunyah safe?
Wahgunyah recorded 45 offences in the latest period, a rate of 42.4 per 1,000 residents. The main categories are justice procedures offences (18), property and deception offences (17) and crimes against the person (8). The small population of 1,061 means individual incidents can move the per-1,000 rate significantly.
Is Wahgunyah good for property investment?
Prices compounded at 7.4% annually over 14 years, outpacing many regional markets. However, weekly rent of $230 against a $519,500 median implies a gross yield around 2.3%, and the vacancy rate of 9.5% is elevated, indicating soft rental demand. Only 16.3% of households rent, limiting the tenant pool for investors.
How is Wahgunyah's population changing?
The current population is 1,061, with a resident retention rate of 87.8%, meaning only 12.2% of residents move in or out annually, well below typical suburban turnover. The median age of 49 is 9 years above national, and the aging profile suggests gradual natural decline without in-migration to offset it.
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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