Waurn Ponds
A median age of 27, fully 13 years below the national figure, sets Waurn Ponds apart from most detached-house suburbs, and the housing stock explains why: 97.6% of dwellings are separate houses yet 56.2% carry four or more bedrooms, large family homes that anchor a young, education-heavy population. Education is the second-largest industry at 14.7% of local jobs, behind Healthcare at 21.2%, which keeps the resident base younger than the household income would suggest. Household income still ranks in the 87.7th percentile nationally on $2,286 a week, and university qualifications reach 38.9%, which is 8.8 points above national.
Population
4,956
Median Age
27.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,286/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
2
Median House
$820K
October to December 2025
Buyers competing here are after space rather than the compact dwellings common closer to Melbourne. Affordability is comfortable because incomes are high relative to repayments: monthly mortgage payments average $1,755, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 17.7%, well below the 30% stress threshold and far easier than inner-city markets.
For Buyers
Buyers competing here are after space rather than the compact dwellings common closer to Melbourne. Affordability is comfortable because incomes are high relative to repayments: monthly mortgage payments average $1,755, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 17.7%, well below the 30% stress threshold and far easier than inner-city markets.
For Investors
Renters make up 21.3% of households, a smaller pool than the national average, so the rental case rests on a specific tenant type rather than broad volume. Rent-to-income runs at just 18.8%, below the stress line, meaning tenants have room to absorb increases. The young median age of 27 and Education's 14.7% share of local jobs suggest steady demand from students and early-career workers, but development is thin at only 2 applications in 12 months, so new supply is unlikely to dilute the market.
Development Activity
Total DAs
6
Last 12 Months
2
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-33.3%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Demographics
The median age of 27 is 13.0 years below the national figure, one of the youngest profiles you will find in a detached-house suburb, driven by the local Education sector and an average household size of 3.0, which is 0.5 above national and consistent with family households. University qualifications reach 38.9%, running 8.8 points above national, while overseas-born residents sit at 18.7%, which is 2.9 points below national, so the population is more domestically rooted than most metro suburbs. Ancestry leans Anglo, led by English (1,888), Scottish (571) and Irish (557), and the top non-English languages are Mandarin (51), Sinhalese (35) and Hindi (33). Families with children number 1,610 against 678 couples without children, a clear family-formation skew that aligns with the young age and large four-bedroom homes.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
97.6%
Houses
2.4%
Townhouse
0.0%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts toward recent buyers: 44.0% carry a mortgage, 34.7% own outright and 21.3% rent, a mortgage-heavy split that fits the young median age of 27 and points to households still building equity rather than long-settled owners. The stock is overwhelmingly detached at 97.6% separate houses with just 2.4% semi-detached, and bedrooms skew large, with 56.2% of homes offering four or more and 38.1% three. Both stress measures stay low, mortgage-to-income at 17.7% and rent-to-income at 18.8%, because household income ranks in the 87.7th percentile against relatively contained repayments.
Mortgage / mo
$1,755
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$430
Census 2021
HH Size
3.0
Personal Income / wk
$642
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.2%
Unoccupied
71
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.8%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
17.7%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
55.9%
Couples with children
31.7%
Couples, no children
11.5%
Single parent
1,068
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce concentrates in two sectors: Healthcare leads at 21.2% (363 workers) and Education follows at 14.7% (251), together more than a third of jobs and the engine behind the young resident base. Construction (9.5%), Retail (8.9%) and Professional/Tech (6.9%) round out the top five. By occupation, Professionals (597) lead, ahead of Community/Personal service workers (428) and Sales (342), a mix weighted toward services rather than trades or management. Unemployment reads 6.6%, above what the 87.7th-percentile household income would imply, and the full-time employment rate of 50.6% is moderate, both consistent with a population that includes a large student and part-time cohort: part-time workers (1,227) nearly match full-time (1,257). Participation sits at 64.1%, held down by 1,102 residents not in the labour force.
Unemployment
6.1%
Labour Force
2,865
Unemployed
176
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
46.7%
Part-time
45.6%
Participation
69.0%
Employed
2,689
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
38.9%
Postgraduate
11.2%
Born Overseas
18.7%
Dwellings
1,292
Transport to Work
Daily life is car-dependent: 87.9% of residents drive to work while only 3.7% use public transport and 2.3% walk or cycle, well below the active-transport share of denser inner suburbs, a function of the 17.45 km2 spread-out footprint at 284.1 residents per km2. Crime totals 204 recorded offences at a rate of 41.2 per 1,000, with property and deception offences (156) making up the bulk and crimes against the person low at 23, a pattern typical of quieter residential areas. No schools are recorded inside the suburb boundary in this dataset, so families rely on nearby institutions, though university qualifications at 38.9% run 8.8 points above national. Volunteering at 18.4% and only 3.9% of residents needing daily assistance round out a settled, family-oriented community profile.
Drive
70.6%
Public Transport
3.0%
Walk / Cycle
1.8%
Work from Home
19.8%
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
204
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
41.2
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 Waurn Ponds compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Waurn Ponds a good suburb to live in?
Waurn Ponds suits families: 97.6% of homes are separate houses and 56.2% have four or more bedrooms, with household income in the 87.7th percentile nationally. University qualifications reach 38.9%, 8.8 points above national.
What schools are in Waurn Ponds?
No schools are recorded inside the Waurn Ponds boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring areas. The resident base is highly educated, with university qualifications at 38.9%, which is 8.8 points above the national figure, and Education is the second-largest local industry at 14.7% of jobs.
Is Waurn Ponds safe?
Waurn Ponds recorded 204 offences, a rate of 41.2 per 1,000 residents. Most are property and deception offences (156), while crimes against the person are low at 23. The pattern is typical of a quieter residential area, and only 3.9% of the 4,956 residents need daily assistance.
Is Waurn Ponds good for property investment?
Renters are 21.3% of households, below average, but the young median age of 27 and Education's 14.7% job share support steady tenant demand.
How is Waurn Ponds's population changing?
The population of 4,956 skews young, with a median age of 27, fully 13.0 years below national. Resident turnover is 35.2%, so 64.8% stayed put, and families with children (1,610) outnumber couples without (678), pointing to organic family-driven growth rather than speculative inflow.
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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